Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-29
CHANCES FOR TRADE
What Switzerland Offers to
American Capital.
A TOURIST TRUST
BIG PROFITS IN HOTELS AND
RAILROADS.
What Travelling Costs - The Mecca of
Sightseers - Government
Express Company.

Copyright, 1902, by Frank G. Carpenter)
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
LUCERNE.
I heard a striking American invasion
proposition the other day. It's enunciator
was Adolph Frankenthal, our consul at
Berne. He made it in jest, but it might
lead to matters of earnest. 1t is that our
trust magnates should monopolize Switzer-
land for money~making purposes Frank
enthal says they could turn the country
into a sightseeing park and drain the
pockets of the worlds travelling public.
They could buy the water powers and thus
concentrate it's industries, and by the addi-
ton of electricity multiply their output a
hundred-fold
Indeed, the tourist business might easily
be controlled by trust, and with it this
enormous hotel industry, which now an
nually brings in many millions. All that
would be necessary would be to buy the
best of the hotels which control the most
beautiful views, and then to organize a
system by which cut-and-dried coupon
tickets could be furnished, taking the trav-
eler from his home-in Europe or the United
States, and returning him there after his
| tour at a fixed price. He could thus know
to a cent what his trip was to cost.
The tips, which now amount to about %
per cent of ones expenses, could be cut
off, and the increase in comfort would be
enormous.
This is the gist of Consul Frankenthars
proposition Since then / have looked fur
ther into the matter, and can give you
some facts as to the vast sum Switzerland
is making out of the foreigners.
Fortunes in Swiss Hotels.
The hotel business in this country is enor-
nous. Switzerland is just twice the size of
Massachusetts,, but it's hotels and boarding
houses are crowded into a compass of less
than half it's area. Nevertheless, it has
1900 hotels and it is estimated that there
is s120,O00,00o invested in the business. The
hotels now take in about $50, 100000 year,
and a large percentage of this is profit.
About half of them are open all the year
round, and during the summer all are
crowded. Travellers to the number of al
most three millions swarm into Switzerland
from all parts of the world. They wander
about from hotel to hotel and from one
view to another, dropping their money at
every turn. Indeed, the receipts of the no.
tells during good years are more than the
receipts of the government, and their army
of employees is larger than our standing
army at the beginning of the Spanish
American war. There are about $4,000 men
and women employed in them, and of these
1000 are females.
What Hotels Cost.
A trust could materially cut down the
cost of running these hotels, for it would
buy things in quantities. AS it is now it is
estimated that more than s15,o00,o00 year
is spent for provisions and help. About
$1,000, 900 goes into the kitchens, which in
one season consume $4,000 worth of cheese,
$4,000 worth of tea, $jO0,0 900 worth of cof-
fee and more than 100000 worth of sugar.
1t costs the hotels every season at least
s., coo. 600 for bread 100000 for butter and
50, 100000 for vegetables and jams. All
these things are bought in dribletS, each
hotel paying for its own. The trust could
run central supply station, and make div
idends out of its savings in purchases alone.
general impression prevails in the
United States that travelling in Switzer-
land is cheap L do not find l. So The
rates at the better class hotels are not far
from the rates at similar hotels in the
United States. None of the 1900 hotels
have referred to charge less than 81 day,
and the ordinary traveller finds that his eX-
penseS run up to over So You pay so much
| for your room, and then, like not, some
! thing more for light and attendance. II
| you breakfast in your bed room an extra
| charge is made, and the best table hote
| dinner now costs a dollar and upward
Everything extra must be paid for and
| some of the hosts are little more than high
| way robbers, whose victims are travelling
| foreigners
Railroads Sell Passes.
I do not know that the railroads of SWitZ.
| erland could be acquired by any trust, but
| they are certainly profitable. In 1900 they
| paid a net profit of over S11 100000, and
their travel is increasing every year. Only
| four years ago the government decided tc
| buy them, and the transfer of the lines
| from private parties to the state is now
| under way. The roads, including the tram.
| ways, have a length of about 1850 miles
| and there rack and cable lines