86
p.138-145
CLET002192
14 Agosto 1915
Rispondo subito alla tua lettera in data di ieri e prima di tutto ti ringrazio per l’interessamento che prendi al mio progetto di cui eccoti alcuni dettagli tecnici e finanziari perché tu possa giudicare sul da farsi da parte tua.
A maggior chiarimento della mia prima lettera ti dirò dunque che la fabbrica di munizioni (granate da 75 millimetri) verrebbe installata nel salone grande delle Officine Ricordi dove, pel diminuito lavoro di stampa, c’è dello spazio disponibile in quantità. Così sarebbe risolto il problema di trovare un locale per impiantare la fabbrica di munizioni – e d’altro lato la nostra Ditta ne avrebbe un vantaggio venendo ad essere sollevata di una parte delle spese di affitto, di illuminazione e di riscaldamento che sarebbero sostenute dalla fabbrica di munizioni.
Per la mano d’opera si potrà usufruire anche di una parte di quella delle officine, con altro vantaggio per la nostra Ditta, perché l’impianto così come sarà fatto permette l’uso anche di operai non specialisti – il cui numero sarà esiguo – e di ragazze (applicazione della cintura di rame alla granata, verniciatura, fabbricazione delle viti di pressione, ecc.).
Agli operai specialisti – pochi torno a ripetere – provvede il Comitato per le munizioni sorto da poco a Milano sotto la presidenza dell’
Risolto così il problema del locale e della mano d’opera. rimaneva quello più scabroso delle macchine. La Germania naturalmente non ci manda più nulla – la Francia e l’Inghilterra non bastano a provvedere di macchine operatrici le proprie officine – la Svizzera è sotto la tutela della Germania (informino le difficoltà che trovano gli Alleati per risolvere equamente il problema dell'approvvigionamento della Svizzera) e vende a malincuore o non vende all’Italia macchine per produrre munizioni da guerra – il nostro paese purtroppo non è mai stato produttore di macchine-utensili (torni, trapani, frese, ecc) ed ora che occorrono – e ne occorrono molte, molte, molte – le munizioni ci si accorge che ci sono le energie, le intelligenze, le organizzazioni pronte a rispondere alle domande dello Stato Maggiore ma mancano le macchine!!
Gli Stati Uniti sono dunque diventati per necessità di cose i grandi fornitori di macchinario dell’Europa per uso guerresco – e con quell’arditezza di iniziativa e di mezzi che li distingue si sono subito specializzati nella fabbricazione di macchine speciali e automatiche per la produzione di proiettili.
In un mio primo progetto avevo scartato le macchine speciali americane, credendo fosse più facile trovare quelle correnti; ma ho dovuto ricredermi perchè per le macchine ordinarie si parla di un anno, un anno e mezzo per le consegne. In questi ultimi tempi ho poi avuto notizie precise sulle nuove macchine automatiche da un ingegnere italiano che le ha viste funzionare in Francia e che ne dice molto bene (Vedi anche le ultime dichiarazioni del Ministro francese
Il Comitato lombardo sta ora organizzando vari gruppi di Stabilimenti nelle plaghe intorno a Milano (Castellanza, Como, Lecco. Novara) per la produzione di proiettili da 75 millimetri sulla base di un contratto unico già accordato colla Direzione d’Artiglieria, contratto che conosco in tutti i dettagli e che è ottimo sotto tutti i rapporti perché stabilisce un prezzo largamente remunerativo per la fabbricazione dei proiettili e abolisce tutte le pastoie e le lungaggini dell’ordinaria burocrazia. Il
Le macchine – ordinandole subito – verrebbero consegnate da settembre a gennaio – per la fine d’anno si avrebbe metà produzione e a febbraio la produzione intiera – il contratto col Governo avrebbe la durata di un anno a partire dal 1° gennaio 1916 – con un minimo stabilito di produzione e obbligo del Governo di acquistare anche tutto il soprappiù.
Rimane il problema finanziario. Come ti ho scritto la
Vorrei qui entrare in dettagli di cifre, vagliate al crogiuolo di tutte le critiche – ma tu sai che esiste una censura che apre le lettere – e fa benissimo – ma d’altro lato fanno benissimo tutti quelli che usano prudenza nello scrivere – ed io sono uno di quelli. Sappi soltanto che l’affare è buono e che senza promettere mari e monti si può garantire che i Soci non saranno malcontenti di aver investito del denaro in una industria che – in questi momenti – rappresenta anche una buona azione patriottica: ché, torno a ripetere il solito ritornello, anche da noi occorrono e occorreranno ancor più munizioni, munizioni, munizioni.
Mi auguro di averti dato i dettagli che tu desideravi giustamente e che varranno a convincerti che ti propongo un affare importante, ben studiato, ben ponderato e promettente. Quanto alla misura del tuo concorso io ti sò dire soltanto che quanto sarà più largo tanto mi faciliterà il compito di andare a bussare alle porte degli amici ricchi per cercare denaro, in questi momenti difficili. D’altro lato, so quanto ha fatto l’animo tuo generoso da quando è scoppiata la guerra e quanto certamente vorrà ancor fare in seguito. Lascio dunque a te di decidere la misura del concorso, se ti deciderai ad aiutare questa mia intrapresa che mi sarà non difficile di condurre e perché essa sorge nelle nostre Officine che io già vigilo da quando è partito Manolo e perchè è un affare che bene iniziato darà poche noie e disturbi, trattandosi di un lavoro meccanico automatico sempre identico – sorvegliato tecnicamente dall’Inge Gilardi.
Se credi puoi mostrare le mie lettere a
Ricambio gli abbracci alle figliuole e a tutti i piccoli – a te rinnovo le mie grazie pel tuo interessamento e ti abbraccio con tutto l’affetto.
Tuo Tito
Aggiungo che i miei obblighi verso la Ditta G Ricordi & C. non mi impediscono di assumere altri incarichi – purchè non siano in Aziende concorrenti della nostra, il che non sarebbe nel caso attuale.
14 August 1915
Dearest Aunt Anna,
I am responding immediately to your letter of yesterday with my thanks, first of all, for your interest in my project, which I will now describe in greater technical and financial detail so that you may decide what you would like to do.
By way of additional clarification to my prior letter, I can tell you that a plant for the manufacture of munitions (75 mm cannon shells) would be installed in the great hall of the Ricordi Workshops, where there is an abundance of available space due to the decline of printing activity. That would resolve the problem of finding a suitable locale for the machinery — and in addition, it would help our Company cover the expenses for rent, illumination, and heat, which would be partially defrayed by the munitions plant.
For the labor involved, it would be possible to use some of the workers from our shops, which also helps our Company because the machines as projected could be run by non-specialists as well as specialists — of which only a few would be needed — and by young women (for fixing copper bands to the shells, painting them, producing the pressure screws, etc.).
As for the specialist workers — very few, I repeat — they would be supplied by the Committee for Munitions recently established in Milan under the presidency of Engineer Cesare Saldini, which has five professional schools that have already trained skilled lathe turners with more forthcoming — and by the government with lathe workers, metalworkers, and mechanics returning from the front. The Stiegler Workshop, for example, which is now manufacturing projectiles, has already received more than sixty military machine-shop workers, who are taken on trial under the control of the Plant supervisor and a specialist officer. If they work well, they remain in the Workshop — otherwise they are sent back to their respective regiments.
With the problem of finding a locale and the necessary labor thus resolved, the more complicated issue of the machinery remains. Naturally, we receive nothing more from Germany — France and England cannot supply enough operating machinery for their own plants — Switzerland is under the protection of Germany (as is evident from the difficulty the Allies have had in finding an equitable solution for obtaining supplies from Switzerland) and either reluctantly sells, or refuses to sell machines for producing war ammunition to Italy. Our country unfortunately has never been active in the manufacture of tools (lathes, drills, milling machines, etc.), and now that munitions are needed — in great, great quantity — we realize that we have the energy, intelligence, and organization ready to respond to the demands of the Military Defense for the production of ammunition, but we lack the machines!!
The United States have therefore necessarily become Europe's most significant source of war machinery — and with their distinctively bold initiative and resources, they have immediately become specialized in the production of special, automatic machines for the manufacture of projectiles.
In my first plan I had discarded the idea of acquiring the special American machines, thinking it was perhaps easier to find the ones currently in use; but I was forced to change my opinion because for ordinary machines we're looking at a year, a year and a half for delivery. Then I recently received detailed information about the new automatic machines from an Italian engineer who saw them in operation in France and spoke very well of them (see also the latest declarations of the French Minister Thomas, where he says that all of the new projectile factories in France are equipped with American machinery, obtaining excellent results). With this in mind, I decided to plan a new, rational system with automatic machines, which I submitted for examination to Engineer Gilardi, a member of the Munitions Committee of Lombardy, who not only found it to be perfect but also showed me the way to secure such machines. The machines are therefore on order, pending my success in quickly assembling the Association — which would be established under the auspices of the Committee of Lombardy, with Eng. Saldini at its head and with the technical support of Eng. Gilardi — in other words, such that the technical and financial plan I have devised will be completely guaranteed to bear the best possible fruit.
The Committee of Lombardy is now organizing various groups of Factories in areas around Milan (Castellanza, Como, Lecco, Novara) for the production of 75 millimeter projectiles, based on a single contract with the Direction of the Division of Artillery, with which I am thoroughly familiar and which is optimal from every perspective because it establishes a generously remunerative price for the production of the projectiles and it eliminates all of the usual bureaucratic impediments and delays. Saldini, who is familiar with my project and advised me to enlist Gilardi's technical expertise, and with whom I have had frequent meetings, has heartily promoted my idea and wants to see it realized, because Milan would then have a model modern plant rather than the usual ratholes (as he says); and just as he puts the full support of the Committee of Lombardy behind it now, he will continue to do so after it is up and running.
The machines — if ordered immediately — would be delivered from September through January — half by the end of the year, and the remainder by February. The contract with the Government would be for one year beginning on 1 January 1916, with a set minimum quantity of production and the Government's guarantee to purchase all eventual surplus as well.
All that remains to be resolved is the financial problem. As I wrote to you, the Banca Pisa would open an account with an advance of 200,000 lire. Another 400,000 must be found (part of which would be underwritten by clients of the same Bank) to set up a Limited Partnership whose By-laws I have studied and assembled together with Legal Counselor Dino Majno, the successor of poor Senator Rossi. The Association would have a planned duration of ten years, but it would certainly be liquidated once the war has ended. I would be the General Manager with a Supervisory Board of three members and Eng. Gilardi as Technical Director. The profit would be divided as follows: 6% toward the capital investment — thereafter a special fund would be set up for its amortization — with any remaining earnings to be split equally in two between the Shareholders and the Management.
I would like to supply more detail here regarding the figures, which have been subjected to critical review from every possible angle — but you are aware that our letters are opened by the censors — as well they should — and on the other hand, all those who exercise prudence in their writing also do so with good reason — and I am one of them. Suffice it for me to say that it is a sound business deal, and that, without promising the earth and the moon, I can guarantee the Shareholders will not be displeased with having invested money in an industry that — as things stand now — represents an act of patriotism as well: since, as I said before, we too have a present and ever greater need for munitions, munitions, munitions.
I hope I have given you the details you justly sought, which should convince you that I am proposing an important, promising business venture which has been well designed and deliberated. As for the extent of your participation, I can only tell you that the more you invest, the easier it will be for me to go knocking on the doors of wealthy friends in search of money in this difficult period. On the other hand, I know how much you have so generously done from the goodness of your heart since the war broke out, and how much you certainly intend to do in the future. I leave it to you therefore to determine the amount, should you decide to assist in this undertaking of mine — one which will not be difficult or troublesome for me to manage, both because it will be in our Workshops, which I have already been supervising since Manolo left, and because it is the kind of enterprise that becomes an automatic, identically repetitive mechanical process once it is up and running under the technical supervision of Eng. Gilardi.
If you like, you can show my letters to Manolo because he has a general understanding of my intentions and of this project in particular.
A fond embrace to your girls and all of the little ones — and to you my thanks once again, from the bottom of my heart, for your interest.
Your Tito
I should add that my obligations with G. Ricordi & C. do not preclude my taking on other positions of responsibility — as long as they are not with Companies in direct competition with us, of which this would not be one.
Lettera titolo DOC01829.086
Segnatura Volume DOC01829
Anno 1912-1935
Volume 03
Pag 138-145
Nr. pag 8