ITALY: Shortening the Siestas

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If Italy's new Premier Amintore Fanfani pushes through all the state-run housing programs, education schemes, tax crackdowns and corruption cleanups that he has promised, all of them added together probably will not shock Romans as much as one fearless request issued by the Premier in his first week in office. The request: all Cabinet members and their staffs should begin work at 8:30 a.m., and lunchtime siestas should be cut to 2½ hours.

To the eternal frustration of foreigners and the industrious businessmen of northern Italy, Rome's bureaucrats have for years meandered into their offices about 10 o'clock, knocked off for lunch and a snooze about 2, returned from lunch about 6 and remained until 10 to do business with any night owl who wandered by. The new hours: 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; 3:30 to 8:30 p.m. Fanfani himself likes to summon his own aides into conference before 8 a.m., and he hangs on into the night.

At week's end, Fanfani, still moving with brisk efficiency, which has won him the nickname "Il Motorino" (the little motor), got confirmed as Premier by a Senate margin of 17 votes, and this week faces the more crucial Chamber of Deputies, where he is expected to be confirmed only narrowly.