san swiss arms ag is a swiss manufacturer of small arms .

it was known as sig arms ag before 2000 when it was acquired by the german investors michael lüke and thomas ortmeier from parent company schweizerische industrie gesellschaft ( sig ) .

swiss arms

products are sold through the swiss arms website , with a unique specification , or through sig sauer gmbh . the majority of swiss arms weapons are used in hunting and by the swiss army .
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san swiss arms ag is a small arms manufacturer based in neuhausen am rheinfall , switzerland . their most popular weapon at present is the sg 550 line of assult rifles . san swiss arms are part of the chain of companies that make up sig sauer gmbh .
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swiss arms has developed a reputation for high grade rifles & pistols in unique formats while not losing affordability and performance .
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under the partnership , swiss arms manufacture a large number of parts and accessories for weapons made by its sister companies , chief amongst which are barrels .
in 2000 l & o holdings bought the major firms under the sig sauer banner : sauer & sohn , mauser jagdwaffen gmbh , blaser and sig arms inc . along with swiss arms . the companies were renamed , collectively , as sig sauer gmbh from 2007 .
access to information records show that rcmp have an aggressive firearms reclassification agenda and that prohibitions will not stop with the swiss arms series rifles ,
the association said .
, the gun - loving swiss are not about to lay down their arms . guns are ubiquitous in this neutral nation , with sharpshooting considered a fun and wholesome recreational activity for people of all ages .
swiss arms ag began producing firearms in switzerland in the 1870s . since then the company has slowly developed its processes and construction of firearms , benefitting greatly through heavy investment by parent company sig sauer in 2005 , increasing the amount and quality of machinery and workforce .
the federal government has granted a five - year amnesty to owners of swiss arms classic green semi - automatic rifles , who will be able to continue to possess their guns
without threat of criminal charges ,
according to a statement from the public safety minister ' s office .
the federal government has granted a two - year amnesty to owners of swiss arms classic green semi - automatic rifles , who will be able to continue to possess their guns
without threat of criminal charges ,
according to a statement from the public safety minister ' s office .
the largest and most damaging swiss bank heist in history doesn ' t involve stolen money but stolen computer files with more than 100 , 000 names tied to swiss bank accounts at hsbc , the second largest commercial bank in the world .
that sense of social and civic responsibility is one of the reasons the swiss have never allowed their guns to come under fire .
oerlikon - bührle , pilatus , ruag – swiss weapons manufacturers have often made the headlines , but rarely for the right reasons .
the swiss government has decided to suspend temporarily export licences for anti - air defence systems destined for pakistan . a cabinet statement . . .
the german industrialist emil georg bührle became a swiss citizen in the 1920s . emil georg bührle started his collection during the second world war .
the swiss will vote on november 29 on a people ' s initiative calling for a ban and transit of war materiel from switzerland . more specifically it seeks to ban the export of small arms , military training aircraft and obsolete military equipment no longer used by the swiss armed forces . the ban would not apply to hunting and sport weapons , demining systems , goods temporarily exported by the swiss authorities and those for civil protection . the initiative also stipulates that the government provide economic support for regions affected by the ban , mainly the cantons of nidwalden , zurich , thurgau , bern and lucerne . the initiative was launched by the pacifist group for a switzerland without an army and filed in september 2007 , and has been signed by over 109 , 224 citizens . in 1997 a similar initiative to ban arms exports was rejected by three out of four voters .
but , perhaps , not that surprising . swiss banks have been caught protecting tax dodgers before , but never has this much detail been revealed .
but swiss authorities say falciani acted alone . when they came looking for him , he fled to france and turned over his files to french authorities .
the following script is from
the swiss leaks
which aired on feb . 8 , 2015 . bill whitaker is the correspondent . ira rosen and habiba nosheen , producers .
after having ruled out the west german g1 i rifle , which uses caseless ammunition , the gird carried out a competitive evaluation of two weapons : the c42 developed by the federal arms factory and sig ' s sg541 , or , as it is now , the sg550 .
on november 29 the swiss will vote , for the third time since 1972 , on banning the export of weapons and other military materiel . the government has recommended voters reject the initiative .
the bührle foundation is preparing a catalog of all the works , private and public , mr . gloor said . . he said he believed the new wing could improve the arms dealer’s image because he collected most of his works after the war , in the six years before his death .
the country had one mass shooting in 2001 , but a resulting anti - gun referendum failed to pass . the swiss will not give up the gun . can their system work in the u . s . ?
as for hervé falciani , he ' s still a wanted man . in december , swiss authorities charged him with industrial espionage . he says he ' s a whistleblower . the swiss say he ' s a thief . his ex - girlfriend considers him a conman . when falciani first took the files , she traveled with him to beirut . she told a british filmmaker he had hoped to sell the data and make millions .
a 37 - year - old computer security specialist named hervé falciani stole the huge cache of data in 2007 and gave it to the french government . it ' s now being used to go after tax cheats all over the world . 60 minutes , working with a group called the international consortium of investigative journalists , obtained the leaked files . they show the bank did business with a collection of international outlaws : tax dodgers , arms dealers and drug smugglers - - offering a rare glimpse into the highly secretive world of swiss banking .
swiss made p210 to the 553r and 751 sapr pistols with more options to come in the future . if you are looking for support for air guns please contact soft air at urltoken or ( 763 ) 463 - 1925 .
the swiss federation is also wrestling with the implications of displaying the bührle collection . the kunsthaus sells a slim book published by the foundation that notes that mr . bührle , who died in 1956 , was forced by a swiss court to return 13 looted artworks that he had bought during the war to their owners or descendants . he later bought back nine of them , including a degas that had once been in the possession of the nazi leader hermann göring .
when the interview with falciani was over , the man responsible for the biggest breach and leak in swiss banking history left the way he ' d arrived at our meeting . . . through the streets of paris on his scooter .
an important point which will certainly not have escaped the swiss procurement authority ' s notice is that the stgw90 will cost about half the price of its predecessor without having to sacrifice any of the latter ' s performance or operational qualities .
the 7 . 5mm gp11 and 5 . 6mm gp90 rounds . in order to emphasise the country ' s policy of neutrality , the swiss authorities have tried to distance themselves from the 5 . 56 x 45mm nato round by choosing the designation 5 . 6mm , but the two rounds are in fact interchangeable , except for the fact that the swiss ammunition is optimised for a bore with a 1 - in - 290mm , rather than 1 - in - 178mm , rifling twist .
this is the stolen data that is shaking the swiss banking world to its core . it contains names , nationalities , account information , deposit amounts - but most remarkable are these detailed notes revealing the private dealings between hsbc and its clients .
an earlier version of this article misstated where a group of rabbis has been holding demonstrations urging the museum to protect what the group says is a jewish burial site . the protests have been held at swiss embassies and consulates , not just embassies .
the expansion project , expected to be completed by 2020 , is being financed by the city and the state government , or canton , of zurich and the museum’s association of 21 , 000 members , who have pledged to raise more than $ 88 million . the bührle foundation , created by descendants of the arms dealer to oversee the collection , will contribute an undisclosed amount .
in february 1983 , the swiss federal council made public its decision that the new 5 . 6mm sig sg541 assault rifle ( renamed the sg550 at the end of october 1984 ) would be adopted as the standard service weapon of the swiss army . about 600 , 000 weapons would be produced , with the cost of manufacturing the rifle and its ammunition estimated at sfr1 , 600 million , to be spread over 15 years . the rifle will enter service at the beginning of the next decade under the swiss army designation of stgw90 ( sturmgewehr = assault rifle ) , replacing the 7 . 5mm stgw57 . in autumn 1983 , however , a credit of sfr85 million was voted to enable sig to manufacture a first series - production batch of 15 , 000 rifles for delivery in 1986 . two thousand of these should be ready by the end of 1986 for handing over to the army for extensive in - service evaluation during which the rifle could undergo minor modifications to improve its handling . according to the timetable already established , sig will receive the principal order for 135 , 000 rifles in 1987 , for delivery beginning in 1990 . as was the case with the stgw57 , a third of the total production work will be go to the federal arms factory in berne , which will carry out the final assembly of 80 % of the weapons , while another third will be shared out among other swiss companies .
other critics are questioning whether it is proper for a publicly financed institution to give prominence to the bührle collection in a new wing , given that mr . bührle was a nazi arms dealer who bought art that had been looted from jewish owners . a book about the collection published last year by two zurich historians , including a former administrator of the kunsthaus , argues that the museum should be more transparent about his biography .
but since bulldozers started excavation early this year for the expansion project , a massive sandstone rectangle designed by the architect david chipperfield , the work has dredged up sensitive issues involving the city’s jewish history and the swiss role in the trade of art looted by the nazis in world war ii .
at the urging of a group in new york , hundreds of orthodox jews have staged demonstrations outside swiss embassies and consulates in london , montreal , new york and tel aviv , calling on the museum to protect a 14th - century jewish burial site that they say is under the new building’s construction site .
last month , the swiss jewish federation revisited those issues , hosting a lecture on looted art at the kunsthaus by ronald lauder , the president of the world jewish congress . while there mr . lauder also raised questions about the bührle collections . “one is publicly accessible , the other is private , ” mr . lauder said . “we don’t know what’s included in the private collection . ”
one of the reasons the crime rate in switzerland is low despite the prevalence of weapons — and also why the swiss mentality can’t be transposed to the current american reality — is the culture of responsibility and safety that is anchored in society and passed from generation to generation . kids as young as 12 belong to gun groups in their local communities , where they learn sharpshooting . the swiss shooting sports association runs about 3 , 000 clubs and has 150 , 000 members , including a youth section . many members keep their guns and ammunition at home , while others choose to leave them at the club . and yet , despite such easy access to pistols and rifles , “no members have ever used their guns for criminal purposes , ” says max flueckiger , the association’s spokesperson .
“from our point of view , nothing was found so there is no reason to protest , ” said jonathan kreutner , the secretary general of the swiss federation of jewish communities . “they don’t know that the city is very open and that all of the jewish communities are involved in this issue . they don’t know the facts . this is a very marginal group within the ultra - orthodox judaism . ”
second half of the 1970s , the swiss ministry of defense undertook to find a replacement for the stgw57 . after a series of in - service tests , carried out in 1978 , of 40 modified sig sg540 and sg543 rifles , the gruppe fur rustungsdienste ( grd ) drew up a staff requirement . in addition to the usual specifications concerning handling , ruggedness and safety of operation , the new rifle had particularly to meet the following requirements :
even though switzerland has not been involved in an armed conflict since a standoff between catholics and protestants in 1847 , the swiss are very serious not only about their right to own weapons but also to carry them around in public . because of this general acceptance and even pride in gun ownership , nobody bats an eye at the sight of a civilian riding a bus , bike or motorcycle to the shooting range , with a rifle slung across the shoulder .
none of this would have surfaced had it not been for this man : hervé falciani , an hsbc computer security specialist at the geneva , switzerland , branch . he stole the data in 2007 . he likes that he ' s been called the edward snowden of swiss banking . now a fugitive living in france , he says he grew disillusioned with what he saw at hsbc and began to download
proof
of illegal tax evasion : those internal bank files .
there is no doubt that sig has succeeded in developing for the swiss army a small - calibre assault rifle which is a worthy successor to the stgw57 , despite the qualities which have earned for the latter a very flattering reputation . the sg550 allows the infantryman greater mobility , gives him more firepower when firing on full automatic than was possible in practice with the 7 . 5mm calibre , and increases his efficiency by simplifying most of the operations required in the rifle ' s use .
unlike some other heavily armed nations , switzerland’s gun ownership is deeply rooted in a sense of patriotic duty and national identity . weapons are kept at home because of the long - held belief that enemies could invade tiny switzerland quickly , so every soldier had to be able to fight his way to his regiment’s assembly point . ( switzerland was at risk of being invaded by germany during world war ii but was spared , historians say , because every swiss man was armed and trained to shoot . )
in order to reduce the height of the weapon as far as possible , at the same time maintaining a gap between the magazine and the ground when the rifle is resting on its butt and bipod , the grid has opted for the 20 - round magazine . this decision is not surprising since swiss doctrine has always laid greater emphasis on single , well aimed shots , and since automatic fire can be controlled by the three - round burstlimiter . sig ' s 30round magazine is therefore exclusively for export .
the combination of these characteristics makes the prototype sg550s slightly more accurate than the stgw57 , as confirmed by the swiss army during comparative tests of 73 of the long version against stgw57s . with the rifles held firmly in clamps , serials of 24 shots were fired at a range of 300m . the new rifle achieved an overall grouping of 50 % of hits in a 7 x 6cm rectangle ( 226 points out of a possible 240 ) , while the stgw57 achieved a grouping of 7 x 8cm ( 220 points ) .
sig has taken out a patent for a system of juxtaposing several magazines under the rifle in order to speed up the reloading of the weapon . the right side of each magazine sports two studs which are engaged by a backward pivoting movement in u - shaped slots on the left - hand side of the next magazine . the 20round plastic magazine adopted by the swiss army a 30 - round version is also avail able for export - is transparent and shock , flame and dirt - resistant . it weighs only 90g and is more comfortable to handle in intense cold than metal
but the “gun in every closet” tradition was challenged in 2001 , after a disgruntled citizen opened fire with his army rifle inside a regional parliament , killing 14 and injuring 14 others — the only mass shooting in switzerland’s recent history . the subsequent opposition to widespread gun ownership spearheaded a push for stricter arms legislation . the government and pro - gun groups argued , however , that the country’s existing laws regulating the sale , ownership and licensing of private guns , which includes a ban on carrying concealed weapons , are stringent enough . the law allows citizens or legal residents over the age of 18 , who have obtained a permit from the government and who have no criminal record or history of mental illness , to buy up to three weapons from an authorized dealer , with the exception of automatic firearms and selective fire weapons , which are banned . semiautomatics , which have caused havoc in the u . s . , can be legally purchased .
the manufacturer seems to have made a technological breakthrough , however , in the use of a plastic material for the stock , handguard , pistol grip and magazine . neither the composition of this material nor the identity of the swiss laboratory which developed it has yet been revealed . claimed to be far superior to zytel in its strength and homogeneity , it is said to be capable of withstanding shocks , such as the firing of a grenade , at any temperature from - 40 ' c to + 50 c without its properties being altered . the four surfaces of the handguard and the stock can be submitted to the pendulum test , against steel or concrete , without breakage or cracking resulting .
the design of the sig sg550 . derived from that of the sg540 , incorporates numerous innovations which contribute to its accuracy which is greater than that of the stgw57 - and which make it an almost perfect weapon from the human engineering point of view . the heavy barrel and the chamber are hammered from a single piece . the adjustable sight includes a device for night firing . a folding bipod is attached to the handguard . the shape of the stock facilitates the instinctive shouldering of the weapon and , compared to the stgw57 , the reduction in the height of the weapon decreases by 20 % the area of the target presented by a prone firer . the swiss service - issue accessories comprise a cleaning kit , juxtaposable magazines , a charger and a bayonet . the reload ammunition is kept in ten - round clips ,
although it was recognised that the 7 . 5mm gp11 round was no longer compatible with the nevv requirement for a lighter rifle , the calibre and ammunition had still to be determined . while accepting that combat generally takes place at ranges not exceeding 150 - 200m , the grd nevertheless wished to have a round which would be effective out to 600m . taking this into account , the 5 . 56 x 45mm calibre seemed insufficient , at least in the form of the m 93 round and at a time when the results of the nato trials aimed at adopting a new standard round had not yet been made known . it can be assumed , however , that the promising performance of the new belgian ss109 ammunition had not escaped the attention of the swiss military authorities , since they decided to evaluate two new calibres - 6 . 45mm and 5 . 6mm .
integral rails on the receiver , at the base of the chamber , and a conical mortise machined in the base of the back sight allow the fitting of day or night optical sights . this method has been borrowed from the sg540 where it has worked well . the swiss army maintains that a footsoldier should be able to fight tanks and therefore plans to use the fn / luchaire 58n series rifle grenades which are attached to the flash suppressor and held in place by a collar . the tail of the grenade is fitted with a bullet trap so the projectile can be launched using normal gp90 ammunition . no sighting scale is necessary by lining up the hood protecting the front sight with the outer surface of the grenade , a range of 75m will be reached automatically . for other ranges , however , the firer himself has to estimate the correct angle of elevation .
this was the backdrop for the first scandal involving pilatus , a maker of single - engine aircraft based in central switzerland , which counted among its founders emil georg bührle , father of dieter . in 1978 an anti - establishment magazine revealed that the company ' s pc - 7 training aircraft could be easily adapted to carry bombs .
at first the government denied this ,
said jean - marie pellaux , author of a book on the affair .
then , following various media revelations , it claimed this didn ' t violate swiss law as the planes hadn ' t been modified in switzerland .
nicknamed the
poor man ' s bombers
because of their relatively modest cost , pc - 7s are said to have been used by the cia in laos in 1962 , in myanmar , guatemala , mexico , chile , bolivia and nigeria . more recently pilatus products have been spotted in iraq , south africa and darfur .
the sg550 is mechanically similar to the sg540 and sg543 rifles already described in the idr ( 7 / 1982 , p . 875 ) and which were used as a base for perfecting the new rifle . sig has again designed a gas - operated weapon with a piston acting on the bolt carrier , which locks and unlocks a rotating bolt with two front lugs . that apart , the sg550 is much less complex than the stgw57 , made up of only 174 parts , compared to the 237 of the weapon it will replace . the use of sheetmetal stampings and plastic material has permitted the weight to be reduced to 4kg for the standard rifle fitted with an empty magazine , 0 . 1 kg less than the maximum weight stipulated by the gird . armed with the rifle and the standard service issue of 120 cartridges , the swiss soldier will not have to carry more than 6kg , a load lighter by 4 . 3kg compared to the stgw57 with the same amount of ammunition .
1 - that it should serve as the basis for a family of weapons , including a standard rifle and a shortened version , the latter to be used as a personal weapon for headquarters staff , commanders , tank crews , paratroops , and special units .
3 - that it should be much lighter than the stgw57 which is considered to be too heavy and bulky , thus restricting the soldier ' s battlefield mobility .
the sg550 stripped . from left to right and from bottom to top : gas regulator , upper handguard , barrel / receiver assembly , cocking lever bolt carrier , bolt and firing - pin retaining pin , firing pin and spring , lower handguard , lower - receiver take - down pins , butt / trigger / lower - receiver assembly ' hinged bipod , magazine base , box magazine magazine spring and follower , charger , bayonet and scabbard , cleaning kit , and sling .
in accordance with the staff requirement , the new service rifle is being offered in two versions : the sg550 standard weapon , measuring 100cm in length , and the sg551 short - barrel headquarters weapon which is only 82 . 7cm long and weighs 3 . 43kg . both are fitted with a stock which can be folded , bringing their respective lengths down to 77 and 60cm . unlike the standard version , the sg551 has no bipod or bayonet attachment lug and cannot fire rifle grenades .
although the general design of the new rifle owes a good deal to that of the sg540 , sig has introduced numerous improvements which make the sg550 one of the most carefully conceived assault rifles of the present generation . a description of the gas operation is the best way to support this statement . instead of entering the gas cylinder directly , as is the case with many other gas - operated weapons , the gas passes through the port of the gas intake into an lshaped channel machined in the piston head . it is thus directed forward towards the cylinder head / gas regulator and the build - up of pressure over the piston head makes the piston recoil , transfering its energy to the bolt carrier , which in turn unlocks the bolt . as the piston moves back however , the gas port and the l shaped channel move out of alignment and the piston head thus blocks the port , cutting off the supply of gas to the cylinder . the latter is fitted with an exhaust port through which the surplus gas in the cylinder and the combustion residues are evacuated . this system ensures that only the exact amount of gas needed to impart the necessary momentum to the moving parts is admitted from the bore . the moving parts are therefore subjected to less mechanical stress , increasing their useful life . the rifle is fitted with a two - position gas regulator , which is adjusted either by hand or , if necessary , with the aid of a cartridge or bayonet , so that if the weapon becomes seriously fouled the supply of gas can be increased . with the same aim of reducing wear on the most used parts , the interior of the receiver is fitted with rails which guide the bolt carrier and bolt , thus reducing the transversal stress .
a close - up revealing the ingenious simplicity of the sg550 . the single forward ring holds the gas intake , the gas cylinder and its regulator , the front sights , the bayonet lug and the sling swivel the gas regulator has two positions one for normal operation and one in which the gas supply is increased , for use when the weapon is seriously fouled . the photo shows the night sight raised hiding the day sight . the protective foresight hood is also used for aiming - to give a range of 75m when launching 500g fn / luchaire type 58 - n anti - tank grenades . these grenades can be fired using standard ammunition .
in order to obtain the firing accuracy required by the grid , sig has in particular modified the barrel - manufacturing process . the chamber is now forged at the same time as the bore so that irregularities in alignment which can occur when the bore is hollowed out after hammering are avoided .
the rear sight is soldered on to the back of the receiver . it is fitted with a fourposition drum adjusted by means of micrometer screws for elevation and windage . adjustment of the drum by one notch displaces the point of impact by 25mm at 100m . at ranges of 200 , 300 and 400m , the firer aims through an aperture sight . for firing at 100m or less , he has an open sight , which is flanked by two luminous tritium spots for night firing . the foresight is protected by a hood and is doubled by a folding night sight which , when erected , reveals the third luminous spot necessary for night firing . the sight base is 540mm ( 466mm on the sg551 ) , which is one of the longest on a modern assault rifle after the heckler & koch g41 ( 556mm ) . when the day sight is adjusted , the night sight is also adjusted automatically .
the aluminium bipod is no longer fixed by a ring to the barrel but its attachment is slid inside the lower handguard and held in place by the upper handguard . it therefore no longer contributes to barrel vibration , a phenomenon which , in the case of the sg542 , could displace the point of impact by 20cm at 300m .
even more significant was the result of a test in which 24 long - version rifles , mounted on their bipods , were used by four firers , each firer firing two serials of ten shots each from each rifle . the average grouping ( 100 points ) was 21 . 8x i 9 . 4cm ( 91 . 1 points ) when the aperture sight was used and 18 . 4 x 17cm ( 93 . 1 points ) when a telescopic sight with x 4 magnification was used . when eight of the headquarters weapons were tested under the same conditions , it was found that the shorter barrel did not affect accuracy when the telescopic sight was used ( rectangular grouping of 18 . 4 x 16 . 8cm - 93 . 6 points ) although , with a sight base shorter by 74mm , there was some effect on accuracy when the mechanical sights were used ( 25 x 22 . 2cm . - 88 . 8 points ) .
the sg550 and sg551 are not far from perfection as far as their human engineering is concerned . operation of the rifle is as easy for left - handed firers as it is for right - handed ones , as far as manipulation of the cocking handle ( slightly turning the rifle if necessary ) , the magazine catch and the fire - selector on the right - hand side of the receiver are concerned . the fire - selector , which is combined with the manual safety , falls easily under the thumb and can be manipulated by the firer without his having to take his hand off the pistol grip . the boltstop catch is perhaps more difficult for the left - handed firer to manipulate , but he can free the bolt by a light pull on the cocking lever , which is covered with soft rubber . finally , the trigger guard is hinged and can be swung to the left or to the right for firing with arctic - gloved hands .
after the first in - service trials , sig modified the shape and position of the pistol grip , both to obtain the optimum distance between the hand and the trigger , and to bring the hand nearer to the axis of the bore to increase stability when firing and to reduce muzzle climb . or was able to confirm during an exclusive test accorded it by sig that these aims have been achieved , both in semi - automatic and in automatic fire .
because the sights are quite low , standing about 35mm high from the axis of the barrel , the firer , when in the prone position , presents a target which is about 20 % smaller than is the case with the stgw57 . the relatively thin stock facilitates the instinctive shouldering of the rifle for firing , with the shooting eye falling naturally on to the line of sight . the stock is semi - skeleton in form , thus lightening the rifle , but above all offering a very firm grip if the soldier has to deal a blow , parry a thrust , or use his bayonet . the butt plate is made of hardened non - slip rubber which gives excellent grip even when the rifle is shouldered against a wet or snowcovered battledress , and which allows the weapon to be used as a support to help the soldier in mountainous terrain .
when the stock is folded along the right side of the rifle , it is held in place by a stud on the lower handguard which engages a stud socket in the butt . a good pull brings the stock back to its initial position into which it is locked automatically by a butt catch . it is to be regretted , however , that when the stock is folded it is relatively difficult for left - handed firers to remove or insert the magazine .
the thickness of the handguard has been kept down so that the soldier can comfortably carry his rifle by holding it with one hand near the chamber , under which is the weapon ' s centre of gravity , thus obviating the need for a carrying handle .
the handguard extends as far forward as the front ring to prevent the firer ' s hand from being burned by contact with an overheated barrel . this single ring fulfills several functions : it holds the handguard in place and it supports the gas intake port , the gas cylinder / regulator , the bayonet attachment lug , the sling swivel and the front sights and their protective hood .
field - stripping and reassembly , which can be carried out without any tools , is simpler again than with the sg540 , whether it involves withdrawing the cocking handle , extracting the gas cylinder , or dismantling the bipod and the handguard , the two sections of which slide into one another and are secured by hooks .
the right - hand side of the sg550 , with the stock folded and held in place by a stud on the lower handguard . it should be noted that , in this position , the stock makes manipulation of the magazine awkward for left - handed firers . two rubber sealing flanges seal the cockinglever channel and protect the mechanism from dirt . ventilation slots in the handguard help to cool the barrel and raise the cook - off threshold to 240 rounds / min . the handguards are not bulky and the rifle can be carried in one hand , holding it level with the chamber , under which the weapon ' s centre of gravity is situated .
while sig has made no great innovations in the fabrication of the metal parts of the sg550 and sg551 compared with the sg540 , the company has nevertheless increased the strength and rigidity of the receiver , particularly the magazine housing and the rear part against which the bolt assembly recoils . it has not been considered necessary to chrome the bore , but the barrel , which is drawn from a chrome - nickel - steel bar , is thicker , particularly at the chamber , where its diameter is 28mm . great attention has been paid to protecting the exterior surfaces because of the severe conditions which can be encountered in switzerland . after being phosphatised but before finishing , the metal is subjected to a treatment which smooths the surfaces and which , according to sig , greatly increases its resistance to knocks and to corrosive agents .
despite the low weight of the magazine - 90g for the 20 - round version , and 11 0g for the 30 - round one - it is just as robust and , being transparent , permits a rapid check of the number of rounds remaining . loaded , it will withstand being dropped from a height of 5m on to hard ground , even at - 30 ' c . during endurance tests , it was thrown 45 times on to concrete from a height of 1 . 5m , with the lips facing downwards , without any deformation occurring . even when empty , it can support the weight of a man without breaking or bending . finally , it is f lameresistant , and in intense cold more comfortable to handle than a metal magazine . more than 800 , 000 rounds were fired using the first 40 of the 105 prototype weapons produced for the competitive evaluation phase , without any malfunctions attributable to the magazine . since the reliability of an automatic weapon depends first and foremost on that of its magazine , such qualities deserve to be underlined , as idr has already done in the case of the magazine used in the steyr - poch aug - 77 ( see idr 10 / 1982 , pp . 1 421 - 1424 ) .
drawing on the common practice of taping one or more magazines together ( lying head - totoe in relation to another ) to speed up reloading , sig has taken out a patent for a
multipack
system , approved by the grd which allows the soldier to fix three or more magazines under his rifle . to fit the magazines together , all that is necessary is to insert two studs on the right - hand wall of the second magazine into two u - shaped slots fitted against the lefthand wall of the first magazine which is engaged in the rifle . one slot is open towards the top and the other towards the front ( see photo ) . a third magazine can be attached in the same way to the second . as all the magazines have slots and studs , there is no preferential order . one advantage of this system is that all the magazines are in the upright posi tion , lessening the risk of dirt entering the spare magazines if accidentally banged against the ground . even if , despite all , they are exposed to sand , mud or snow , the presence of these foreign agents is more easily spotted because the magazines are transparent . in addition , the gap between each magazine has been carefully calculated so that the magazine can be switched with one hand without any fumbling - the author put this to the test at length .
the cook - off threshold of the ammunition is high , being situated at 240 rounds / min compared with the 160 rounds / min specified by the grd this results from the carefully calculated thickness of the rear end of the barrel which ensures good heat diffusion during tests , the highest temperature was recorded at a point 1 5cm from the chamber - and from the good ventilation given by the openings in the handguard . operating safety is also increased by a safety catch which pre vents the hammer from falling until the breech is completely locked . in accordance with the specifications , the rifle withstands the firing of at least 600 500g grenades with the stock braced against concrete ( the manufacturer claims to have fired more than 1 , 000 without incident ) and also the traditional 2m drop test , from any angle .
the sg550 and sg551 came through various reliability tests with excellent results , due in large part to the improvement made in waterproofing the receiver as compared to the sg540 . thus , the channel along which the cocking lever rides on each side is sealed by a flange of supple , resistant rubber which protects the mechanism from foreign bodies . the new rifles stood up well to exposure to dust in both static and dynamic tests which were followed each time by the firing of 100 rounds on semi - automatic and 2
20 rounds in bursts . they also coped successfully with the sand test : the loaded rifle , with the bolt locked , was dragged 20 times on each side through sand at an angle of 55 degrees over a distance of 2 . 5m and at a speed of 0 . 5m / s . after each time , the rifle had to fire five rounds without jamming . for the mud test , the grd adopted the nato norm of 12 successive baths . the sg550 and sg551 came through it all with flying colours .
the operational tests were carried out at a temperature of - 20 ' c on the jungfraujoch , at more than 4 , 000m ( i 3 , 000ft ) altitude , the tests included filling the loaded weapon , bolt open , with snow and leaving it until it was frozen solid . a soldier then had to be able to make it ready to fire within 30 seconds using only his service - issue equipment of knife , bayonet and cleaning kit . . . and by vigorous kicks on the cocking lever .
the barrel is fitted with a flash suppressor with the standard diameter of 22mm . there are plans to design a new bayonet for the rifle even though the current service model can be fitted . par
ticular care has been taken with the shape and orientation of the flash - suppressor slots in order to reduce muzzle flash and avoid sand or snow being kicked up by the gas escaping once the bullet has cleared the barrel , when firing in the prone position .
the soldier will normally carry his spare ammunition in ten - round clips . using a charger , he reloads the magazine by simple thumb pressure .
the service - issue cleaning kit , which was designed with the needs of competition shooting in mind , is quite voluminous and has to be carried separately . the manufacturer has , however , de signed a smaller kit , which can be fitted in the rifle ' s pistol grip , for export .
the standard - version sg550 and the short - version sg551 head uarters weapon . because of budgetary constraints , the gruppe for r6stungsdienste ( grid ) has provisionally shelved its plans to procure the sg551 , even though this version fully meets the specifications of the staff requirement . sig will nevertheless offer both versions for export . the short version is not fitted with a bipod and cannot be armed with a bayonet , nor can it fire grenades ,
as far as exports are concerned , the new family of rifles will also be available with a 1 - in - 1 78mm rifling twist to fire the ss109 nato standard ammunition . they are not likely to be among the cheapest in their category , but these are comprehensively designed weapons . in addition to offering all of the functions a modern assault rifle is expected to perform , at a high quality / price ratio , they have an estimated service life of 30 years - which speaks volumes for their intrinsic sturdiness .
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these guns were repainted and modified versions of used models purchased in switzerland . in an email to one of the stores that was selling the guns , the rcmp said they suspected the guns could be converted to automatic weapons .
automatic weapons are banned in canada . semi - automatics are allowed as long as their magazines hold only five rounds .
it ' s not clear why the rcmp decided to prohibit a whole class of guns , including about 2 , 000 that had been legally purchased in canada . the rcmp did not make an announcement about the ban and has not answered calls or emails from cbc news .
the national firearms association published the news about the ban on its facebook page and website , and portrayed the prohibition as the beginning of a siege on other types of guns .
monday afternoon , after the matter had been brought up by conservative mps in the house of commons who promised to support law - abiding gun owners , public safety minister steven blaney ' s office issued a statement announcing the amnesty .
the minister announced his intent to bring forward an amnesty to ensure that individuals in possession of these firearms can continue to possess their property without threat of criminal charges ,
wrote spokesman jean - christophe de le rue .
j . r . cox , who operates the shooting edge , a calgary gun store , told cbc the military - style carbines are the most expensive on the market , costing about $ 4 , 000 .
there is a movement within the rcmp and they don ' t like to see guns in the hands of anybody but themselves ,
he said about the mounties ' attempt to put them on a prohibited list .
this story has been updated from an earlier version to correct that the amnesty is for two years .
this story has been updated from an earlier version to correct that the amnesty is for five years .
audience relations , cbc p . o . box 500 station a toronto , on canada , m5w 1e6


mekog ( maatschappij tot exploitatie van kooksovengas , english coke oven gas exploitation company ) was a chemical company founded 1928 that manufactured fertilizer using hydrogen from coke oven gas as a feedstock .

the company 's facilities were located on the site of the koninklijke nederlandsche hoogovens en staalfabrieken steelworks near ijmuiden in the netherlands .

mekog

shell companies first entered the chemicals industry in 1929 , via a partnership in the netherlands called nv mekog , which manufactured ammonia from coke - oven gas .
oci n . v . is a global producer and distributor of natural gas - based fertilizers & industrial chemicals based in the netherlands .
orascom construction industries s . a . e . ( oci s . a . e . ) is the former parent company of oci n . v . oci n . v . acquired 99 . 84 % of oci s . a . e . in a mandatory tender offer between 2013 and 2014 . the residual shares remain listed on the egyptian exchange under the symbol ocic . the company intends to relaunch the mandatory tender offer subject to regulatory approvals .
oci s . a . e . owns certain fertilizer and construction activities based in north africa . as part of the demerger of the engineering and construction group to form orascom construction limited ( orascom construction ) in march 2015 , the company intends to demerge oci s . a . e . into two separate groups , an egyptian fertilizer group company and an egyptian construction group company ( egypt demerger ) .
this process will be the final step in the complete separation of both businesses . upon completion of the egypt demerger , oci s . a . e . ’s egyptian construction group company ( construction egypt ) will formally become a legal subsidiary of orsacom construction . the egypt demerger requires the approval of efsa and gafi .
on 28 january 2015 , the oci s . a . e . board of directors approved the egypt demerger . on 29 january 2015 , oci s . a . e . published an invitation to its shareholders to attend an egm on 15 february to approve the egypt demerger in principle . on 15 february 2015 , such egm was conducted wherein the egypt demerger was approved in principle .
until the egypt demerger is approved and effected , orascom construction retains the economic benefits and liabilities of the construction activities under oci s . a . e . , and oci n . v . retains the economic benefits and liabilities of the fertilizer activities under oci s . a . e . through a conditional sale agreement , which is described in more detail in the orascom construction prospectus found on its website .
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we just published some cool documents with tons of tips and secrets about both this forum and mekorama . whether you ' re just visiting , a new member , or have been with us for a while , we ' re sure you ' ll find them useful . so far we have
hi . this yellow notice is called a system notice . you can click on the tab of each ( at the bottom right ) to stop and read them . they can also be dismissed by clicking on the ' x ' ( in the top right corner ) . from time to time we may refresh them ( make them visible again ) as a reminder to all the members . and if you ever want to read one that has been dismissed , you can do so via this thread in the announcements forum . thank you for respecting them !
the petrochemicals industry is diverse and shell chemicals focuses on producing basic or ‘building - block’ chemicals , for sale in bulk to other chemicals companies or industries . shell has more than 85 years’ experience in the chemicals industry and we are well positioned to be part of the global growth in the chemicals industry . in 2015 we sold more than 17 million tonnes of high - quality product , to nearly 1 , 000 customers .
meanwhile , in the united states , the shell chemical company ( founded 1929 ) began the world ' s first production of ammonia from natural gas in california in 1931 . it also started production of chemical solvents from refinery gases in california during the early 1930s while in 1942 it pioneered the production of butadiene , a key raw material for synthetic rubbers .
in 1941 , production of teepol liquid detergent began at stanlow in the uk , the first manufacture of a petroleum - based organic chemical in europe .
in the decades that have followed , shell chemicals companies have played a major part in the growth of the petrochemicals sector and developed some of its key manufacturing processes . in the table below are some of the highlights of that history of innovation .
with a competitive edge in chemical feedstocks , underpinned by a strong product portfolio and proprietary shell technology , the business is entering a new period of growth .
the table shows the years in which original processes developed by shell were commercialised . current shell chemicals activities are shown in bold , although the processes that are used today sometimes differ from the original version .
liquid propylene process ( lipp ) and shell high activity catalyst ( shac ) system . the lipp - shac process is now a basell technology .
completion of the shell eastern petrochemicals complex in singapore , shell ' s largest , fully integrated hub to - date . the omega technology is used in the mono - ethylene glycol plant .
shell first to offer a globally available portfolio of natural gas - based fluids and solvents for the chemical industry , manufactured at the world’s largest gtl plant , pearl gtl in qatar .
in addition , shell researchers have achieved major improvements in the ethylene oxide ( eo ) process over the past 50 years , by making a process switch from air to oxygen and by continuous catalyst improvements .
as well as operating a number of wholly - owned manufacturing facilities and marketing a broad range of base chemicals and intermediates through six product lines , shell chemicals companies participate in a number of strategic joint ventures .
experience old - ijmuiden is a 3 ½ mile ( 5 . 5 km ) walk which takes you along 25 historical and cultural places of this former fishing neighbourhood
solid information boards show photo’s and information about old - ijmuiden in the olden days ; places and buildings that have disappeared or changed . on this page you will find more information in english about places along the route , with many photo’s and stories .
the old ijmuiden heritage walk is part of the story project experience old ijmuiden . stories have been collected about the history of old ijmuiden , from the construction of the north sea canal in 1876 until today . the stories were published in the ijmuider courant in 2014 - 2015 and in a book , be leef ijmuiden ( experience old ijmuiden ) . the project is commissioned by the velsen welfare foundation and the stories connect foundation .
because ijmuiden was the only north sea port between hoek van holland and den helder , fishing boats from miles around tried to find shelter in the north sea canal estuary , between the jetties , thus obstructing the passage to amsterdam . this is why the vissershaven ( fisher harbour ) opened in 1896 , thus creating the harbour head .
the fortress was built between 1881 and 1888 and is the largest of the defence line of amsterdam , which is a unesco world heritage site . the fortress became an island in 1929 and was also part of the atlantikwall in world war ii .
in 1876 king willem iii opened the north sea canal , the kleine sluis ( small lock ) and the zuidersluis ( southern lock ) . the noordersluis ( northern lock , 1928 ) with its length of 400 metres , width of 40 metres and depth of 15 metres was the largest in the world .
until around 1900 fish were preserved by filling them with salt ; from then on ice was used for this purpose . the ice was obtained from ponds of large estates or even imported from norway . in more modern times the ice was made in ice factories like koelhuis ijsvries .
the oldest buildings of ijmuiden line the sluisplein . at the end of the 19 th century ten staff dwellings , seven government buildings and warehouses for pilotage were built there .
from the harbour office at 3 sluisplein the lockkeeper had an excellent view over the locks . on the corner of sluisplein and visseringstraat the old bell tower ( 1896 - 1925 ) is situated . on the island beyond the southern lock houses for staff of the locks and the power station were built between 1909 and 1917 , as well as land batteries for the dutch world war i coastal defence .
hotel augusta was built in the year 1907 and commemorates the name of augusta victoria , wife of the german kaiser wilhelm ii . the hotel was originally owned by the heere family . unlike a large part of ijmuiden , augusta ‘survived’ world war ii . all these years augusta remained in possession of the heere family . their children ran augusta until the current owners , john and monique van waveren , took over the hotel in 1984 . at that time the building was a mere ruin . the restaurant part remained original . the salon café used to house tobacconist dorresteijn , and was later bought by poulterer onrust , locally known as ‘arie kip’ . after several years the adjacent building ( now called the orange lounge ) was added to the hotel . on the current location of the reception , the breakfast room and the crown hall used to be the haberdashery of the botman family . on the corner was the baptist community centre .
the thalia theatre was built in 1890 as an old - catholic church with presbytery . when a new church was built on the wilhelminakade , thalia church was transformed into a basketry and fishnet - repair workshop . in 1910 the building was turned into a cinema in art deco - style . the movie would often be interrupted by loud announcements of the imminent departure of a fishing boat . the men concerned left the cinema to join their boats . because german propaganda films were shown in thalia during world war ii , the theatre survived the numerous bombings . until 1969 thalia was used as a cinema ; afterwards the building was put into use by the civil defence corps . the current owners , john and monique van waveren , have turned it into a theatre - cum - party centre once again .
in 1848 the amsterdam professor simon vissering wrote about ijmuiden in magazine de gids : ‘an amsterdam sea harbour lying at the estuary of a canal lying between the ij and the north sea’ . he was way ahead of his time . on 8 march 1865 the directors of the amsterdamsche kanaal maatschappij ( akm – amsterdam canal company ) cut the first sod in the dunes of the estate of de breesaap . it was an amsterdam party , to which the local authorities of velsen , the small town to which the de breesaap estate belonged , were not even invited .
the heavy digging was done by common polderlabourers and navvies , who came from all parts of the netherlands and even from as far as germany and belgium . on the edge of hamlet de heide the unmarried men lived in barracks . the ‘keetbaas’ ( boss ) and his wife were masters of the camp and made a lot of money from selling liquor to the weary navvies . canal workers with families had to fend for themselves . they built huts , made from faggots and clay , in the dunes or dug holes in the ground .
the construction of the locks and the digging was supervised by the english contracting firm lee & son . the site foremen would divide and rule : part of the labour force held a permanent appointment , the rest was hired by the day . the wages were low and there was much uncertainty among the workforce . strikes were bound to happen and in 1886 villa wijkeroog , the head office of the english engineers and foremen on the north side of the canal , was set on fire .
on 1 november 1876 king willem iii opened the north sea canal . the canal connecting amsterdam and the north sea by a fast route now , cut across “holland at its narrowest part” aboard steamer de stad breda the king sailed through the new locks . he signed an official charter , thus giving the harbour of ijmuiden , the ij estuary , its name .
the kleine sluis ( small lock ) and the zuidersluis ( southern lock ) were opened simultaneously with the north sea canal . the middensluis ( middle lock ) opened in 1896 and the noordersluis ( northern lock ) in 1928 . with its length of 400 metres , width of 40 metres and depth of 15 metres this was then the largest in the world .
the armoured fortress with its forty - odd rooms and the impressive dome hall is the largest of the defence line of amsterdam , a circle of defensive works around the capital . the defence line is a unesco world heritage site . the fortress was built between 1881 and 1888 on the mainland for defending the north sea canal and the sea locks against attacks from the sea . because the north sea canal was widened when the northern lock was built the fortress became an island in 1929 . it contained a variety of cannons and seven machine gun posts .
after world war i the island remained uninhabited for years . when preparing the fortress for battle during the mobilisation in 1940 , dutch soldiers came across a dilapidated mess . in the may days of 1940 not a single shot was fired . after the dutch capitulation german soldiers settled on the island . they were ill at ease there and called it ‘die ratteninsel” ( rat island ) .
for the germans the island was a strategically important position in the atlantikwall , which was to prevent an allied invasion along the european coast .
one of the oldest companies of ijmuiden is the shipping agency of halverhout en zwart . since 1876 the firm has offered its services to maritime companies in the north sea canal area . a wooden shed on the northern side of the north sea canal housed the first office of this shipping agency . the piece of land for its office was provided free of charge by maatschappij ijmuiden ( ijmuiden foundation ) from messrs bik and arnold . it was the first private building of a maritime service company in ijmuiden . later the company moved to the corner of visseringstraat and kanaalstraat . the firm is presently called royal united shipping agencies halverhout en zurmühlen b . v . and is established at the felison terminal , where the ferry to england also leaves .
the navvies and canal diggers mainly lived in de heide , which was later called velseroord , situated on the southern side of the canal . the english had their living quarters in the environs of country estate wijkeroog . this community was known as the english village . to show the english they were indispensable to digging the canal , the amsterdam canal company decided to build a canteen on piles in the polder wetlands : the english provision stores . liquor , smoking materials and other goodies were sold there for reduced prices . the local tax on spirits provided the municipal treasury with a piece of the pie too . concrete casters came to live in the village as well , because they were urgently needed . they worked in the concrete factory where the blocks for the piers were cast . the blocks were transported by a narrow - gauge railway on flat wagons , pulled by a tank engine , to the piers . on the piers the concrete blocks were moved by titan cranes . the cranes were made in england , had a radius of twelve metres and operated along rails .
soon after the north sea canal was opened fishing boats from miles around , even from england and denmark , tried to find shelter between the ijmuiden jetties . on the piers the eternal light was burning ; the new harbour lights were able to burn for twelve days and nights , thanks to a special fuel supply .
in ijmuiden a thriving fishing trade arose . coastal fishermen from urk , volendam , nieuwediep , katwijk and vlaardingen sailed between the piers and their smacks , cutters and luggers dropped anchor in the outer harbour . the ‘vletterlieden’ ( the pilots’ predecessors ) helped the fishermen to bring their catches ashore . there the fish was sold privately . with dog carts or with baskets strapped on their backs tradesmen from egmond and other surrounding villages went to ijmuiden to buy fish . the fishmongers between them fixed the prices ; they didn’t deem it necessary to involve the fishermen .
around 1880 the fishermen agreed that private selling of fish was not satisfactory any more : the fishing trade was in need of a reorganisation . reijer visser from nieuwediep organised an official fish auction near the locks . in kanaalstraat he built a pub ( café afslag – the auction pub ) and started a ship provisions store where fishermen could buy reasonably priced victuals . the egmond fishmongers raised a storm of protest : no more price - fixing for them . the first fish auctioned by reijer visser came from the middelharnis smack titia jacoba , owned by captain maarten van delft . van delft made a fantastic calculation and got 1 , 194 guilders for 294 cod fish , 900 haddock , 87 halibuts and turbot an 180 pieces of thornback . the government granted more licences to start a fish auction , i . e . vischafslag planteijdt on ericssonstraat , and consequently there was more competition . planteijdt later initiated the coöperatieve vischafslag ( cooperative fish auction ) , which was established as a protest against the government auctions .
fishing activities were expanding . in 1885 three new jetties were built . when these proved to be insufficient the western dunes were levelled to construct the vissershaven ( fishers harbour ) , which opened in 1896 . the first trawlers , called ‘trolders’ by the people of ijmuiden , were steaming into the harbour . because the government noticed there was good money to be earned in fishing , a wooden auction was built on the head of the vissershaven , called the lattenmarkt ( slats market ) . private auctioneers were allowed to use this auction . the government ruled that ‘it is forbidden to hold an auction any place other than designated by the harbour master in the ‘vishal’ ( fish building ) . as a result the private auctions lost their monopoly position . a fishing war followed , won by the government . in 1899 the government established the staatsvissershavenbedrijf ( state fishing harbour company ) , employing state auctioneers who had the exclusive right to sell fish publicly in the fish building . the first 145 - metres long stone fish building was built in 1900 . in the vernacular this was called “lely’s building” .
west of the vissershaven a small harbour for pilotage and dredging equipment was built . along trawlerkade the first buildings arose in 1901 . subsequently the area south of the vissershaven was divided into practical plots and given to companies wanting to set up their businesses in the direct vicinity of the harbour . apart from fish merchants and towing services also technical companies , supporting and supplying the shipping industry such as the predecessors of zwart techniek , hera machinebouw and van laar maritiem , established their businesses here .
in 1914 it was decided to build a new harbour . it was partially situated on the same spot as the old auxiliary harbour and was accessible through the vissershaven . 1920 saw the construction of the haringhaven ( herring harbour ) in the present direction . in 1939 the building of the slipways south - westerly from the haringhaven was started and in 1950 two new slipways in the haringhaven were completed .
until around 1900 fish were preserved by filling them with salt ; from then on ice was used for this purpose . firm s . j . groen was the first to build a large ice warehouse with cold stores , called mercurius , at the corner of zeestraat ( later called frögerstraat ) and visseringstraat . in the summer the ice was imported from norway ; in the winter the owners of the estates velserbeek and rooswijk permitted ice being taken from their frozen ponds . many ice factories followed and some years later factories such as nv ijsfabriek ijmuiden , ijsfabriek de noordpool en nv kristalijsfabriek groenland , south of the vissershaven , made artificial ice . nv ijsfabriek , later called koelhuis ijsvries from 1911 established on sluisplein , was the first ice factory in the vicinity of the fish building . during the first years only ice was made , but after world war i the company specialized in freezing fish , eggs , bulbs and fruit . the modernization of its machinery led to a 200 – ton ice production a day . later the modern koelhuis ijsvries was built on kanaalstraat and in 1955 ice factory and cold stores were brought under one board of directors , under the name of verenigde koelhuizen en ijsfabrieken nv .
in 1986 pieter schmidt van gelder established a paper factory , as part of van gelder en zonen ( 1784 ) , in velsen along the north sea canal . it was one of the first companies in velsen . the name crown was added in 1963 , as a result of making cardboard for punched cards in cooperation with the american paper factory crown zellerbach . in 2015 crown en van gelder employ 280 people and produce 220 , 000 tons of paper per year for printers , labels and special packaging
even before the opening of the north sea canal the first houses were built , which was the beginning of ijmuiden . these first residents were civil servants , for whom in 1875 a row of lockkeepers houses were built near the lock . head engineer justus dirks from the amsterdam canal company asked seven - year old alida smakman , the assistant lockkeeper’s daughter , to lay the first stone . mayor enschedé and the velsen town council were watching while alida and her father laid the first stone .
the bik family and the descendants of this well - to - do patrician family played an important part in the development of ijmuiden . in 1851 brothers - in - law adrianus bik and jan willem arnold bought de breesaap estate for one million guilders . in 1863 part of it was given to the amsterdam canal company for digging the north sea canal . messrs . bik and arnold were entrepreneurs and pioneers in heart and soul , showing true social involvement . in 1876 they established the burgerlijke maatschap ( civil partnership ) , later called maatschappij ijmuiden ( ijmuiden foundation ) , in which the part of de breesaap south of the canal ( 355 acres ) was placed . the area was levelled for building activities and was the foundation of ijmuiden . in 1877 the foundation presented a modest development plan for housing , industry and fishery . the plan was accompanied by ‘regulations concerning the building of houses and the hygiene thereof’
financed by jan willem arnold the first forty numbered working - class houses were built on a site not far from the lock . although built with the best intentions , the neighbourhood and its shabby houses soon became a notorious slum , called ‘the forty’ . in 1897 the houses were occupied by the first working - class families , most of whom thought they were better off than before . mainly fishermen from egmond lived in the forty” . the entrance to the dwellings was through hoeksteeg , between prins hendrikstraat and zeestraat ( later frogerstraat ) . the kitchen had a surface area of one square metre and some box - beds could only be slept in with pulled up knees . a privy was placed outside the houses and inhabitants had to fetch water from the pump near the entrance of this neighbourhood .
the development plan of the ijmuiden foundation showed streets in straight lines , which were connected with kanaalstraat . a new neighbourhood was built : the new town of ijmuiden was booming ; the industrious pioneer spirit accompanied by a wind of change .
before the construction of the railway between velsen and ijmuiden an omnibus - service , a large horse - drawn carriage with full - length seats , ran between velsen railway station and hotel nommer eén on kanaalstraat in ijmuiden .
from 1867 the train from the hollandse ijzeren spoorweg maatschappij ( dutch iron railway company ) connected haarlem and uitgeest , via the velserspoorbrug : a large swing bridge near the present paper factory van gelder . it was not until 1883 that the construction of the railway line to ijmuiden was under way . for the section ijmuiden – velsen part of ‘the hoge berg’ was levelled . at first a little railway station with a wooden platform was built , near the locks ( annastraat ) . in 1886 the line became a double track . the fish transport made demands too and after the completion of the vissershaven the fish merchants insisted on a station near the harbour . railway station ijmuiden , situated on stationsplein at the bottom of oranjestraat , opened in 1899 . the fish train had its own station and could be loaded behind the fish building via the fish bridge .
the ijmuiden railway was closed down in 1983 , but was still used for refrigerated fish transport . in 1995 the station was demolished .
many cherished the thought that ijmuiden would soon be a stylish tourist spot . in 1887 hotel nommer eén was built at the corner of oranjestraat – kanaalstraat : ‘the only building with a second floor’ . the hotel was a meeting place for shipowners and fish merchants and served as a cultural and community centre . when the railway line was first built it also served as a buffet for the train passengers , until in 1899 the station was built . jacob list , who bought the hotel from hugo jacob werkhoven , made it very prosperous . in 1943 the hotel had to be demolished , by order of the german occupying forces ; its last owner was gerardus milne .
short after hotel nommer eén was built a speculative citizen of amsterdam built a second hotel , which had to be more distinguished , more beautiful and more comfortable : hotel willem barendsz . the hotel was intended for housing the luxury passengers from the mail boats and suez ships . in good weather you could see the westertoren in amsterdam from the dome on the roof .
of course many a day tripper and even foreign tourists came to look at the giant lock . the luxury tourists , however , sailed on to amsterdam . the large hotel rooms remained empty and the hotel became dilapidated . the only way to make a little money was to rent out function rooms to the rising number of religious communities on a sunday . pilots and ‘vletterlieden’ used the dome as a watchtower . before the building was eventually pulled down , it had been used by the boon brothers as a livery stable .
in 1905 the private “vereeniging visscherijschool ijmuiden” ( association fishery school ijmuiden ) was founded . this school trained skippers , first mates and engineers because ‘something had to be done about training these lads if the fishing industry was to have fresh and new blood in its fishing fleet’ . the fishery school could use a class room in school b on oranjestraat and two old pilot boats . the first headmaster – teacher taught fourteen pupils from 6 to 8 o’clock in the evening .
because of financial difficulties the town council took control over the fishing school in 1911 . after being temporarily housed in the ‘klapschool’ on president krügerstraat , the school moved to a new building at the corner of kompasstraat and havenkade in 1916 . in 1952 the name was changed into ‘gemeentelijke school voor visserij en scheepvaart’ ( municipal school of fishery and shipping trade ) and since 1981 it has been called ‘school voor zeevaart en techniek” ( nautical and technical school ) . in 1988 the school moved to a new building on sluisplein with again a different name : ‘nova college maritiem instituut ijmond” . ( nova college maritime institute ijmuiden )
in 1989 a foundation was set up to preserve the old school building and to turn it into a museum . more than seventy ijmuiden volunteers partook in the restoration . in 1994 minister hedy d’ancona of welfare , public health an culture opened the zee - and havenmuseum ( sea and harbour museum ) .
in 1917 h . j . e . wenckebach presented his plan for a dutch steelworks . the ‘committee for establishing a steel and roll works in the netherlands’ preferred ijmuiden to rotterdam because of the firm subsoil . the first phase saw the realisation of two blast furnaces , a coke - oven battery , an inner and outer harbour , a railway yard , a power station and a by - products plant for cleaning the coke - oven gas .
at the beginning of the twentieth century the fishing trade was becoming more regulated . despite strikes and other setbacks a number of bona fide fishmongers established themselves in ijmuiden . after world war i had started it was tumultuous within the fishing trade and new names worked their way up . many of these fishmongers originated from egmond aan zee , being the core of the ijmuiden fishing trade . they did not just buy and sell fish , but they also started owning herring luggers and exporting salted herrings .
in the interbellum ijmuiden got into decline . the economic recession caused a depression in the fishing trade . because of the german inflation trade with the hinterland ground to a halt ; the trawlers stayed idly in the harbour , thus affecting the fishing trade and causing the fishermen to go on strike . when in 1933 the shipowners revoked the collective agreement and proposed a fifteen percent wage reduction , the ijmuiden federation announced a big strike among the fishermen . this strike lasted from 3 january until 11 july and is the longest in the history of the fishing industry . emotions were running high , but eventually the actions were undermined by infighting and all efforts proved to have been to no avail .
the conditions aboard the ships were wretched and caused another strike in 1936 . this time the workers did win , but it did not do them much good , because of the crisis . the fishing trade did not give up , however , and found new markets in czechoslovakia and france . in due time the fishing trade slowly recovered and the so - called haddock boats sailed for the fishing grounds again .
national socialism , promising a better future , cropped up in the netherlands too . in 1939 mobilization was proclaimed and ijmuiden awaited a dire lot : when world war ii broke out everything that had been built was to be destroyed .
for a few pennies jacob visser brought people from the harbour head to the beach by ferry , called japie overzet ( japie ferry ) in the vernacular . in 1928 he bought his first towboat , alberdina , and two years later the powerful neeltje followed , which he used for towing coal barges through the ijmuiden locks . for towing the heavy coals , coming from the limburg mines , strong boats were needed . later jacob visser also had a towing service near the vissershaven .
during world war ii trade was slack . fishermen still at sea when the war broke out were given orders to sail for the nearest english port ; the steam trawlers , lying in the vissershaven , had to make preparations to cross over to england . in the estuary large ships were sunk to deny the germans access to the harbour and locks , thus enabling only small fishing boats to sail in or out .
after the war jacob visser resumed his coal barge towing trade and because of the booming fishing industry towing services were much in demand . he bought several new tow boats : triton ( 1949 ) , thetis ( 1956 ) and argus .
in 1968 jacob visser sold the company to his employee , ben iskes . his son jim iskes , who trained as a first mate at the nautical and technical school , is the manager of this tug towage and salvage company nowadays .
because ijmuiden was growing rapidly de vereniging ijmuidens belang ( society for ijmuiden community interests ) wanted to make a cemetery , which the ijmuiden foundation and the town council arranged for by deforesting and levelling the southern part of the de breesaap estate . former landowner jan braam was appointed overseer / gravedigger in 1896 ; in which year the cemetery saw 48 burials .
the entrance to this westerbegraafplaats ( western cemetery ) is through kerkstraat , which used to be a sandy path . the hearse had to pass a deep gully and even the railway track . a strong team of horses was needed to get the hearse uphill , through the sand . railway men used to put planks on the track to enable the hearse to pass and the slope was made passable with flattened fishing baskets .
it often happened that the horses refused to negotiate the steep slope . after requesting the vicar to walk on ahead , the coachman , yelling and swearing , then spurred on the horses .
over the gully a wooden footbridge was built in due course , to be replaced later by a small concrete bridge . in 1930 the town council had the present juliana bridge built in amsterdam school style .
pre - war ijmuiden , with willemsplein at its centre , was a pleasant town until world war ii broke out in 1940 . the jetties were bombed , jewish refugees tried to flee europe via ijmuiden and the dutch royal family were brought to england by destroyer hms codrington . the dutch government had the north sea canal estuary blocked by sinking ships , among which passengers ship jan pieterszoon coen . the port remained open for small vessels .
in 1942 german troops built a defence line from norway to spain : the famous atlantikwall , with ijmuiden as a strategic ‘festung’ ( fortress ) . around ijmuiden barriers were made , such as bunkers , anti - tank pits and mine fields . ijmuiden became a ‘sperrgebiet’ ( prohibited area ) and the town was vacated . the germans also constructed fields of fire in ijmuiden and velsen - noord to position their anti - aircraft guns against a possible allied overland invasion , demolishing hundreds of houses in the process . in 1942 en 1943 people sometimes were forced to leave their houses within 48 hours and even had to organise their own transportation . these inhabitants took refuge somewhere within the town or outside , even as far as friesland . only people with an ‘ausweis” ( work permit ) were allowed to enter the area .
the harbour area in old - ijmuiden was the operating base for the kriegsmarine ( navy ) . a large part of the harbour was used for moorings for the schnellboote ( torpedo boats ) ; aimed at attacking allied convoys along the english coast . the germans built a schnellboot - bunker in the haringhaven and an even bigger one near the semaphore , where the traffic - control was situated . most of both harbours and fishing buildings were destroyed during bombings of the schnellboot - bunker .
at the end of the war old - ijmuiden was in ruins . the buildings that were not completely demolished were heavily damaged by the many bombings of the harbour area . the total of destroyed buildings amounted to 3 , 190 houses , two churches , nine schools and 159 other buildings . many more were damaged : 4 , 600 houses , ten churches and 363 other buildings . the old ijmuiden was never going to be the same again ; many inhabitants of ijmuiden longed for the pre - war conviviality .
after the war old - ijmuiden was a sad and dilapidated place . everywhere were empty spots , such as the completely wiped out police station and bandstand in what used to be willemsplein . the koning willemshuis and hotel nommer eén on kanaalstraat , café cycloop on prins hendrikstraat : everything was bombed or demolished . only the gebouw voor christelijke belangen ( building for christian interests ) on enchedéplein , the old mercurius on breesaapstraat , café afslag , the old planteijdt auction on kanaalstraat and the bell telephone building near the old lock were still standing .
most of the reconstruction was done in east - ijmuiden and not in old - ijmuiden . the few still - existing houses became more and more run down , because no maintenance was ever done . “the old nest by the sea” had become well nigh uninhabitable .
mayor kwint had been in contact with architect willem dudok before the war had even finished . it was his job to give ijmuiden a new face . this is indeed what he did , but only for east - ijmuiden , however . to commemorate the tragic war events he designed plein 1945 , where the new town hall was built . from then on the town council was not established in velsen anymore but in ijmuiden . old - ijmuiden was destined to become an industrial estate .
dismal and damaged ijmuiden was recovering slowly . families , whose fathers had left for england by trawler in 1940 , were reunited , fishing boats , confiscated by the germans , sailed again en the fishing buildings were rebuilt . the industry , such as hoogovens , bombed heavily during the war , recovered too . many people were not able to go back to old - ijmuiden and went to live in east - ijmuiden , later in duinwijk .
as late as 1962 the town council devised a development plan for old - ijmuiden . the area west of oranjestraat was destined for small - scale industry . east of oranjestraat was to become a residential area with new twelve - story apartment blocks . most of the ramshackle buildings as far as koningsplein were to be demolished .
the inhabitants protested : they thought the character of their neighbourhood was about to change too much . they set up committee old - ijmuiden , which aims were to keep the original street pattern and to restore the houses that were still fit to live in . in 1973 a compromise was reached : no more grand - scale demolition , but on bloemstraat and s . p . kuijperplantsoen three - story apartments blocks did arise . in spite of this houses on schoolstraat and generaal de wetstraat were pulled down , as was the groen van prinsterer school on koningsplein and the roman catholic gregorius church on kanaalstraat . in 1979 a new housing estate was built in the demolished area , followed by 42 new dwellings on the ‘new’ willemsplein .
heated discussions took place during town council meetings about the demolition plans for the villa’s on kanaalstraat , especially about villa nooitgedacht , built in 1900 as villa tosari . it had been the domain of squatters for years but at the end of the eighties the villa , like community centre de brulboei ( the foghorn ) across the street , was eventually demolished by court order . subsequently the new housing project was refused a building permit , however , because the site appeared to be situated within the hoogovens noise zone .
at the beginning of the nineties the government designated old - ijmuiden as a social renewal area ; a neighbourhood getting more money and attention from the local authorities . not until 1996 and 2001 did building start on kerkstraat – kanaalstraat , followed by new housing projects on bik - en arnoldkade and duinstraat .
the ijmuiden harbour is a dynamic port on the north sea canal estuary and is always accessible without any obstacles . the open seaport has a good reputation in the field of storage and transhipment of fresh and deep frozen fish , offshore , ferries , cruises and as well as in the field of assembling and constructing offshore wind farms . until 1989 the seaport was owned by the state : the staatsvissershavenbedrijf ( state fishing harbour company ) . in that year the seaport was privatized : minister kroes from transport and public works signed the deed of conveyance to seaport ijmuiden plc . this is a private company , which now owns the harbours and the ijmuiden fish auction .
one hundred and fifty small companies in the harbour area partook in a € 5 . 3 million investment initiative , called the bos - group . entrepreneurs were charged reasonable prices when buying the land their premises were built on , provided they bought shares in the new company .
maintenance was overdue , so the first tasks sea port ijmuiden plc set themselves were modernizing the fish auction and investing in the harbour area . in 1990 the trawlerkade and leonarduskade northwest of the middle harbour area were realized and in 1991 the fish auction introduced the mobile auction clock , which heralded the end of oral sale . in 1994 the dutch fish auction ijmuiden did its first test with phone auctioning , operating by means of telephone lines . from 2008 the auction has used the pefa - auction system via the internet .
in 1994 near the harbour head the felison terminal was built . at first the scandinavia seaways ferries to norway and sweden docked there . from 1998 the dfds seaways have operated a daily service to newcastle in england .
in 1999 the foundation stone was laid for the so - called third harbour . it was meant to cater for companies lacking in space to expand in the present harbour and for the coastal trade , which is an alternative for the clogged roads of the netherlands . the new ijmond harbour was finished in 2004 and is now developing into an operating base of building wind farms off the dutch coast and wind farm eneco luchterduinen . since 2012 it has also been a major cruise ships terminal .
as of 2009 a metamorphosis is taking place in the middle harbour area . reconstructing the area between vissershaven and haringhaven is part of a grand - scale project , enhancing the position of ijmuiden as ‘a transfer table for deep frozen fish’ . completion of this renewal project is due in 2016 .
from the town and environment - project emerges that improving the quality of life in old - ijmuiden is a major issue in the twenty - first century . west of oranjestraat , near the harbour , parts of the former , redeveloped industrial estate has been transformed into a new residential area . on the eastern side , where the villa’s are too , old neighbourhoods are being renovated . during the sixties in the area between oranjestraat and koningsplein many of the original buildings were replaced by galleried flats and home zones . because of this most of the old street pattern has disappeared .
in the new urban development plan conservation of the present historical buildings and reconstruction of the old , rectangular street plan are the keynotes . the characteristic environment , the views , the locks , the fishing harbour and its small - scaleness have been an inspiration for the urban development plan .
in the middle of the neighbourhood the authentic thalia theatre has taken its prominent place again on a yet to be constructed square and the white theatre in the former pen power station has also become a cultural meeting point .
the other special buildings in the area , such as the church on helmstraat and the engelmundus church on wilhelminakade are in need of extra attention , as is koningsplein .
by reconstructing the former street pattern the view of the harbour and the north sea canal should be experienced in the whole area .
the new premises will consist of small - scale , detached houses . along the north sea canal and the harbour buildings of varying height can be built . the old buildings and the small - scale area are making old - ijmuiden an attractive place , where living , working and recreation go hand in hand .
projects like town and environment and urban renewal have been started to improve the quality of life in old - ijmuiden . businesses causing ( noise ) pollution have been moved or cleaned up and old houses have been demolished . the harbour head has been completely renovated because of the arrival of the ferry service to england and by establishing sea port ijmuiden a modern dock industry has been created . government and market players are building new houses for several target groups and are restoring the old street pattern . the thalia theatre , the white theatre , the nautical and technical school , the sea and harbour museum and fortress island give the neighbourhood an important cultural and educational boost . the elderly may live in residential homes such as breezicht and w . f . vissershuis and the local residents can meet in community centre de brulboei . the redevelopment of old - ijmuiden is coming to a standstill , however , partly because of the economic crisis and major attention should be given to the issue of social cohesion .
harbour , sea , fishery , the canal and locks are connecting factors for old - ijmuiden . many residents earn or used to earn their money in these industries or work across the canal at “de hoogovens” . these people can tell a story or two about working and living in a unique part of ijmuiden . stories we should not forget and which have to be shared with the younger people growing up in the neighbourhood as well as new residents . stories connect people and provide the area with an identity of its own . stories keep people connected with the past , bring unity and create new ideas for developing old - ijmuiden . by recording old - ijmuiden life stories and passing them on through all kinds of activities people will come together and old - ijmuiden is going to be a better place to live in . the neighbourhood will retrieve its character and will be back on the map again .
there are more than one record in the search results . please specify issue .
in order to clarify the character of the itowappu system , which was established by the edo bakufu government in 1604 in relation to the portuguese silk trade between nagasaki and makao , the portuguese documents are as important as the japanese , dutch , or british records . however , the portuguese traders , unlike the english and dutch , left no record on their commercial activities in japan . it is therefore the missionary documents which complement , to a certain degree , the lack of the portuguese rccords . the jesuit missionaries , from the outset of the christian mission in japan , shared the same interests with the portuguese in the trade , since their work in japan considerably depended on the income from the trade . in addition , the missionaries were in a position wherd they could obtain a thorough knowledge of the negotiation at nagasaki , as they played an important part as an intermediary between portuguese and japanese merchants . by examining they church documents left by these missionaries , it is possible to clarify several points concerning the itowappu system . ( 1 ) the immediate cause of the establishment of this system mentioned in itowappu yuisho gaki ( history of itowappu ) , a japanese document , is not to be trusted . ( 2 ) the itowappu system was said to have following characteristics : ( a ) the itowappu merchants ( and the bakufu ) bought all of the silk from the portuguese at a time ; ( b ) they took advantage of the monopoly position in this transaction ; ( c ) the japanese buyers had the right to set the price . among these characteristics , the wholesale system ( a ) was the portuguese way of negotiation even before the establishment of the system . therefore , it has nothing to do with the itowappu system . as for the character ( c ) , the church documents do not prove it . tough the point ( b ) is important , it was a problem of distribution among japanese merchants after the portuguese had sold the silk . as a result , the missionaries were not interested in this matter , and the church documents tell us almost nothing about it . yet , one of the points which are clarified by the above documents shows that the nagasaki bugyo held an important role in negotiating the pancada , the price of silk , with the portuguese .