Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-08-14
SMYRNA, BASE OF
GREEK ARMIES, is
LIKE A DEAD CITY
Once the Greatest Commercial
Mart in Asia Fast Losing All
Life and Business.
ALL TRADE THROUGHOUT
ASIA MINOR PARAlYZED
Merchants See Little Hope of
Revival Until War Between
Greeks and Kemalists Ends.
LBy Associated Press

sMfRNA, Aug. 13.-Smyrna, once
tho greatest commercial mart i'm Asia.
is now like a city dead. There ,s
mule TO show that IL Is the base OF
Creek army Of 200,O 900. Fo, months
no cargo boats have entered the har-
nor. business throughout Asia Minor
Is paralyZcd. Americans control the
'hree reasons for this stoppagc OF
business. one is the war, another Is
TIC hopeless rate OF exchange thc
Turkish pound is worth about Ca
cents. and a third is lack OF demand
Tor foreign goods
AS there seems little likelihood OF
an abatement OF the war between the
Greeks and Kcmalists, local mcr-
chants see little hope OF a revival OF
III n as commercial supremacy.
Many or them have left the place for
itaiy' England md America, where
'hey nope 10 Ind greater prospesity.
city Is Unnttrnctiyc.
Inc city itself liz 80 primitive and
nnattractivc that one wonders why
~ has been such n bitter bone of con
icntson between the Greeks and Turks
's' ''oHS y. bUl, OF course.
II Is the rich agricultural lands with
IN the province of Smyrna that both
sides covct. This area. which the
Turks call the Pearl OF Asia" is one
of the most fertile and produces some
of the finest fruit In the world
smyrna figs and raisins are household
terms. The country also yields the
hnest leaf tobacco known. The year
~ exports to America amount to mil
lions OF dollars.
Tho treaty of Sevrcs placed Smyrna
under Greek administration. with the
proviso that after FIVE years the pop
'ilation might express it's preference
for either Turk or Greek control
Although u has population Of up
ward OF 100000 and Is considered by
both Turks and Greeks as one Of the
most modern cities In Asia. Smyrna
10 the visitor is disappointing and
unattractlvc. Its narrow, winding
crudcly cobblcd streets give OF an
offensive odor. Its drainage system
is dcplorably inadequate. Its trans
portation and lighting facilities. too
are woefully defective. There is only
single tram. and that consists OF a
single-track. one horse line along the
water front.
Hotels Are Sad Affairs.
Then. Smyrna's hotels are sad ar
fairs. The most modern OF them Is
forty years old. None of-thcm would
do credit to the smallest town in tho
United states.
When King Constantine came here
the best accommodations the author
tiles could get for him was small
ciEht-roon. terra-cotta house tina,
any farmer In America would own
The King and his ministers were not
here two days before they were al
most driven out by bugs and mos
1uitocs.
The city has few places of amuse-
mcnt There are two or three indif-
fcrcnt moving picture theaters and
numerous coffee houses. All over the
Near East the coffee house" is nm
institution. Here the population sits
all day slipping Turkish coffee, drink
ing oozo-a drink that tastes like ami
scotland talking politics.
Tho natives. as rule. are print
tive. indolent and supcrstitious. They
carry conversation beads to beguile
the time. These they finger and FUN
bile by the hour. The visitor might
ina ginc the holders Of the beads
were at prayer. Even the horses wear
these curious conversation beads.
But in these cases they are used to
keep away. as the natives believe. the
evil eye" from the animal