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Show THE RICH COUNTY REAPER. RANDOLPH. UTAH Visitors to Switzerland find if to visit frontier posts ' Swiss border interesting BEHIND which where they watch the guards on recently at both frontiers. Along the mobilized for possible emer- duty Swiss frontier all roads and railgency,' is one of the worlds ways were mined last autumn by oldest republics. In 1291, the Swiss authorities . by National Geographic Society. Washington. D. C. WNU Service. Preparea , first Events in the Lives of Little Men 0 Switzerlands three of cantons (or states) joined in a defensive league against the house of In view of the malHapsburg. ice of the time, they swore to have no ruler other than their own and to maintain their independence by their own armed strength. Later other provinces were added, until today the nation is made up of 22 largely autonomous cantons. Of Switzerlands population, amounting to something over four millions, more than 70 per cent speak German, about 22 per cent speak French, and the rest Italian and other tongues. The official languages are these three, plus a Latin derivative added last year as a fourth. State Small but Important. Surrounded by Germany, former Austria, France, Italy, and the little principality of Liechtenstein, Switzerland has a geographic position that is at once an asset and a liability. Traditionally a buffer state, she is also an important trade link between powerful neighbors. Though she has no seaboard of her own (either to defend or to use), she controls mountain passes over which rides the commerce of some of the most populous regions of south and central Europe. Nearly half of her domestic imports in 1938 came from neighboring countries; some 34 per cent of her exports were sold in near-b- y markets. A mountainous country, with much unproductive land and few natural Switzerland imports resources, quantities of food as well as raw materials that keep her factories humming. With a rather dense population in an area less than half the size of Indiana, she has become a highly industrialized nation. Only about one quarter of her working people are engaged in agriculture. Another 6 to 8 per cent are occupied in the tourist business; while between 45 and 50 per cent are em-h, ployed by industries, many of which had their early beginnings in handi-- ; crafts carried on at home during the long, winter evenings. Make. Quality Products. Because of domestic lack of raw. materials and fuel, and the high cost of transport, Switzerland has specialized in quality products. Such articles as Swiss watches, chocolate, cheese, embroideries, and toys are known around the world. For in addition to Europe, Switzerland has valuable commercial relations with the United States, South Amer-- 1 ica, and the Far East. Germany continues to hold the No. 1 position in Swiss trade, both as customer and vender, although in 1938 purchases of German goods declined considerably. Soviet Russia was the only important trader who sold more to Switzerland last year than during 1937. With a high average income and standard of living, Switzerland is one of Europes richest countries. Her gold reserve is estimated at about $675,000,000. ' Millions for Defense. From now on, however, much more of the national income will be diverted to military preparedness, according to recent news dispatches from the Swiss capital. One report sets proposed expenditures for defense and public works at more than . $240,000,000. Perpetual neutrality was guaranteed Switzerland in 1815 at the Congress of Vienna by Prussia, Austria, France, Great Britain, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Russia; but the Swiss army was maintained on a war basis all during the World war.. . For defense Switzerland has relied for centuries on a national mi--, litia, based on compulsory univer- sal service. It has been estimated that Switzerland today could raise an army of nearly 300,000 men between the ages qf 20 and 48. Patagonia, Argentine Territory, .Named Land of the Big Feet? the a the same A region of name. territory of In the scenic west of lakes and the international picture recently, as mountains, toward the Chilean bounArgentina reported the investigation dary, a tourist trade is being develof an alleged German plot to annex oped, aided by the governments rethis South American territory. ported program for new rail com-mumcations, hotels, and improved and Chile Long contested between facilities for and other sports. v fishing the Patagonian Argentina, area, constituting the tail of the Along the east coast, air service links the southern extremity continent, was finally divided be- already tween the two countries in 1881, its of the continent with Argentinas, permanent boundaries set in 1902. capital of Buenos Aires, thence The Argentine section, lying roughly branching out into a network of east of the Andes and south of the lines stretching west, north and east. . Sheep Raising Chief Occupation. great central plains, now includes the three continental territories of Patagonia is rich in natural re- -, Rio Negro, Chubut, and Santa Cruz. sources of timber and oil. One oil Name Means Big Feet. field, in Chubut, is reported to yield some 259,000 square more than 80 per cent of Argentinas Occupying of all total production. miles, or about Sheep raising, the chief occupation Argentina, this region is almost as large as Texas. Its name, trans- of the region, accounts for a large lated Land of the Big Feet, was proportion of the countrys exportafirst given it, according to some au- ble supply of wool, sent largely to Patagonia little-know- with a familiar n name-j-cam-e into . so-call- ed IE IP one-quart- IP By C. M. Payne WNU DID YtXJ MAKE THAT SPLIT PEA . SOUP P I no! TILL TOMORROV - TOLD YOU ABOUT 9 o p 38 -I- TS TAKEN ME TO SPLIT TUE ALL DAY PEAS By J. Millar Watt WMU thorities, by early explorers, amazed at the size of footprints found there. Patagonia, as the home of a giant native race, however, has been considerably overrated. Largely a plateau land of high winds and little rain, Patagonia supports, on the whole, sparse natural vegetation and few people. Its very name has come to be associated with the distant, untraveled ends of the earth. On the other hand, irrigation, particularly in the northern sections, has transformed much of the once desert area into blooming communities, producing fruits and grains. Families have settled in recent years all along the banks of the Rio Negro, near the northern boundary . vou can't uave tmat BITSyn(Bct. WNU Service, er England, France, and Germany. Al- though in certain sections of the n plains the constant dust makes for dirty, dry and rough fleece, Patagonias vast flocks in general contribute to the world market some of South Americas best . quality product. Yet despite the potential wealth of a still undeveloped region in a world of vanishing frontiers, Patagonia is thinly peopled, especially in the southernmost territory of Santa Cruz. The entire population is estimated to be only about 80,000 people in an area of more than three times as many square miles. Of these, according to an old census, less than 1,000 were Germans; about wind-blow- . 3,500 were Italians. . |