White Coal in Italian Industry

TALY, until recent years, has been almost exclusively a nation of farmers, and even today over one-half of the population is directly dependent for its livelihood upon the exploitation of the soil. The past third of a century, however, has witnessed a remarkable industrial development. The world war, with its restriction upon imports and at the same time with its enormous demands for manufactures, greatly accelerated a movement which is making of northern Italy an industrial region of no insignificant proportions. For the explanation of this rapid growth, one need not seek far. Considering its resources, Italy is one of the most densely populated countries of Europe. Ribbed with. youthful mountains and having considerable areas deficient in rainfall, to support its population of over forty millions by agriculture alone is out of the question. Furthermore, population is increasing rapidly with an annual excess of births over deaths of some 400,000. Two solutions for the disposition of the surplus man power present themselves, emigration and industrialization. The former has long served as the major safety valve of overpopulation. In the absence of an extensive colonial empire there has been a huge annual exodus to the countries of the New World and to adjacent countries in the Old World. From I9Io to 1913 the average emigration was about 700,000 annually. The war and restrictive legislation, particularly in the United States-the most favored destination-reduced the numbers so that in the six years from I92I to I926 they have averaged slightly under 300,000. This situation goes far in helping to explain Italy's efforts in recent years to enlarge her colonial empire, to intensify her agriculture, and to expand her industrial activities

Archaeology · Business · Coal · Geography · White (mutation · White paper · Chemistry · Italian Fascism and Post-war Society · Italy: Economic History and Contemporary Issues

• William Oscar Blanchard 1886–1952

  John L Page•Annals of the Association of…•1952

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