The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-06-22
.RIOTING IN NORW AY
lFinmarken Fishermen in the North
Are Destroying the Whaling
Stations.
They Claim That Whaling and Fish
ing Cannot Go On Side
by Side.
Correspondence Of Tho Journal.

Correspondence Of Tho Journal
Christiania, Norway, Juno "a bill
for protection Of the whale was post
poned by the storthing few days ago.
marken to start a. war of destruction on
the whaling stations up there.
They have carried things rather far, |
and the situation Is more serious than
people in the southern part Of Norway
have been inclined to believe.
The fishermen imagine that they are
fighting battle for their life and for
daily bread, and have therefore worked
themselves up to a state of mind where
they are ready to go beyond all consid-
Grafton for the law. From their point OF
view Is the riot fierce struggle for
life. The damage already done and what
may follow will first and foremost be
urged on the disturbance The leader
among those Is a minister Of the gospel,
who also edits a newspaper.
To what length this rioting will go is
not easy to say. It should be remembered
that the larger number Of fishermen are
| armed with "seal-guns." Government
rifles have been distributed among them
in order to enable them to fight an
enemy that natural conditions have thrown
against them-the seal. Now, it is to be
hoped, that they will not use their arms
on an imaginary foe. Last Wednesday
the authorities did not find it neces-
sary to send a man-of-war to the scene,
| but yesterday they did SO.
Last night the gunboat Heimdal left
Horton with orders to proceed to Fin
marken. 1t will, however, take the boat
four or five days to get there. Troops
to keep order. The municipalities have
to keep order The municipalities have
been requested not to deliver any more
rifles to the fishermen. The riot act has
heen read at different places,
| The climax of the affair has been the
total destruction by the enraged fisher
men Of the whaling station at Mehavn.
At yesterday forenoon's meeting Of the
storthing the claim from the owners OF
the destroyed station was read. The
whale oil factory had cost the firm $780,
900 kroner, and without this plant in
working condition. the heavy Quitting
expenses for the year will be a total loss
The wages Of the crew amount to 10000
kroner, provisions and other outhtt1ngs
to IS, 900 kroner. The company now ask
the storthing for assistance to build a
new factory, costing 100000 kroner, so as
to enable them to continue in business.
A cable from one Of the interested dis
tricts reads.
"The decision Of the storthing regard
ing the whale protection bill Is very dis
agreeable and unwise It has caused
much depression among the people. The
fishermen are furious. The fisheries can
after this never go hand in hand with
whale hunting. One Of them must retire.
If the authorities by arms will keep the
whale hunting agoing, then this industry
will soon have the whole field to ITSELF
While all this trouble is going on, the
reports Of the salmon and n1ackerel fish
cries are very good from several places.
So are the reports of prospects for a sat
isfactory year in the agricultural line,
owing to fne warm weather of late, with
sufficient rain thrown in. And then, last,
but not least the tourist season is in
full swing, plenty Of pants, red
guidebooks and a cosmopolitan mixture
OF languages have come to stay, or.
rather, to pass thru, for the next three
. or four months.