Switzerland Today (1971)

Switzerland is a small mountainous country locked in the heart of Europe it's barely 230 Mi wide and less than 130 mi from north to south it has no Coastline and almost no natural resources yet this tiny rugged country enjoys one of the highest living standards in the world and compet successfully with countries much larger and wealthier in resources than itself what's the secret behind Switzerland success and what's it like in Switzerland [Music] today [Music] politically Switzerland is a Federation of 25 sovereign states called cantons each Canton has its own government its own capital and largely decides its own Affairs burn is the capital of the country and the seat of the federal government the Swiss people are a mixture of many different Origins and speak three main languages in the blue area to the West it's French in the black it's German or the Swiss equivalent they call schuch in the red areas to the South it's Italian an ancient language called romanch derived from Latin is still spoken in the yellow areas physically Switzerland is a country of towering mountains and picture postcard Villages each year tourists spend over $1 billion enjoying its great natural beauty but Switzerland is also one of the most highly industrialized countries in the world she learned long ago that to survive in the modern world she had to industrialize but she had almost no natural resources no iron ore no coal no oil Switzerland solved this problem by concentrating production on Goods that needed a minimum of raw materials but a maximum of human skills skills that call for patient ience Ingenuity a love of precision and minute detail over the centuries they've developed their special skills so well that today the Swiss worker is his country's most important natural resource 90% of the cost of a Swiss watch is human labor the believe that to work is good and to work hard is even better whether he drives one of Switzerland's trans European Express trains Pilots a Swiss aircraft or assembles delicate components for space exploration the Swiss worker does his job with a dedication seldom matched in other [Music] countries to keep her Industries running Switzerland must import almost all her raw materials much enters the country through the Inland Port of Basel Switzerland's northern border City on the river Ry Basel is over 550 mi from the Open Sea yet it's one of Europe's busiest ports here the Deep barges unload textile fibers for the clothing industry chemical raw materials and drugs for the pharmaceutical trade aluminum for watches scrap iron to be turned into high-grade steel for machinery and construction and fuel for homes industry Automobiles and aircraft other reports enter the country on a railroad system that has more track per square mile than any other country in the world to pay for her Imports Switzerland must export about onethird of her total production the empty barges are loaded up again with textils watches dyes chemicals machinery and electrical equipment cheeses and chocolates products of the very special skills that bring today's Swiss worker one of the world's highest living [Music] standards but industrialization brings its own special [Music] problems years ago the strength of the Swiss economy was the mountain farmer grain from his Fields beef and dairy products from his cattle helped feed the towns and cities today the mountain farmer has almost disappeared and most Swiss farming takes place on the relatively flat land between the Jura Mountains and the [Music] Alps here mechanization is possible and with it higher and better crop yields per acre yet even with modern farming methods Switzerland must still import over 70% of all food stuff she needs and as more and more Swiss leave the land for the easier life of the Cities it's mostly foreign labor that brings in today's Harvest labor from Italy Greece Yugoslavia and as far away as Spain today 1 of the entire Swiss labor force comes from [Applause] [Music] abroad as with industry Swiss farming has its special problems too one of these is the increasing use of pesticides pesticides increase crop yields by keeping crop diseases under control and destroying bugs and insects that feed on fruits and vegetables but pesticides have their dangers too they can wash off the land into rivers and lakes killing fish and river life endangering drinking water supplies and upsetting the delicate balance of [Music] nature they can be swallowed by animals grazing uncontaminated grass and passed on to the Swiss consumer in meat and other products today stricter controls on the use of pesticides and Industrial pollutants help protect the health of the Swiss people and keep their rivers and famous lakes fresh and clean high above the farmlands lies Switzerland's only major natural resource an unlimited supply of snow water from these melting snow fields rushes down the Steep Mountain sides to be trapped behind Giant danss here turbines and generators use its Force to produce electric power for towns cities and Industry at the southwestern tip of Switzerland is the ancient city of [Music] Geneva for centuries men of many different races and beliefs found refuge in Geneva from persecution John Calvin the reformist preacher lived and taught in Geneva his teachings and ideas crossed the Atlantic with the pilgrim fathers they helped frame the Mayflower Compact and later the American Constitution today Geneva provides a quiet meeting place for men of many nations to talk over the problem s of the world the League of Nations was founded in Geneva and its successor the United Nations has its European headquarters here as do many other International organizations but the future of any Nation depends on its children what's it like being young in Switzerland today as in many other countries education is compulsory but a child growing up here in the heart of Europe in a country of mixed races and Origins has opportunities that other children don't have in school he soon learns that different sorts of people think and act in different sorts of ways and maybe this early mixing is all to the good for Switzerland is a country almost entirely free of strife and social un [Music] rest out of school it's a healthy active life when winter comes it's time for fun on some of the world's finest ski slopes but even in Switzerland it takes time to become an expert school day over a young Swiss has the choice of several fine universities but whether he goes to one or not every physically fit Swiss male must do his military [Music] service Switzerland has been strictly neutral for over 200 years but its citizens are highly trained soldiers ready for immediate combat per head of population Switzerland is one of the most heavily armed nations in the world after University some Swiss graduates work in Research Laboratories industrial techniques change constantly and only through research and development can Swiss industry compete successfully with the rest of the world in this Factory 12 highly complex machines manufacture turbine blades for supersonic aircraft a year ago the factory employed 48 workers and two Foreman today one Swiss designed computer and a skilled oper operator do the same volume of work in less time and with no errors the operator sets up the overall work pattern and pre punch tapes feed coded instructions to each machine increased automation is helping to solve Switzerland's chronic labor shortage problem with many tasks now done quicker and more efficiently by machines workers can be trained for more highly specialized jobs and higher skills mean higher wages so automation benefits both Swiss industry and its [Music] workers John Calvin taught the Swiss that wealth in this world meant salvation in the next so it's no accident that Switzerland has become one of the world's great banking Nations zorich is the major banking City and many foreign Nationals and governments have their deposits here Swiss money finances projects in many parts of the world and at home Swiss banks help Finance the building of factories offices and Homes Construction needed to keep Pace with a population that has almost doubled in the last 100 years in less than a century Switzerland has changed from a basically agricultural economy to a highly industrialized Nation the mountain farmer wants the economic strength of Switzerland has almost disappeared new needs new methods of cultivation have replaced him the old country lanes have given way to Modern Motor roads linking City to city and Factory to factory and today the once quiet cities are alive with the bustle of industry and commerce for a tiny mountainous country locked in the heart of Europe with no Coastline and few natural resources Switzerland has done remarkably well for itself by con conent rating on its one major resource its people by developing their very special talents Switzerland today enjoys one of the highest living standards in the world it has a stable democratic government and its people of mixed Origins and races manage very well to live and work and play peacefully side by side maybe there is a lesson to be learned for today's troubled World from the little country of Switzerland