Arizona republican., 1917-05-03
|S AFRAID EXPORTS
 MAY BE STOPPED
Republican A. p. Leased Wire1

BERNE (via Paris), May 2.-There is growing anxiety in Switzerland that the United States may restrict exports to neutral countries, and Edmund Schulthess, president of the federation, today gave the Associated Press comprehensive statement of the Situa- tion. The president made a warm ap- peat to President Wilson and t(1e American people not to allow a small sister republic to meet the tragic fate of starvation, which would be her in evitable lot if her imports were re- duced, and clearly outliped Switzer- lands utter dependence on not only America but both groups of European cOmbatants.
 President Schulthess denied cate gorically that any portion of supplies from the United States goes to the 1 central powers.
 Situated as we are in the heart of Europe and bounded on the north and east by the central powers and on the south and west by the entente" he said, '-Swuzerland is dependent on i both belligerents. Our land does not produce sufficient food, and particular ! ly lacks grains and fats, which must 1 be supplied by importation. Switzer- land has no raw materials such as coal, metals, oils. To offset this, she has a highly developed industry.
 Prior to the outbreak of the world war, Switzerland imported from all 1 four sides whatever she lacked and | similarly her exports went to all four quarters of the globe. You can imagine therefore how hard our little land is hit commercially when surrounded by the fighting world powers
 Concerning reports that foodstuffs sent from the United States merely passed through Switzerland to the cen : tral powers, the president said
 T am glad to have the opportunity to explode this fairy tale. Our inn ports of foodstuffs since the begin ming of the war are not larger but smaller than before.
 "I can give you the positive declara- tion, which no one can deny, that al
 the grain imported into this country
 has remained here. l will go further
 and say that the modest amount o1
 grain we produce ourselves is not ex-
 ported. This policy is a matter ot
 necessity, in addition to which we gave
 our word to France when that country
 permitted the transportation of grair
 across it's domains"
 President Schulthess concluded witt
 the following appeal:
 Tt seems to me out of the question
 so high minded and just a man a:
 President Wilson will lend his hand tC
 a measure which would hit the Oldes
 republic in the world hard, and place i
 in an extremely critical condition. We
 claim the right to live and work. w have done nothing to forfeit this right
 Switzerland looks with confidenc,
 toward President Wilson, the American government and the American nation which has many of the Swiss elements All measures which tend to restric the export of foodstuffs, from Americ; to Switzerland, strike our vital inter ests, our very existence. We want t live and work, not alone for ourselves but for humanity. Wherefore, it i
 our conviction that we have durin. the war and afterwards a mission t perform. Tell this to your big-hearte' [ American people and convey to then an expression of my sympathy and tn greeting of the Swiss people"