Evening star., 1949-09-21
Wonoen's
Clubs
Finlund TuIks Heard
As Press Women
Open Season
By Ruth Deem

Oy NUN OeQh
Members of the Women's Ma
tional Press Club were taken on a
birds eye tour OF Finland at their
first luncheon of the season yester-
day via the sparkling accounts
OF six American newswomen who
have just returned from the far
North country.
The program held at the May
flower Hotel. also featured a talk
by the Finnish Minister, Dr.. K.
T.. Jutila, who discussed postwar
economic recovery with brief
reference to the effects of this
weeks currency devaluation.
AT present. we are facing the
future confidently, now that we
have followed the order of 20 other
countries in devaluation Of ex-
change" the Minister said.
Citing some postwar recovery
trends, DR.. Jutila stated that Fin
lands exports have already passed
the prewar level and food produc-
ton is rising.
With Finland's sovereignty as
sured by treaty with Russia, he
added that already IS per cent of
war reparations have been paid,
and the remainder are expected
to be met before the 1852 deadline.
The honor guests, who spent
three weeks in Finland as the
guests of the Newspaper Woman S
Club of Helsinki, included Sarah
McClendon of the McClendon
News Bureau. Martha Strayer of
the Washington Daily News,
Esther Van Wagner Tufty of the
Tufty News Bureau, Vera Clay
Of Newsweek, Mary Lea Page of
the Ladies Home Journal, and
Hope Ridings Miller, magazine
writer.
Mrs. Tufty paid tribute to the
Finnish people for their perse-
verance in working out their re-
parations by giving six of their
eight daily working hours toward
completion of the debt.
Finland has the sort of old
fashioned integrity that even Rus
sia respects" she said.
Miss Strayer said she was
amazed to find a country she
thought was agricultural, had so
many industries, and recounted
her visits to candy, pottery and
glass factories. I'VE moved at
such fast pace, kept reminding
myself OF Mrs. Roosevelt" she
quipped.
The American correspondents
were naturally curious to learn
whether Russia controlled Finnish
policy, Miss McClendon said.
When they interviewed the Fin
nish foreign minister. she recalled,
he pounded the table and answered
emphatically, certainly not!"
Adding her own observations,
Miss McClendon declared, these
people may be run over by the
Russians but I don't think they'll
ever be conqured by them"
Mrs. Miller said she found the
Firms "f1ercely democratic, free
dom loving and very frank"
"Not once did hear the Washing
ton equivalent of don't quote
me-" she said laughing.
Added praise for the hardihood
OF the Firms was given in a lighter
vein by Miss Clay. Describing the
sauna" or traditional Finnish
bath. Miss Clay said, it requires
iron will and determination" In
accordance with Finnish tradition.
the correspondents and group of
British newswomen also on the
tour. sat in a hot steam room,
"sweated out their embarrassed
dignity" and completed it all with
q plunge into the icy waters of the
Baltic Sea.
The meeting ended with Miss
Page reading the farewell mes
sage she delivered for the Ameri-
can correspondents when they left
their Finnish colleagues. It was
In Finnish, in tribute to the Fin
1sh women's use of English when
ever possible during the visit.
Miss Jane Stafford, club presi-
dent, introduced the speakers.
Special guests included Otis War
tiovaara. Counselor of the Finnish
Legation. Nine. Wartiovaara, and
Charles E. Rogers. Luther j. Reid
and Dudley G. Poore, all Of the
State Department