Neutral reports record a good deal of disagreement between the regular Italian volunteers, who took an active part in the campaign against Ethiopia, and Fascist colonists sent afterwards to exploit the country. The volunteers, it is stated, feel that having done actual military service they, and not newcomers, should be given preference in the development of the country.
The high cost of living is said to be another factor making for discontent, for, despite attempts to control prices, everything is pretty expensive.
A decline in exports of coffee, and skins has been recorded, although there was a small export surplus of flour before the Italo-Abyssinian conflict, some has since had to. be imported. The Italians attribute the shortage of flour to greater consumption resulting from the increased number of Europeans living in Ethiopia, but independent reports suggest that this is more likely to have been caused by the passive refusal of a large section of the Ethiopian population to cultivate land in occupied territory.
—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.