in scarce currency.

The correspondent — Some neighboring Eastern newspapers fault us for the dearness of our prices and the multitude of our cars.

Ramadan — The dearness of prices: I think we cannot but take a look at the state of the economical hotels. For whenever we speak of tourism we mention hotels, since there is no tourism without hotels.

Madam: the Lebanese is ener-getic and enterprising. The Lebanese have ventured hotel capital of no less than 1,450,000,000 Lebanese liras, and with it they have equipped 585 hotel establishments con-taining 7,032 rooms and 14,351 beds. With this enormous capital Lebanon has been able to receive, in:

Year / Summer visitors / Tourists 1950 / 174,175 / 504,800 1952 / 244,000 / 774,221 1953 / 204,000 / 894,000

And you will be surprised if I tell you that, with the great numbers increasing year by year, we still lack improvement and construc-tion, for modern development demands abundant comfort in the existing hotels. How, do you suppose, is this need to be met?

The correspondent — Do you mean to say that you lack money?

Helou — Nothing else. A large sum for hotel loans must be set aside, at a very low rate of inter-est, for a period of twenty-five years, for example, provided that the terms of this lending are stud-ied and regulated. I am fully con-fident that providing the money will lead to a building renaissance in the hotel field which will without doubt lighten the unem-ployment crisis in the country, and secure a livelihood for a very large group of the Lebanese.

The correspondent — And the multitude of cars? A European tourist said in an Egyptian news-paper: "In Lebanon there are as many cars as there are men."

Helou — Madam, the multitude of cars is not so much a fault as is the lack of order among them — such as the failure to place a partition between driver and pas-

senger in the taxi, with the offi-cial tariff posted. It is absolutely inadmissible that the tourist be toyed with by the hands of drivers, porters, and hangers-on; and we urge woman to pursue her war upon the begging parasites.

The correspondent — Is there a penalty the Commissariat imposes, for instance, on the greedy among the operators of hotels, restaurants, or places of amusement?

Ramadan — In the law on the operation of hotels and places of amusement, Article 33 provides for a fine of from 100 to 10,000 Lebanese liras for every violation of the provisions of the law, which requires the hotel owner to submit to the Commissariat the prices he collects.

The correspondent — And

who carries out the inspection for violations?

Ramadan — In the past we relied on the police of the General Security; at present we have a special police of our own, attached to several offices in Beirut and the summer-resort towns. And, as I said at the beginning, the hope of Lebanon as a successful summering and tourist country is bound to a great extent to the activity of woman, whether in the field of health, of art, or of the economy. The Commissariat is ready to extend to her whatever help it can, hoping that this interview with "the magazine" — which is her "voice" — will be the opening of a solidarity that will carry our Lebanon up to the rank of the tourist nations of the world.