— 8 —
working days. In 1923 we have only one agricultural strike, with 110 strikers and a loss of 540 working days, and 200 industrial strikes with 66,000 strikers and a loss of 265.000 working days. From millions of strikers and lost working days there is a sudden drop to almost negligeable figures.
As regards unemployment, we find that in December 1921 the unemployed, according to official figures, amounted to not less than 541,000; a year later they were still 381,000; in December 1923 they had dropped to 258,000; and finally in October 1924 (these are the latest official statistics) they were only 117,000. Unemployment is thus reduced to absolutely normal proportions, which existed, even in pre-war periods of the most satisfactory economic prosperity. It is indeed a matter of common knowledge that in many branches of industry there is an actual shortage of labour, and that all branches are working full time.
If you scan the «Bulletin of Economic Information» issued by the Confederation of Industry and the Italian Bankers' Association, you will not fail to receive a most
