Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1908-09-17
NORWAY.

tNSnWNys
The storthing has passed law low
ering the tariff on sugar, the change
to take effect Jan. i, 1909.
The reports as to the mackerel fish
Ing are very encouraging. The catch
es in the North sea have been espe-
cially large.
A monument to the memory of Wal
ter Scott Dahl, the celebrated lay
preacher, will be erected in Romsdal,
where he labored faithfully for many
years.
The lexicon is colossal undertake
ing, embracing 4,221 pages, and Civ
ing sketches of over 500 authors. No
pains have been spared to make the
work absolutely authoritative,
The potato crop will be very large
in Norway this year, but the peasants
complain that on account of the heavy
export duties soon to be enforced they
will be unable to dispose CT their pota.
toes to advantage
A terrific rainstorm passed over Gud-
brandsdalen. The river Sjoa rose TO
a greater height than ever before
since 1860 and flooded large tracts, do
ing considerable damage to live stock
~ rfyy ctc ~,
similar rampages, and the loss
throughout the valley is heavy.
1t seems that the apple and pear
crop in Hardanger and Sogn has been
badly injured by insects. The state
entomologist and others are advocat-
ing a careful inspection of the infect
ed trees and the use Of poison to kill
the eggs of the pests, SO that the
trees will not be molested next year.
A meeting Of students of Christian
ity was recently held at Notodden.
The program included many very in
spring papers and addresses. A
Swedish society of Christian students,
organized in 1895, now has member
ship Of 100000, and it is hoped that a
correspondingly large society will be
developed in Norway.
Halvorsens Forfatterlexikon" Oex-
icon of Authors) has been completed,
after twenty-eight years Of diligent
work. 1t is named for j. B. Halvorsen,
a Norwegian writer and scholar Of
great learning, who died after laboring
on the monumental work for twenty
years. Halvdan Koht, a Norwegian
Literary scholar Of distinction, took up
the work, assisted by P. Til. Moe, Prof.
Ludwig Daae and N. r. Bull, the br-
reau chief, all competent scholars
The periodical, Vor It'd, published
an interesting article on the genealogy
of Christian Micelsen, the former pre-.
mier. On his fathers side he is de-
scended from peasants of Jaederen.
His parental grandfather went to Ber-
gen In 1900 and engaged in the mer-
camille business. On his mothers
side the distinguished statesman
traces his descent from old and we'll
known families of Christiania, the An
kers and the Collects.
The annual synod Of the Free Church
of Norway was recently held at Moss.
According to the statistics made pub
lie at the meeting, there are 11.134
members of the Free church and forty
two congregations. The organization
owns fit ychurch edifices worth about
100000 crowns, against which there
is an Indebtedness of 1900 crowns.
The annual receipts of the church are
68,073 crowns, and the expenses 63,-
430 crowns. The church takes a very
active interest in missionary work,
and solicits considerable money for
the use Of it's missionaries.
The storthing has passed law, by a
vote of 70 to 43, imposing such a
heavy tax on the distilleries that ii
is believed that the twenty-four dis
tilleries in Norway will have to close
down, and that all liquor used will be
In Hedemarken and KRIS
tians county there are twenty-one dis
tilleries, mostly owned by stock com.
panies, in which the land owners are
the stockholders, and the shutting
down of these concerns will throw a
large number of men out of employ
ment.
SWEDEN.
During Emperor Williams visit at