Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-03-30

clothing for poor school children,
but the principal to remain intact
forever; and at the same time she
also bequeathed $4,000 to a benevol-
ent society called ''Old Peoples
Friends"
'It is no secret, and least of all
to his majesty's government, that a
ma jority of the stock of the Oranges
berg company, which now owns or is
soon going to acquire possession or,
the Gellivare and the Kiruna and
Luossavara iron ranges, is in the
hands of foreigners, though the
stock is represented by Swedish fig
ure-heads at the stockholders meet
ings." Mr.. Nordstrom next points
out that five of the leading industrial
countries of the world import about
IS, 500, 900 tons of iron ore annually,
and that their demand is steadily in
creasing. No iron mines are ''inex-
haustible," he says, and the famous
Bilbao fields in Spain will be ex-
hausted in about fifteen years. New
deposits may be discovered, but such
are becoming less probable in the
same proportion as the terra incog-
'nita is growing smaller from year to
year. At any rate, the Bilbao and
Norrbotten fields are of the utmost
Importance, and Mr.. Nordstrom pre-
diets that the day is not very dis
tant when every ton of rich Norr-
botten iron ore will be worth a dol
lar. He wants the government to
purchase not only the Gellivare and
kiruna-Luossavara ranges but also
the Ruotovara range, which of all
iron. ranges in Europe is second in
extent only to the kiruna range.
Part of Mr.. Nordstrom's argumenta-
ton runs as follows: When iron ore
is turned into pig iron it's value is
increased ffteenfold. BY judicious
development of the means of COM
munication and of the natural
sources of motive power offered by
Sweden, the iron ore could be profit
ably turned into iron in Sweden,
while, under the present system, the
Swedish iron industry is deprived of
this work. From 90 to 100 million
tons of iron ore is mined annually in
the whole world, and if this were
taken from the Norrland ranges they
would be exhausted in about seven
years. Mr.. Nordstrom's closing re-
marks are given in full: "Since free
trade England found it necessary to
place an export duty on coal, would
it not be even more necessary for us
to put All export duty on our iron
ore When our forests are cut down
we expect them to be replaced by a
new growth: but when our ore beds
are exhausted we have lost for all
time the capital which ought to be
the foundation of the future indus
trial and economical development of
our country. If we wish to avoid
severe censure by our children and
descendants new system must be
introduced. BY placing a well adjust
ed export tax on iron ore we may
accomplish two purposes: we insure
a highly needed income for the state,
and we save, at least to some ex-
tent, our natural riches to Swedish
enterprise, Swedish industry and
Swedish labor
To join the rails in such way that
there is no click or jar when the car
wheels pass over the joint is a prob
lem which has not yet been solved
in such practical way that the
method applies to ordinary rails. O.
Emberg of Hoganas claims to have
invented {; new joint that will stand
practical test. So far no one has
captured the prize of $4,000 offered
by Swedish firm for such an in
yention a few years ago.
The Kockum iron works at Malmo
have received order for a new pas
senger steamer which is to ply be-
tween A1almo and Copenhagen. IT
is to be built for forcing it's way
through the ice, and it's engines will
indicate 1000 horse power. 1t is es.
timated that the steamer will cost
100000.
p. P. Waldenstrom is contemplat-
ing a trip through Canada, the Pa,
cific states and the northern states
for the purpose of studying the Ca.
madam school system and the re.
ligious condition, of the Swedes
wherever he strikes them.
Governor Tornerhjelm, in the ca.
pacity of mediator between the beet
growers and the sugar manufactur.
ers, proposes that the old scale OF
prices be continued another year, and
that the two parties elect a joint
committee to propose a new agree
ment for the year 1905. ..
Lambert Lindh, native of Stock
holm, who is foreman in factory in
.Friederan, Germany, where scienti
fic5 and astronomical instruments are
made, has just finished testing
balance which easily Indicates Ss
weight of one-mil lionth OF a ki.o
gran.