Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1917-11-22
WAR COSTSSWISS
AN IMMENSE sum
Loss Of Tourists Business
Means $45,0 100000 a Year
to Little Nation.
uPHOLDs Ts NEUTRALITY
All BelIluerents Contribute 10 system
Of Compensation for Maintenance
Country Really Struggling
for Existence.

Geneva.-War has killed the tourist
business In this country, where the en-
tertalnment Of foreign visitors was
the principal and most profitable ma
tional industry. II Is estimated that
the gross receipts from tourist busl-
ness In Switzerland amounted In 1918
to over $45,0O0,0OO. Of which almost
100000 represented the net profit
Of this industry, In which the capital
invested exceeded $2O0,OO0.0O0. The
1000 hotels specially built for the &c
commodatlon Of foreign visitors. con-
tanning more than 10000 beds and
employing about $4,000 servants, are
now mostly closed or empty. 1t Is
true that some Of them have been used
for prisoners Of war hospitalized In
Switzerland. but the profit thus made
is only nominal.
The loss Of tourist business IL by no
means the only one suffered by Swift
zeriand. While other neutral coun-
tries prospered owing to the war.
Switzerland, surrounded by belliger-
emit nations-Germany on the north,
Austria on the east, Italy on the south
and France on the west-and COM
PEELED to keep her army on a war foot
ing to defend her neutrality and watch
her frontiers, paid the penalty Of her
special geographical position. But
besides increased military expenditure
which the war rendered Indispensable,
Switzerland, despite her neutrality, Is
exclusively dependent on her neighbOrs
for food. Without their help she Will
starve, and she needs help both from
the allies and the central empires.
Help for Switzerland.
Both groups Of belllgerents admitted
that the case Of Switzerland was es-
sentially an exceptional one, and after
laborious negotiations they consented
to the adoption Of the so-called system
Of compensatIons. This system Is far
from perfect, as besides benenting
Switzerland It benefits her neighbors
as well, but not to the same extent. It
follows that the allies and the central
empires complain that their goods are
being re-exported to the enemy, and
both are continually blaming the Swiss
government Of partially and threaten
ing to break OF commercial relations.
Switzerland only exports natural
products to the central empires, prin-
cipally live stock, milk, butter and
cheese, and she gets in return coal.
iron, artificial manure, sulphate or
aluminium, benzol, zlnc,. straw, chem
ical dyes and potatoes. Swiss exports
to Germany and Austria are supposed
to compensate the imports from these
two countries, and in order to prevent
that goods Of ally origin should be ex-
ported to enemy countries, the Society
Of Swiss Surveillance, generally known
az 8. s. s, has been formed under the
auspices Of the allies to control Swiss
expectation to the central empires.
The allies export wheat to Swit"er-
land, or rather allow 1t to be exported
from neutral countries, and grant spe-
cial facilities for Its being landed and
discharged at Cette in France and
conveyed to destination. Rice, corn,
sugar and other foodstuffs, as well %
raw materials, are also exported BY
the allies to Switzerland, which COM
pensates them by exporting IN re-
turn machinery and semimanufactured
materials which serve for the war.
ALLIES Gain by Deal.
It is a fact, however, that Switzer-
land Is getting more from Germany
and Austria than what she Is giving
them, while her compensation to the
allies Is considerably less than what
she gets. Besides, while Swiss exports
to the allies are not absolutely indis'
pensable, those to the central empires,
representing exclusively foodstuffs, are
undoubtedly prolonging the military
resistance Of the enemy and counter
acting the effect Of the allies block
ade.
It is suspected that Germany and
Austria are compromising Switzerland
literally for contraband which, despite
the control of the s. s. s., still -four
ishes and that even allied goods, such
for instance as rubber, find their way
to Germany and Austria. The Swiss
government denies that contraband In
favor Of the central empires Is toll
Grated. Every effort is done to re
press It and generally with success, al
though It is impossible to stop It alto
gether. The excess Of Austro-G German
exports Is explained by the fact thai
since the allies cannot supply SwitZer
land with coal and minerals, which
are indispensable for Swiss industries
which otherwise would be paralyzed
and widespread unemployment and
restitution would follow, every efOrt
is made not to diminish Swiss exports
to the central empires which benefit
A