LITHUANIA'S CAPITAL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 170, 20 July 1935, Page 15

LITHUANIA'S CAPITAL.

A TRANSFORMED CITY

GRATITUDE FOR HELP.

KAUNAS (Lithuania), June 12.

Lithuania's ambition to modernise her capital and judicious pressure applied by the municipality upon local merchants and property owners have transformed this little city of 100,000 inhabitants during the last 10 years.

When Lithuania was compelled to appoint Kaunas as the seat of her Government after the Poles had seized Vilna in 1920 the city contained no modern buildings. Four ancient horse cars provided transportation. 'llie residents obtained their water from town pumps. Canalisation was lacking. Rounded cobbles and frequent holes made a drive in a droski an adventure to be undertaken only by persons inured to seasickness.

Before the war Russia kept a large garrison in Kovno (now called Kaunas) and tho military refused to permit the erection of any buildings higher than two storeys. Lithuania lias reversed this order, and to-day on tho main streets no buildings may be erected under three storeys. Through using official pressure and making available bank credits, hundreds of new buildings have sprung up, **id tho old structures have been remodelled. Spacious, brightly lighted windows have converted Laisves Alcja (Liberty Avenue) into Lithuania's State street, and a much larger variety of American goods are in evidence than in Warsaw, Riga, or Tallin. During the last four years the city has succeeded in paving most of its streets with macadam. It is one of the few towns which have abandoned street cars for auto buses. Recalling one's first visit there in 1922 when the Government was struggling to organise an administrative apparatus, the American relief administration was feeding the children of Lithuania, and the American Red Cross was protecting them from typhus and other plagues, it is hard to believe that Kaunas in 10 years has evolved from a dirty little garrison post to a spotless, modern looking little city with more than £0,000,000 worth of new buildings and improvements.

Lithuania makes no secret of the fact that her sons in America have contributed about £7,000,000 since 1920, and this sum lias helped greatly to modernise the country. Lithuania tries hard to make every American visiting her country know that she appreciates the part America has played in obtaining her independence.

To-day Lithuania has a large surplus of agricultural products, especially dairy products, pigs, and poultry, and, being on the gold standard, her export of these goods to Great Britain is proving unprofitable, To'-day her economists are discussing the possibility of joining the sterling bloc. Unless her position improves the Lithuanian lit will resume its former status of 10 to the dollar within the next few months, according to officials.

"While American Consular authorities in a neighbouring country have tried vainly for several years to obtain official data concerning the amount of emigrant remittances, the Lithuanians have willingly disclosed all the information they have on this subject. Despite the depression in America this country received more than £300.000 from Americans of Lithuanian descent this year.

Until 1934 Lithuania was the most prosperous of the three Baltic States and Kaunas was the boom town of the Baltic. During the present year Lithuania's relations with Germany have grown strained because of the dispute over Lithuania's treatment of the inhabitants of the Klaipeda (Meine) territory, and she has lost her most prolitable market.