Page:The Czechoslovak Review, vol4, 1920.pdf/69

to the depreciation of the Czechoslovak crown, manufacturers can undersell competitors in the western markets, but cannot buy raw materials without which the prosperity of the country cannot be brought back. The eyes of Bohemian financiers and merchants turn toward the East; Russia is next to America the great storehouse of food, wool, skins, oil, manganese ore, and Russia needs Czechoslovak manufacturers. But the situation there is kaleidoscopic; hardly had Czechoslovak representatives made an agrement for the purchase of 150,000 tons of wheat from southern Russia, when the Reds overran the country and severything was back at the beginning. Czechoslovaks also need ships; traffic on the Danube is carried on directly by the government, on the Elbe by private firms, but ocean-going ships are at present beyond the reach of Czechoslovakia, although the government is trying to charter German ships to transport iron ore from Sweden across the Baltic to river boats. The sugar crop of 1919 turned out to be smaller than originally figured on; it is now estimated at 530,000 long tons. There is a lack of agricultural laborers, but the hunger for soil is there; the commission for the apportionment of great landed estates received 200,000 applications for half a million acres of land.

Czechoslovak Information Bureau.

Women from Teschen Demand Union with Czechoslovakia.

The minister of finance as a New Year present increased the price of smokes to the men of Czechoslovakia, but in return promised them larger rations of tobacco, cigars and cigarettes. In our American money we would not consider it expensive to smoke the best Bohemian cigars which are only 3 crowns a piece, less than 5 cents; the best cigarette costs 0.70 K, just about a penny. Czechoslovak smokers have their choice limited to 11 brands of cigars, 7 kinds of cigaretttes, 3 kinds of cigarette tobacco and 2 of pipe tobacco, and 2 brands of snuff.

The Sokol Games to be held in Prague between June 22 and 27 will exceed in size anything of the sort heretofore attempted. A total of 2046 Sokol gymnastic societies have notified the central committee of participation; in the calisthenic drill there will be 26,902 men and 23,248 women; the youngsters who hold their athletic meet the week previous to the big games will number 13,572 boys and 12,607 girls. American Sokols will send a strong team and thousands of visitors.

In the entire Czechoslovak Republic there are 15,136 municipalities or communes, including cities, towns and villages; of this number 7776 are in Bohemia, 2904 in Moravia, 497 in Silesia and 3959 in Slovakia.