Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-12
Copyright, 1903, by Frank G. Carpcnter.)
SnariHl CorreSpOndpncp of The Evening Star.
HEI,sINGFORs. FINLAND

Copyright. 1893. by Frank C. carpcnter)
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
HELSINGFORS, Finland.
l nave stopped here on my way from
Russia to Sweden to look up American
interests in the land of the Firms. This
country is steadily increasing as a GUS
toner for American goods. 1t has some of
the thriftiest people of northern Europe,
with wants about twice great as the
average man the world over. The people
are comparatively poor but their foreign
trade now amounts to 500 100000 "a year
and their imports equal to an eXpendi-
ture of $50 for every man woman and
child in the country. In Russia the i'm
ports do not average more than 50 per per-
son, so that Finland is worth to the rest
of the world. six times as much as Russia,
In proportion to its population.
But first let me give you the land in
nutshell. This country IS a great mass Of
granite rock, half surrounded by seas, riv-
eted in between Russia and Norway and
Sweden. 1t is land of forests and lakes and
cultivated farms. 1t belongs to Russia and
is ruled by the czar, but It's population is
not Russian at all. 1t has altogether about
27O0 600 inhabitants, and of these less than
5000 are Russians. The remainder are
FlnnS, SWeueS, Germans ana Idppld0QSTS
The Firms number more than 1000 600 the
Swedes $50, 600, the Germans 800 and the
Lappanders 200
The Firms came originally from the heart
of Russia. They We're of two tribes, one
dark haired and the other light They
drove the Lapplanders to the northward
and have crowded them out that there
are only few hundred left and most Of
these work for the Firms. The reindeer be-
long to the Firms and such Lapps as re-
main npmaC die of them wander
ing about in the cold lands of tho north,
living in tents.
A Chance for American Electricity.
Finland has more lakes to the square mile
than any other country. 1t is called the
land of a thousand lakes, and l am told
that the lakes actually number 10000. They
are joined by canals. and you can now go
all over the country by water. Many
streams flow into these lakes and the
The country is rough and the streams have
hundreds of waterfalls. A recent meas
urement of 100 falls shows that they could
furnish about 100000 horse power, and IL
is now expected that this horse power will
be developed by electricity. Some electrical
plants have already been put up and many
others contemplated. The Westing-
house and General Electric people should
look into the field and send their best
drummers here to develop IL.
l write these notes in HelSingfors, TIE
capital of Finland. The city has 100000
population. 1t is situated on the Gulf OF
Finland, on an excellent harbor part of 1t
being on an island which is connected with
the mainland by bridge. ] came in by sea
from st. Petersburg, and when landed 1t
seemed to me though l We're back in
America. The people look more like
Americans than Russians and the buildings
not unlike those of our cities
Some of the business blocks are large and
several of them would be credit to any
city of the United States. They are made
of Finnish granite, in blocks as big as the
biggest stone blocks used in the buildings of
Chicago.
The Firms are not like the Russians
They better dressed and more intelli-
gent The Russian drosky, with its great
bow over the horses neck, is not seen here,
and the cabs and carriages are much like
our own The women of the lower classes
wear about the same dress as the wel-to-do
Russian peasant women, but otherwise they
look more like the Germans.
An Intelligent People
The Firms are more intelligent than the
Russians. Helsingfors has five times as
many book stores in proportion to It's popu-
lation as st. Petersburg. The books are
printed in the Roman text which seems
friendly after my long experience with the
Greek hieroglyphcs of Russia. The signs
over the stores in Roman and one can
spell out what they mean. The majority
of the people here can read and write
which is not the case In Russia. There
are public schools all over the country.
There Is a university for $500 students of
whom 800 are ladies. There are also bust
ness and technical schools including IT
agricultural schools, 2S dairy schools IA
schools for cattle managers and 8 schools
for gardeners. Finland has about 200 news
papers of which 100 printed In the Fin
niSh tongue. The most of the people are
Lutherans. There are a few Baptists.
Il few Roman Catholics and d few who be-
long TO the Orthodox Greek Church of Rus
s.a.
I dropped into the Union Bank here to
get some money on my letter of credit
and got it. At the same time l gathered
some information about tire banking bust
ness. II is profitable. The Union Bank is
now forty years old and IT has been pay
ing dividends of from 10 to a per cent
since its beginning. Its capital was origi-
nally 5000 600 but It has been raised TO
10000 and the bank now has more than
twice that amount a surplus. 1t has
about $l6Ooooo0 of deposits and its stock
is quoted at 900, paying about 4 per cent
on that valuation.
Another big bank is the Joint Stock Bank
of the North for Commerce and Manufac-
lures This has capital of 81, coo 009 and
II pays dividends of per cent In addition
10 this there are many other prosperous
banks and many savings banks.
American Goods in Finland.
But come with to the Finnish stores
and see If they have any American goods.
We need not 60 far to find them
There are California pears and peaches,
Oregon salmon and canned meats from
Chicago. There are sewing machines and
tyepwriters, cameras and monographs and
all sorts of American novelties The most
CT the textile goods are German Eng
i&t-, lut the merchants tell me that gre.t,
'-c-l of Finnish cloth il made from raw