New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-28
DISMAL. ICELAND.
RECENT MSFORTUNEs OF IT'S LUCK
LESS INUAEITAN


ferrcG on Iceland the honor of making it the
subject OF a special report; and an interest
ing little report II is, though IA somewhat dis
nal one, for misfortunes have been rife in
the island Of late At the best Of times the
lcelanders have a hard fight to make both
ends meet; for if ever there was a God-for-
Pdkon ia"d It is theirs. Nothing will grow
there but grasses, and they none Of the best
You may 80 through the island from end
to end without seeing a single tree. 70 try
to cultivate wheat or barley would be sheer
waste OF time why, even what rye is needed
must be brought from the Nor are
there any rich mines TO compensate the natives
for the p0orness of their soil. All the coal they
burn must be imported: the petroleum, too. and
even the salt whcrewith to preserve their fish.
The only thing the land yields them Is rough
grass; and even this was, for the most part, lost
last year. for just when the hay harvest was
ready for loading there came a series Of earth
quakcs. For whole fortnight the island
tremhed and shook. and nearly thousand
buildings were wrecked. With their cottages all
tumblinG about therhelds the people naturally
enough, paid but little heed to their crops, and
IL" consequence was that. when the earth set
tied down TO rest again. most of the hay was
spoiled.
For ore disaster that has bofalen Iceland
England as a nation is responsible. according to
"The Pail Mall Gazette" though through no
fault cf her own. y large percentage OF the
population have made their living for the last
twenty years 10y rearing sheep for the English
market. Sometimes they have sent rs many
as seventy thousand sheep i'm the course of one
season and have received In return 10000 Now
III that part Of the world, 1t must be romem-
bor,d. 10000 is regarded as Il huge sum Of
money; it represents, indeed. the value Of about
o0e-sovcnth Of everything the island exports in
year Little wonder. therefore, there was con-
sternat0n throughout the island when it became
known last year that the British Home Office had
decidd TO prohibit the entrance Of live sheep into
England The result Of this decree will he TO re-
ducc hundreds Of small Icelandic farmers from
comparatively easy circumstances to poverty.
They are left with their sheep on their hands.
for they have no ARRANGEMENTS for transporting
them dead, and in this day new markets
cannot be found at a moments notice
THEIR FISH INDUSTRY THREATENED.
The loss Of the sheep trade is however. but a
small misfortune compared with another with
which the lcclaHdcrs are now threatened Their
ore real source Of wealth. the only commodity
they have on which they can count 10 provide
them with the means wherewith TO pay their
way in the world. has hitherto been fish. Sixty
two per cent Of the average value OF the exports
OF Iceland is the produce Of the fisheries" II
Is said in the report. Fishing and the sailing.
drying and packing of fish. indeed. is the chief
work TO which the islanders devote themselves.
They send large cod to Spain small cod 10 Italy.
herrings to Norway and cod. place haddo X
and halibut to England: for until within quite
recent days they have had practically monop-
oily Of the finest fisheries i'm the world But, un-
luckily for them. this state of things Is now
Changing Foreign smacks have begun to hover
about the shores Of Iceland: and. what is still
worse. foreign trawlers-Brtish for the most
part-have taken up Their station there. Last
Year FAKE Bay, the best fishery district Of all,
was thronged with them. This threatens TO
be n serious matter for the native fishermen,
as the fishing banks OF FAKE Bay are too limited
in extent to afford room both for the boat fishers
and the trawlers; and the fOrmer"-the Iceland
fish in small boats by means OF handlincs
long lines and nets-"beng the weaker. must
yield. When trawlers arr constantly sieaming
back and forward. dragging their travis over
the limited area Of the fishing banks 1t is impos-
sible for the native fishers to set their lines or
nets on these banks without exposing them 10
the inevitable fate Of being caught and torn
away by the travis. Trawc:s and net-and-line
fishermen cannot work alongside each other and
as the greater part Of the fishing banks in FAKE
Bay lie outside the TIN emile limit 1t is impos-
sible for the native fishermen to connne them
selves within territorial waters which the trawl-
ers may not enter TO do so would be the
same thing as TO abandon fishing entirely. and
this would involve their utter ruin and the de-
population Of the district" Thus, look which