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Show Traveler Makes Comparison in Letter to Herald As we approached Guatemala Guate-mala from 15,800 feet we saw one of the most beautiful green spots we have ever looked look-ed upon. Of course we thought it to be the greenery of mainland main-land but as we came over - it could see it was not land at all. The captain then announced that it is a coral reef, and we saw for the first time a coral island in its formation. This must be centuries old. Eespec-ially Eespec-ially when we consider the gathering of all those lucious green colors. Around its rim was a white line and extending back from that were all shades of the most gorgeous pastel greens we have ever had the privilege of seeing. It is just 100 miles off the coast of Guatemala. Guat-emala. What a feast for eyes. We took a ride around the city of Guatemala and in all the tour not one piece of waste, or paper or refuse of any kind did we see. The walks and streets, of course they are only about 30 feet wide in total, were as clean as tho they had just been scrubbed. What a job their Chamber of Commerce; Com-merce; or schools must do; or does. Anyway they look like you wouldn't even be too afraid to pick ypur gum up and chew it should you drop it. Guatemala City is on a plateau pla-teau 5,000 feet high. Level as a floor and every inch under cultivation, that is every inch to the rim of a thousand little canyons leading off in every direction. What a crazy-quilt pattern this makes from the air! Before we started descending descend-ing these canyons looked like they were filled with a green fuzz, like the green and red confette in Easter baskets. When we got lower, however, we could see that it is trees. They seemed to come just to the rim of the farm above and so thick and close that in places the branches touched across the canyon. At the rim there seemed to be a line above where no branches grew but blended into rows of green crops; nearly all of which the guide said they grow. In fact he said they are Very self-sustaining self-sustaining in all foods. They are, however, very far from self-sustaining industrially. I have seen nothing in that line whatever, except of course Indian In-dian earrings. The air, perhaps, for that reason and because of being so near the ocean breezes is very clear and invigorating, but damp. The temperature is 84. I can not help noting the autos and dress and suit materials. ma-terials. I wonder in my heart what we in the U.S. are doing. Yes there are lots of American goods here for sale, at about the same prices as at home some a little higher but stores are gradually replacing them with English. Especially is this true in English fabrics. The stores are loaded to the guardrail guard-rail with the finest of these. On the streets it appeared to me that the little German and English cars out numbered the American made. Definitely there is a big trend toward English and German markets. I wonder what we in America are doing. Is labor killing itself by pushing marketable goods so high that we are losing out in world markets to such an extent, that when the balance turns, we will find ourselves out on a limb. No demand for our goods and consequently no jobs, or at least only enough to supply our own needs. That alone would keep only about half of our employable busy. Sincerely Sterling E. Price |