BALTIC LANDS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 December 1939, Page 8

BALTIC LANDS

THE PROBLEM OF FINLAND. When the Letts. Esiomans, and Finns emerged from the swamps and jungles of time, along with the other wild tribes of men, and wandered over Europe, seeking places in which to lend their goats and graze their cows, they chose uninviting districts near one of the least cordial seas. The Finns settled on its northern shore, the Estonians and Letts on its southern, and all tried to live in peace. They didn't covet warm or fruitful valleys, didn’t try to monopolise ports, didn’t set up toll stations on vital roads or waterways. and were always ready to cooperate with neighbours, writes R. H. Markham in the "Christian Science Monitor.” They suffered constantly from other aggressive nations but still survive, cultivate their rather unpromising lands in an admirable way. care for their families will) devotion, and strive to keep up with an advancing world. They are of much vigour, of largo stature, frugal, religious, as a rule blond, usually blue-eyed. In spite

of long humiliation they are by no means servile, are free from vindictiveness, and yearn for culture. During periods of even partial freedom these little peoples have reduced their illiteracy lower than that of the United Elates.

In time all three of those peoples passed under the domination of the Swedes. Shortly after 1700 Peter the Great drove the Swedes out of Europe, taking the Letts and Estonians into the Russian Empire. A hundred years later another Russian Tsar did the same with Finland. The Russian regime at times has been fairly light, much of the time terribly oppressive. In 1904-05 these little people tried to lighten the oppression by violent methods. All won their independence after the collapse of Imperial Russia. SOUTHERN GROUP. The Letts are the most southern group of the three. Their land is about the size of South Canterbury. They are known to be hardy, determined, stubborn. Most of them are engaged in farming, stock raising, or forestry. They have created a fairly good school system, taken their land out.of the hands of the old Teutonic owners, improved agriculture and done something to‘increase their industry. By separating from Russia they dejlt a very serious blow to their commerce. They possess the best Baltic harbour and need Russia’s trade in order to prosper. The. Estonians, lying between the Letts and |he Gulf of Finland, are an oven smaller nation. They occupy a little rectangle between Russia and the deep, blue sea. They also are farmers and mostly live in the country, They have only one city with as much as 109,000 inhabitants. Of their 18 towns, 10 have fewer than 10.000 inhabitants each. Their very low, flat land contains 1500 lakes and much of it is covered with woods. Stock-rais-ing is a leading occupation.

The land of both Latvia and Estonia has been redistributed on a very equitable basis, and now most people who work land own it.

It goes without saying that the Letts and Estonians must co-operate with their gigantic Russian neighbour. What they want from that neighbour is autonomy —a very modest demand. Most remarkable of these three nations are the Finns, fewer than 4,000.000 in number, living across a narrow gulf from the Estonians. They occupy a dreary, amphibious land whose very name Suomi means swam]). It contains 40.000 lakes. Sixty-five per cent is watery. Some of it is covered with snow all the time; all. much of the time, ft has only one ice-free harbour. It has practically no mineral wealth and is very poorly adapted lo agriculture. Its chief natural resource is wood. Tito Finns pushed themselves into swamps, jungles and snows to be beyond the realm of invaders. They actually went where they thought no one else would wish to go. And as late as 100 years ago there were only 1,000,000 Finns in the world. From 1154 to 1809 they were under the Swedes: from 1809 to 1917 under the Russians; only since then have | they been free.

All these things constitute extremely formidable handicaps. Yet. in spite of them, the Finns are among the most advanced peoples in Europe. Their forests are excellently preserved and efficiently utilised; they have placed their agriculture on a very high level; their industry is steadily growing, their shipping is expanding, their land is fairly distributed, co-operatives are the basis of natural economy, illiteracy is almost unknown; in literature, art. science, and sport, the Finns have achieved noteworthy results; they have created beautiful cities, and they pay their debts. A cursory knowledge of the Finns excites astonishment; a more profound knowledge only increases that astonishment. The Finns have a supremely great problem, namely, their relations with Russia. Only mutual concessions can bring a satisfactory solution.

STRONGLY FORTIFIED BORDER. The south-eastern border of Finland is within 15 miles of Leningrad, Russia's only western outlet. The Finns ! have strongly fortified (hat border. 1 hey are pointing cannon at Russia’s only door. No great Power could be indifferent to such a situation. America would not passively tolerate it, nor would Great Britain. Germany's treatment of Czechoslovakia shows how it deals with such a menace. Russia has one long narrow outlet to the sea, namely, the Gull' of Finland. In that. Finland maintains fortifications at four points—four bolts to Russia s l. ck. A hundred and severity million people will not willingly permit 4.000.000 people to hold control over such a vital read. So. there! must, be an agreement. Russians need not subjugate Finns; j Finland need not doty Russia. In a ' balanced Europe co-operation would ; be quite possible. But in today's un-! balanced Europe no one dare predict I future developments.