Friday, May 9, and Tuesday, May 20, Messrs. Viviano, L. Caravatta, A. Morici, Varco, V. Arrigo, G. Mataloni, G. D'Amico, R. Alghini, and Fresci Salduto manufacturers of macaroni met in the office of the Italian Chamber of Commerce.

The purpose of the meeting was to form an association of macaroni manufacturers of Chicago and neighbouring towns in order to maintain a high standard of quality and to avoid waste in production.

Mr. Caravatta, vice president of the Import and Export Commission, said that the proposed union was for the purpose of protecting and spreading on the American market the sale of Italian products.

At the first meeting a satisfactory agreement was reached and a second meeting was called to settle the technical, practical and juridical questions of the Italian macaroni manufacturers.

Now we are permitted to express our opinion, on this undertaking. The spirit of unity and adherence is now beginning to emerge in Italy. A large number of unions are springing up in the metallurgical, silk industry and others, into strong and developing organizations, because it is finally understood that only by cooperating can workers achieve conditions favorable to them.

The spirit of unionism in our Italian North American colonies is still latent but the greater New York, and California Italian colonies are beginning to acquire considerable proportions, giving in consequence splendid results.

The Italian colony of California has banking institutions of the first order as well as commercial and industrial organizations, and the same can be said for the Italian colony of New York.

According to the Census of 1910, Chicago has 72, 163 Italians. Although, the last ten years have shown the largest increase in the Italian population, nevertheless, there is not an Italian club or office building in Chicago.

But since our Italian Chamber of Commerce has scattered seeds of unionism, Italian societies are talking of uniting under one head. The 360 Italian mutual benefit and social groups of Chicago, have made a proposal to erect a building which will serve as a rendezvous for meetings, entertainments and as a forum, such as the Ancient Greeks erected.

It is the desire of the macaroni manufacturers to unite themselves into one corporation. The macaroni exports from Italy were curtailed because of the war, making it necessary for Italian colonies to set up macaroni factories in the principal Italian centers. The quality of the product gradually improved and today it is possible to compete with the best macaroni manufactured in Italy.

But lack of an agreement among the various macaroni manufacturers gave the industry an unstable character. It is well known that Chicago is the industrial center of America and perhaps of the world; it is also known that Armour and Company have under consideration the expansion of their grain capacity in order to compete with Italian made macaroni.

Armour & Company has all the means at its command to crush any competitor in this matter, but the principal factor in obtaining success is the quality of the dough, the secret of which is known only to the Italian macaroni manufacturer.

It will be useful for the Italian manufacturers to learn that the danger of being crushed by Armour's competition will be averted only by uniting, otherwise Armour may employ in its shops skilful Italian macaroni makers, thus succeeding in its competing with the domestic and foreign product.

A union of Italian macaroni macaroni manufacturers of America cannot harm the Italian exports, because, as soon as the use of macaroni spreads among Americans, especially now that American doctors are recommending its use, thousands of Americans and Italian manufacturers will not suffice to supply the need of this great market.

We hope to announce in the next issue of the Bulletin, the formation of a union of the Italian macaroni manufacturers of Chicago.