Rome, Mar, 31, Sig, Virginia Gayda, reputed, to "Premier "Benito Mussolini's mouthpiece, yesterday "said that Taly's' present Axis job -was to engage os many "British troops as possible and thus divert them from the defence of England, 'Writing in Sunday morning's "Voce a'ltalin," "Sig, Gayda. disclosed that Ttalian' forees: presently" were faced with 600900 Beitah troops ty Atlee 20; Greek divisions on the Al= fanion front. and tha in" addition, 100,000 Bris troops had been sent aligns in cast Atrien now are engaging. over "300,000 Briton troops, thus making a total of $00,000 soldiers who have been drawn from [England and held "there by the Hallans ina war theatre 1,000 miles from the British Isles," Sig, Gayda wrote, "The entire Greek army—over 20 aivisions—is now engaged on the Albanian front," he wrote, "It has now. been determined that over 100,000 English and Australian troops, constituting our entire divisions, and various other formations, already have landed in Salonika, while two other British divisions already are concentrated in Crete, 100,000 in Satontica "Thus Taly's task in the Axis war is to engage a maximum nuntber of she enemy's Imperial forces and wear them out to the greatest wrote Sig, Gayda, "Hence all military and naval forces which Ttaly draws against her are Giverted from the defence of the British Isles. and from protection of Ailantle convoys, which are neces sary for British' arms and supplies, 'This is the positive and permanent value of Tlaly's task, in the face 'Of which temporary "toss of African territory only' serves continually to weaken' the enemy,"—United Press,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.