Page 367 - Le Operazioni Interforze e Multinazionali nella Storia Militare - ACTA Tomo II

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conferences in the Mezzogiorno to persuade Italian fishermen to go fishing in the Libyan
Gulf:
“In the past winter we even saw delegates of the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce go-
ing around fishing centers of southern Italy, and holding propaganda conferences to our sailors, in order to
convince them to go fishing in Libya […].” 12
The lack of fishes in the Libyan Sea is worsened by the need of infrastructures and
great public constructions: L’Unità takes position against these works, frightened by the
high costs for the country. Within this theme, a vital role is played by the opposition be-
tween “new” and “old” Italy: although the fatherland is in great need of infrastructures,
most of all in the South, it has been “abandoned” for the new colony’s sake, where a
great deal of work is required, without any certain results:
“Of course, if the State will decide one day to do all those things, it is positive if fishing will be profit-
able in Libya.
But, before spending all the money which is needed, we shall remember that: 1° all this money is not
made by air, but we shall produce it; 2° that this money could be used to set better conditions for the fisher-
13
men... in Italy.”
According to the Nationalists, the great civilizing country shall bring the modern age
in Libya by constructing efficient railways: L’Unità demonstrate the scarceness of com-
merce with Sudan and Central Africa, stating that “in the past, even the most favourable
figures of caravan commerce in Tripoli were not higher than 2 or 3 millions.” 14
In June 1913 L’Unità reports about 87 km of railways, and within the next year 250 km
more will be set, all of them built by the State. L’Unità, a strongly liberal magazine, sees in
public intervention a way to inflate the expenses and empty the pockets of Italian people:
“[...] in these conditions, railway constructions are a leap into the unknown, and no private company
would be so crazy to take the risk. The good Italian people, on the other hand, risk without any question
and...pay.”
15
Salvemini’s magazine sees in the “civilizing country” a big business for industrial
elite:
“On the other hand in Tripoli, as we have to build an extensive railway (we can’t explain the reason for
doing so, but the sharp reader might understand it), it will be good to search for and find exploitable mining

12 L’Unità. 1912. “La pesca che non c’è”. L’Unità n°54, 20 Dec.: “E nell’inverno passato abbiamo visto
finanche degli inviati ufficiali del Ministero di Agricoltura, Industria e Commercio andare in giro per i centri
pescherecci dell’Italia Meridionale a far conferenze di propaganda fra i nostri marinari perché andassero a
pescare in Libia [...]”
13 L’Unità. 1913. “La pesca in Libia”. L’Unità n°24, 13 Jun.: “E certo, se lo Stato si deciderà un giorno a fare
tutte queste belle cose, è positivo che la pesca riescirà fruttifera anche in Libia.
Solamente, prima di spendete tutti i quattrini necessari a ciò, bisognerà ricordarsi : 1° che questi quattrini non
si fabbricano col fiato, ma dobbiamo darli noi ; 2° che quei quattrini sarebbero forse assai meglio impiegati a
mettere in migliori condizioni i pescatori.... in Italia.”
14 G. Ricchieri. 1913. “Il valore economico della Libia interna”. L’Unità n°11, 14 Mar.: “anche in passato i
calcoli più favorevoli del commercio carovaniero di Tripoli non superavano da 2 a 3 milioni.”
15 Idem: “ […] in queste condizioni le costruzioni ferroviarie sono un salto nel buio, in cui nessuna impresa
privata farebbe la pazzia di rischiarsi. Il buon popolo italiano, invece, si arrischia a occhi chiusi e... paga.”