powers of the Commissioner of Rome.'' (Semi-official communication OFNovember 30, 1923.) And, as a last manifestation of the respect of the Government for the autonomy of the local administrations, under Decree of September 24, ·1923 : '' In substitution for Article 324 of the Law concerning the Municipalities, the Government has been empowered to confer on the Commissioners and Commissions of Communes and Provinces the powers of the respective Councils" ! (c) Joint Administrative Areas. The Fascist executive power has even interfered with the joint administr?-tive areas ( Ci-rcoscrizioni locali), in contravention of Article 74 of the Constitution and articles 118 and onwards of the Lavv concerning Communes and Provinces. At Milan the hea.d of the Government, Signor Mussolini, intervened personally to impose the aggregation of I I neighbouring Communes, without any request from the administrations concerned, and increased the communal councillors from 80 to 91, the additional 11 councillors being nominated by Royal decree ! (Royal decree No. 1912, September 2, 1923.) · At Portomaurizio and Oneglia, while four Communes had been discussing amalgamation, the Royal decree No. 3360 of October 21, 1923, imposed the amalgamation of 14 Con1munes; a further 90 Communes were reduced by amalgamations to 25 as a result of deliberations of-the Council of Ministers. At Massa and Lucca, Government decrees ordered partitions which threw the population into confusion, and set the Fascists of the two Provinces against one another. Appropr-iation of Local Profits. V nder Royal decree No. 477, of May 18, 1923, the savings and profits made 67 Biblioteca Gino Bianco 7
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