IN SWITZERLAND

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 265, 5 August 1929, Page 12

IN SWITZERLAND

THE PEOPLE AND THEIR LIFE

Certain views about Switzerland and its tourist traffic which have lately been circulating through the New Zealand Press, have induced Dr. Leon Bossard, of the University of Zurich. Switzerland, to point out a few facts about Switzerland.

“Switzerland,” he states, “is essentially an industrial and agricultural country, and the number of Swiss directly dependant on the tourist traffic does not exceed five per cent, of its population of five million inhabitants. The wealthy Swiss people are mostly to be found in industrial circles and amongst exporters of dairy produce, and are not the few photographers, guides or taxi-drivers partly dependant on the tourist traffic. I think it should be well known that Switzerland’s industrial prosperity depends on its various machine-building, watchmaking, embroidery, silk-manufacturing and footwear manufacturing centres, on its famous chocolate as well as dairy produce. Further Switzerland to-day holds a leading position in the manufacture of electric implements and machinery, electric installations and production of electric power, which is bought by the surrounding countries. It may be of interest to know that the entire Swiss railway system is electrified, and that the modern Swiss building “without chimney" is a further indication of the Swiss spirit of progress. Further, it should be generally known that the Swiss educational and lingual institutes and its universities attract students from all parts of the world. “I think that Switzerland is a good example, illustrating the fact that a country can welcome and be courteous to tourists without losing independence or national characteristics, and that contact with other nations broadens the views, helps to stimulate enterprise and to Introduce progressive ideas in a country. The times are over where nations can shut themselves off and thrive, and the sooner New Zealand realises that, the sooner it will grow to be the prosperous and generally important country every true New Zealander sincerely wishes it to become."