The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-12-06
SWITZERLAND FEELS
HOSPITALITY ABUSED
Has Taken Initial Steps to Control Un-
desirable Foreign Element from
Which She Has Suffered
Greatly.

Berne, Dec. g.. Correspondence of the
Associated Press Switzerland finally
has taken initial steps to control the I'm
desirable foreign element from which she
has suffered as no other neutral country
since August, 1914. New regulations
adopted by the federal council, are in.
tended to make it difficult for the agent
of one of the warning countries, for the
deserter from any side, for the foreigner
without obvious, legitimate means of
livelihood and occupation to flock, as
heretofore, into the little country that
is trying desperately to maintain an up
right neutrality and at the same time
weather the storm until peace arrives.
Switzerland hitherto has permitted,
without any material objection scores of
thousands of strangers to enter almost
as freely "a in peace times. Now action
has been taken to stop this only because
her hospitality has been greatly violated,
her neutrality at times even threatened.
The new rules which win become efTec
tive as soon as the Swiss diplomatic and
consular officials throughout the world
can be notified, require that all foreigners
entering the country must be equipped
with iron-elad passports from their own
countries, or equivalent papers of identi
fication; that prior to coming TO Switzer-
land all foreigners must furnish to Swiss
diplomatic or consular officials adequate
reasons for wanting to come here, and
that, after arrival, strangers must regis
ter with the police of the city or town
they intend TO inhabt
There has always been daily traffic
between France and Switzerland in the
of Geneva, and between
Germany and Switzerland near Basel on
the part of laborers and others. Many
foreigners have smuggled
themselves across the border and have
failed to return. Once in Switzerland
they have been able to hide because OF
the lack of control over foreigners.
That all is to be changed Every per.
son crossing the border at other than the
ordinary points where iron.elad pass
ports will be required win be numbered
Ii he fails to return the police will be
put upon his trail He will have little
chance of escaping, for without the right !
kind of credentials, he is unable to OBJ |
tain bread. A bread card to-day Is more |
important even than the money with !
which to purchase it-and bread card |
Is issued only on presentation of identi-
ication papers.
The hotel at which the newcomer stops, |
he pension that takes him in, the pri- |
rate family to whom he may go, are all |
liable to heavy penalties if they fail to
announce his arrival.
There remains the problem of the de-
erters who have managed to flee across
he boundary from one army to another,
md of the near deserters, those who have
ONE here with the permission of their
respective government-and then have
eclined to return. Swiss law prescribes
hat these deserters and refractionaries
s they are called can not be forcibly
eported There are in Switzerland now,
is estimated, between ten and fifteen
thousand of these gentry. Not all of :
hem are bad citizens. Hundreds of them
t least are gainfuly occupied and are
wing model lives. Others are undesi-,
BILE to the point of being out and. out
riminals. Figures for Geneva alone show
hat out of 10000 foreigners among its
10000 population, 1896 are deserters,
nd 2452 refractionaries, while in Zurich
hose figures are exceeded.
The agitation for the utilization of
he man-power represented by the de-
erters and refractionaries is so strong
hat it will surprise no one to see steps
AIKEN to incorporate the majority of
hem into a civilian service of manual la
or in agriculture.