The Butte daily bulletin., 1920-07-30
MAR FORCES ljSE[:
[)F ANC|E:N
ME-. .THOl5;
People of Latvia Learn to
Make Domestic Conamod-
tiles at Home; Each Farm
Is Independent.
(By Special Correspondent of the
Federated Press.)

Libau, Latvia.--,In tho country
districts, of Latvia Lettland), the
population has gone back to do
mestc manufacture of all things
necessary to comfort. Thus, one
finds people in the country using
solely home-spun clothing; their
footwear is usually homemade; the
same applies to hats; they tan the
hides from cattle, sheep, and hogs;
they make their own soap, yeast,
candles. and imitation coffee; raise
|theira,seed for gardens; manufacture
harness and rope; butcher for own
use, and dry, smoke and prepare
meat for sale. cut shingles, saw
| boards. In brief, it is a picture OF
almost complete domestic economy.
The reason is not far to seek: War.
War caused the dismantliag OF
the factories and prevented re-estab-
lshment. War caused destruction
and prevented replacement OF wear
land tear; war reduced the supplies
OH hand of materials.
i Peace came but brought no speedy
reconstruction. AS a consequence
the people are struggling with the
problems the best they know how
Naturally their prejudice and up
bringing determine the method OF
procedure, which is turn back tC
the good old time" To do so
they want lively trade and COM
merce, the busy factories, the hcav'
4 lily laden ships and railway cars.
But these cannot be coaXed back
without sound finance, and no finan
cial scheme works unless there is
plenty of gold, which is lacking
: or wealth of natural resources ant
$ machinery Thus, their efforts are
3 fruitless and they must go slow
!, let the people produce new wealth
i, gradually. Here again they arc
/ checked-the necessity of large ar
: mics prevents it, lack of machiner!
/ and materials keep production back
: They could import machinery, bu
{. who can buy with worthless none!
j, and no credit?
A These Herculean labOrs exist here
/ and have not found the bourgeois
@ Hercules equal to the task. Natural
: ly, Just the situation for forelgl
p exploiters And of such there j
, no lack. British, French, American
= all willing, though the British ar
!, really on the job as usual. The
: have the experience that mean
: foresight also, since they can sme!
y good business anywhere years ahead
= So we here see the Baltic becomin
, another British lake, with adjacen
j territories their dependencies.
The political independence OF tn
} group of buffer states seem hoy
q pretty well established, and so it
u time to start trading with Russii
J. Tile latter can do nothing bHa sen
h all her goods via, Baltic. or Blac
T. Sea ports-all British controlled
IS d For some time also az BIRTHS
e banking group has been consider
/ ing the assumption of the Lettis
d and F,sthonian finances. Their pla
G in brief was to issue bank note
and make them redeemahlc i'll poun
II sterling, mostly paper; III payme1
n for this they would get exciuslI
contracts on all flax and certal
amounts of lumber for Is year
A preliminary agreement was slgne
: but the Lettish government SCENE
l. to have gotten somewhat caution
"a in the matter 1t is fine bushes
l. for the banks. In the meantlm
the national bank here works tt
70 printing press overtime, conseqent
o we are pretty well supplied wit
~ money" and our soldiers, official
,s etc, are we'll paid, though the
n cannot buy very much.
STF,x