Ogden Standard-Examiner | 1922-01-22 | Page 30 | Splendid New City is Rising amid Balkans

SPLENHD m CITY IS RISIHS AMD BALKANS Belgrade Rides on Wave of Jugo - Slovkian Prosperity BKLORADE, Jan. 18. (By the A. P.) Belgrade Is now vicing with Bucharest Bu-charest for tho title, of Paris of the Balkans." The city Is belnn raptdl transformed from a sleepy, melancholy, melancho-ly, unattractive, provincial town to something like a European capital. Its .stores are full of luxuries. Jewels, rich fur?, silks lingerie, expensive confections, con-fections, perfumes and cosmetics Everybody Ev-erybody seems to have ample money to buy those articles. A tide of prosperity pros-perity Is now flowing through the country There Is not sufficient room in the capital for the thousands of Slas who want to como here from the united provinces. Several thousand new buildings are under construction the streets are being repaved, parks, public pub-lic squares and an esplanade are planned a new royul palace and a new parliament building are nearlng completion, com-pletion, the construction of a great stadium is contemplated, and the government gov-ernment is offering prizes of f.00,-000 f.00,-000 francs for the best plan for the improvement and bcaullf ication of the city "You won't know Belgrade In another an-other five ycar-s" Ita citizens say proudly "We shall ha- a capital worthy of a nation of 1:5.000,000 people peo-ple and a city that will attract Euro - pes ns " It is a city of strong contrasts. In the heart of the business banking and shopping sections the visitor sees many peasants, herdsmen and hand-made farm cart.s, drawn h the Immemorial ox. An American visitor was startled to see an aged ex-soldier carrying n coffin cof-fin on his back through the crowded shopping district of the capital. It was explained that the Serbian undertakers under-takers made their deliveries of coffins to their patrons In this fashion Such Incongruities arc constantly to be seen In the capital