An allusion has been made to the Italian financial methods. More than
one Italian officer, including Admiral Millo, spoke to me about the
Austrian currency, which seemed to them one of the gravest problems. In
Yugoslavia these notes were only legal tender if they had the Government
stamp, and the Italians resolved that in the territories which they
occupied the notes must have no stamp upon them. So far, so good. But
when some poor peasant came across the line of demarcation from Croatia
or else landed somewhere in a boat the Italians were not making good
propaganda for themselves when they seized the notes, tore them up and
refused to give their victim a receipt. One poor fellow whom I know of
came with his mother along that wonderful road which the Austrians built
over the mountains and down to Obrovac. He had some serious affection of
the eyes and was compelled to go to Zadar to consult an oculist. He took
with him practically all his fortune, as he and his mother did not know
what otherwise to do with it. They had never yet made use of a bank.
Well, the Italians tore up the notes and told him testily to go about
his business. The same thing happened to the following persons:
Crowns.
1. March 22, 1919. Bogdan Babovi['c], son of Radovan,
of Montenegro, was robbed of 1,348
2. " 22, " Peter Luk[vs]i['c], son of Stephen of
Spi['c], " " 1,800
3. " 30, " Marijan [vS]evelj, of Tu[vc]epa, " " 3,530
4. " 31, " Frano Franki['c] and Ivanica
Petri[vc]evi['c], " " 12,000
5. April 8, " Stephen Vuku[vs]i['c], son of Peter,
of Katuna, " " 4,758
6. " 8, " Nikola Cike[vs], son of Mate, of
[vZ]e[vz]evice, " " 3,071
7. " 8, " Martinis Jozo, son of the late
Nikola, of Komi[vz]a, " " 6,332
8. " 8, " Jure Rubi['c], son of the late Peter,
of Zadvarje " " 6,030
9. " 8, " Mato [vS]kari[vc]i['c], son of Stephen,
of Podgrazza, " " 500
10. April 8, 1919. Mihovil [vS]arac, son of the late Crowns.
Marko, of Split, was robbed of 300
11. " 11, " Ilika Kutlja[vc]a, son of the late
Peter, of [vC]ista, " " 600
12. " 13, " Marko [vC]aljku[vs]i['c], son of the
late Ante, of [vS]estanova, " " 11,000
13. " 14, " Damjan Udovi[vc]i['c], son of Jakov,
of Imotski, " " 3,200
14. " 16, " Antun Radi['c], son of Peter, of
Trogir, " " 62,000
15. " 16, " Madalena Kugmi['c], widow of
Nikola, of Split, " " 1,000
16. " 17, " Pero Juri['c], son of Abram, of
Ostrozac, " " 2,285
17. " 19, " Jakov Jurkovi['c], son of Mi[vs]ko " "}
18. " 19, " Mate Raji['c], son of Ilija, " "} 8,140
19. " 19, " Jerko Reji['c], son of Luke, " "}
20. " 19, " Josip Kolumbur, son of Marko,
of Livno, " " 25,000
21. " 25, " Zorka Aljinovi['c], of Split, " " 600
22. " 28, " Ana [vZ]i[vz]ak, of Split, " " 1,900
23. " 29, " Nikolina Rastor, of Split, " " 1,800
24. " 30, " Antica Mili['c], of Split, " " 5,000
25. " 24, " Tomislav Novak, son of Mate,
of Hvar, " " 3,000
26. " 24, " Gjuran Arif, of Livno, " " 2,200
--------
Total 136,794
--------
These were the complaints over a period of a month, which were received
by the Provincial (Yugoslav) Government at Split. One has to take their
word for it that the list is not fictitious. I did not investigate any
of the cases; the Italian officers to whom I showed the list said that
they were persuaded I would find that in every case the person culpable
was an officious, ignorant N.C.O. The list is, of course, no more than a
fragment. At Starigrad, on the island of Hvar, I was told that from the
people, who were searched both on landing and on leaving, 40,000 crowns
had been confiscated, and at first they had been told that the money
should be stamped. A merchant whom I happened to meet during the few
hours I was at Metkovi['c] told me that he had gone to the island of
Kor[vc]ula to his brother and, on landing, had been relieved of 34,000
crowns.