The Portland daily press., 1891-04-25

This total. it will be seen, Is five times
| greater than the Swedish official figures,
showing that fOur-ffths of Sweden's imports
ports.
II is also three times larger than our total
export to both Sweden and Norway, accord
Ing to American statistics, which would
seem TO show that the United States, like
Sweden. takes into account only the direct
export into each foreign land.
Here, then, We have a grand commerce
where Sweden's imports from the United
States amount, In round numbers, to SS O00,-
600, and her exports to 3,o0O, 900 year.
This gives total Swedsh-American trade
greatly to our advantage, for our sales are
three times the amount Of our purchases,
A LINE OF DIRECT AMERICAN STEAMSHIPS.
Such Is our trade today-a good showing,
certainly, for our commercial relations with
north pole.
But cur trade Is not what IL ought to be.
not what IL might easily be made to be, for Ii
lacks one grand factor-direct steam commu-
nication. Let us glance for a moment at the
channels OF trade and travel now existing
between the two countries.
Inc traveller from the United States to
Sweden usually takes one OF the great trans
atlantic steamers to Liverpool. thence few
hours by rail carries him across country to
Hull, on the east coast Of England; embark
ing here, a voyage of two days takes him on
over the ss1snhy; North Sea, past the windy
Skaw, on the northern sandy point Of Den
mark, and Into the port Of Gothenbarg, Swe-
dan. One may leave the United States by
the German or Belgian steamers, and, land
ing at Antwerp, Bremen, or Hamburg, keep
on Dy rail OF boat to Copenhagen, whence
steamer will ferry him across the sound 10
Malmo, Sweden, In less than two hours.l
some ten years ago the Danish Thingvala
Steamship Company was founded The
steamers of this line ply once a fortnight be-
we may also sail from America to Copen-
hagen direct, and then, changing steamer
cross the ferry to Sweden.
The great bulk Of traffic between Sweden
and the United States passes over the first of
these routes, that Is, from GothenSerg over
the North Sea to Hull, thence across Eng.
land by rail Ito Liverpool, and then on to
America by an Atlantic steamship; In fact.
hye-sixths Of the Swedish emigrants take
this route.
Now. these are all good lines, and each one
OF tnem has Its peculiar advantages; but
they all have this one great disadvantage In
common, that all goods taken by them from
charged and reloaded at a foreign port IN
trdnsttu, with all the delay, breakages.
damages, agencies, leakages, "eatages."
custom-h0use supervision, and annoyances
Wnlcn sich transshipmeHtis Is sure to occasion.
vi course, the same Is equally true of goods
sent from Sweden to America and, further
more, all passengers and emigrants from
either country to the other, together with
their baggage. must be likewise transshipped.
Yet In spite Of all these hindrances and
inconveniences, the Swedish-American com
merce has attained the goodly proportions
we have enumerated. proportions amply
sufficient. 1t seems to nae, to justify starting
a line OF direct steamships between the two
countries.
The subject is not new. 1t has been agitat-
ed In sweden, to my personal kno owledge,
ever since 1868, and the experiment has been
several times tried. lt was first attempted
In 1884. Two lines OF steamers were started
in the spring Of that year from Sweden to
the United States, one sailing from Gothen.
berg. the other from Stockholm, and touch
Ing at Malmo and Gothenberg. Subsequent
HoahS Y another hne was started from Stettln via
steamers have piled Internationally But
these lines have one and all, after brief
struggle, ceased to exist, not so much from
want OF patronage as because the rich and
powerful transatlantic companies, In com
bination with the lines from Sweden to Eng-
land and Germany, have either crowded out
or bought up the new companies.
To-day there Is no line Of direct steamers
between Sweden and America, yet SS, 900
worth OF American goods are transported
from the United States to Sweden annually.
And as for return cargoes. let us look mo-
ment at only two of the exports of Sweden.
Immigrants and iron-yes, blood and iron,
In very truth--Sweden sends to US, and In
what magnifcent amounts! Forty thousand
sons and daughters OF her people and 64,OO0
tons OF her iron year. Divide them among
| fornightly line of steamers, and you have
! more than fifteen hundred immigrants and
nearly $500 tons OF iron for every ship. Is
not this trade, or any considerable portion
thereof, prize worth striving for? Aud
| how admirably these two exports are adapt
| ed to and complement each other. The iron
Dailasts the Immigrant ship; ths immigrants