European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 24, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Holland saves the w it n shoe by Linda White travel editor Ooden shoes the quintessential Symbol of the Netherlands will not be disappear ing Lor a while last Spring the dutch association of wooden shoe makers raised the alarm when the government proposed to Cut Down about 60 percent of tha country s Poplar frees Bui now the government has agreed to maintain he same a Croag of poplars according to shoe makers spokesman Jos Gerveis it looks As of we re Okay now Gevers said the Netherlands produces come three million pairs of wooden shoes a year about iwo thirds of which Are sold As souvenirs. The others Are worn by the dutch themselves especially agricultural workers and Homo gardeners. Poplar is the most popular shoe tree. Willow can be used too. But it is scare and presently diseased according to gears. Poplar is very lightweight when it s  to said. Also it does t have resin. When you Wear in your Wool socks Don l Slick to the resin and it does t  the shoe makers promote their pm Duc As being idea fishy the next bes toting to Bare eat. They give your Leel plenty of room and your feet Don t sweat covers said. Also you have o use your Muscles to keep them on la s very Good training to Wear wooden shoos even Lor just an hour every  about 300 craftsmen work in the 45 wooden shoe fool eries in the Netherlands mostly using mechanical routing machines hand Chisling is done Only or show. A typical wooden shoe factory and shop is operated by the Van laarhoven family near Besl a clog museum de pm alien. On the premises shows How automation made its Way into the a Clofis. And visitors can watch clog makers at work. First a log is Cut into round blocks and each Block is divided into clog size slabs one pair of shoes a a Ime is made on the machine first Tho outside is shaped according to a Mold then the inside is routed out Tho shoes Musl dry for several Days before they Are sanded. However the routing must Rio done while to Wood is still wet so it will not crack. Price of a pair of clogs depends on size bul a Plain pair Tor Adu is will cos Abou 16 guilders Aboul $7painted and Francily carved clogs Cost More. Tho factory and museum Are located at toe disk 16. Al Bosl. Tel 04998-71247. Ii is open april to ocl 1 from 10a a 1o5 p m. Groups Musl make Advance arrange meals bul can visit Nihro Ghoul the year. Entry fee is 1,50 guilders about 65 certs for adults and 1 Guildo Bou 45 cents Lor children the dutch promote wooden thetas being healthy tar the feet. A some Swiss want to the country s army by John a. Callcott United press International had Long Tor enter lit duty in tha Swiff by. Aft a it Borders on heresy for most of the country Bula Campaign is underway to disband the  there in t the faintest Chance of Switzerland declaring unilateral disarmament. Armed neutrality has been the Swiss Way a life Ever since the confederation was born nearly 700 years ago on aug. 1,1291. The citizen s army is the country s oldest institution. Its officer corps amounts loan elite aristocracy major deals Are done when business banking Industry and political leaders meet during annual refresher military Maneu vers obligatory for All Swiss men from Trig age Al 20loso, Switzerland does t have an army Machiavelli once said. A is an  behind the army abolition Campaign is a coalition of mostly Young Swiss from Small leftist political groups which would be considered Liberal in countries other than deeply conservative Switzerland. These splinter movements Are the Voung socialists progressives and workers party Trie last is Switzerland s version of a communist party although As a Lormer Leader Roger Dafflon once said we Are not soviet communists we Are not chinese communists we Are Swiss communists and thai is a very different  pacifists and environmentalist greens Iho youngsters have now collected 125,000 signatures supporting their proposal to Amend the Constitution to stale Switzerland does not have an army. The confederation canyons slate communities and individuals Are prohibited from forming or maintaining combat units. Switzerland conducts a global policy at peace which reinforces the tree will of the people and favors Solidarity Between  a socialist proposal to dilute banking secrecy was re acted in 1984 by an overwhelming 75 percent of the voters and Swiss Banks come nowhere near the army As a traditional institution. The Swiss this year similarly rejected by the same margin a government proposal that Switzer land join the United nations. The anti army campaigners admit their idea is an utterly lost Causa but they want a plebiscite anyway to give Young voters a Chance to express their opinion. Switzerland s system of direct democracy enables any group or individual to put any proposal to a National Vole if it is backed by at least 100,000 people a figure increased from 50,000 in 1977 naturally by plebiscite to reduce tie number of such votes. Al least five years is needed before a referendum is actually held. First the seven member Federal Council or government Cabinet has two years in which to consider its position and drawl a counter proposal if it thinks thai is necessary. Parliament Ihen has two More years to do the same. Then the people have one year in which to make up their minds. You can imagine that the government and parliament Are not exactly favourable to the idea of abolishing the army said one government spokesman with considerable understatement. Perhaps we should have the plebiscite in 1991 to coincide with the 700th anniversary of the Swiss  this is one vote we could really do without wrote Turi Honegger Star columnist of the mass circulation newspaper Blick. Most people find it Only natural that Neutral Switzerland needs an army and can t imagine a real Swiss Man without his military gun in the clothes closet. If something warlike happened we men would All be standing there  All Swiss males serve in the modern and very efficient citizen s army and keep their weapons and ammunition Al Frame. The army has Only a Small Core of full time professionals but As Many As 1 million men can be mobilized wll Hin 72 hours. The stars and stripes Page 17