ITALY: Duce Deeds

¶ One hundred thousand lire ($5,230) received by Popular Author Benito Mussolini from Saturday Evening Post and Cosmopolitan was donated, last week, by Prime Minister Mussolini to Fascist charities.

¶ Italian public debt securities to the value of 140,000.000 lire ($7,300,000) were symbolically burned upon two Pagan altars by Il Duce. The securities had been contributed by patriotic citizens, and their destruction of course reduced the public debt by the amount of their face value and interest. The Pagan altars employed were originally used to offer up sacrifices to Goddess Minerva and Goddess Lucina.

¶ Although the sixth anniversary of the March on Rome was celebrated by 1,250,000 parading Fascists, last week, not a single public oration was pronounced—by order of the Head of the State, who utterly detests and frequently denounces “holiday oratory.”

¶ In celebration of the “March” or Coup d’Etat whereby Editor Benito Mussolini became Dictator, he decreed, last week, inauguration of the following recently completed public works: new “Palace of Justice” in Messina, Sicily (cost some 20.000.000 lire); new Ministry of Marine and Ministry of Education buildings in Rome; new “Port of Rome” at Civita Vecchia (45 miles from the Capital); and two new commercial air services—respectively Rome-Syracuse-Tripoli and Rome-Genoa-Marseilles-Barcelona-Las Palmas, both routes served by 2,000 h.p. four-motored German super-Wahl seaplanes.

¶ The private airplane of Il Duce will hereafter be piloted by Italy-to-Brazil Flyer Arturo Ferrarin (TIME, July 16), who was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, last week, and officially designated, “Pilot-in-Waiting to the Head of the State.”

¶ Arbiter Benito Mussolini made known his will that “club,” “cocktail,” “trolley,” “tram” and other foreign words which have crept into Italian shall be expunged. Furthermore notice was given that all patriots will distinctly sound and roll the Italian “r” particularly in “Roma.”

Recently an effeminate scion pronounced “Roma” in conversation with IlDuce as though it were spelled “Woma.” Instantly ablaze with indignation, the Prime Minister roared and rolled: “R-r-r-r-r-roma is pronounced R-R-R-R-R-ROMA!!”