The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1908-04-02
TRIP TO NORMAL
r. O. Richards Gives an interesting
Series Of letters Relating to His
Native Country and its People.

Christiania, Norway. Aug. 81, 1907.
The government ownership idea of
all utilities that can be made to bene-
fit the individual by way of cheaper
transportation or lessen axe is very
strong in Norway. The government
seems TO own and control much,
which seems strange to a foreigner
at first glance; in fact to Investigate
their institutions one cannot help be-
ing impressed with the idea hat they
are drifting fast towards socialism in
centraliZing so much in the govern
ment; but Yet nothing is ever done
or proposed in the way of measures.
to in any way lessen the liberty of
the individual. Upon this point, they
seem clearly united: but the national
as we'll as the district (amt) overn
mentS ngage in many seemingly
strange ventures, for instance. coast
steamers frequently belong and are
operated by the district. Northern
! ptl StlllltS Nl'dIilSlllD company ~
longs to that district (amtl and oper-
ates its steamers in among the local
fjords and will carry an individual
and as much of his produce as he can
carry with him personally for 100
miles at % cents. This is said to be
done for the purpose Of developing the
dairy and fruit culture in the many
far away lying little communities in
the fjords and interior valleys. and
have had a very desirable effect in
developing the country and getting il
in touch with the larger market towns
Of that district. The Norwegian
people seem to thoroughly understand
that cheap transportation is neceS-
sary to develop and they are are look.
ing out for that feature in every way
and they feel that no individual should
look for large personal gain out of
such public necessity. The railways
as stated before. are also, owned and
operated by the government. The en-
tire mileage including recent extern,
sions is a little less then 1000 miles.
This seems small, but it costs money
to build railroads in a mountainous
country. indeed the average cost of
grading in NORWAY is SC 600 per mile.
the most costly railway in the world
and in comparison to the prairie
grade. eighty times as expensive. For
instance. the grading contract on the
recent Madison- Sioux Falls system ON
the Milwaukee was let at 500 per
mile. The railways in Norway are
operated we'll and accidents seldom
occur. speed Of the passenger trains
is about the same as in South Dakota:
the passenger coach accommodations
are very good, c~OmmOdiOus and com
Portable and great attention is paid
to the sanitary conditions in every
way; for instance. splitting on the
floor in any of the coaches is pro
hibited with penalty Of being ordered
off the train. cuspidors are furnished
at every seat as in the SleepcrS Of
America, every toilet room on the or
binary passenger train is provided
with a piece OF soap a clean towel and
toilet paper, the depOtS as we'll as
the priyys are thoroughly scrubbed
and cleaned daily. In the upholstered
coaches, called sccond-class, the rate
Of fare is about IL CEN per mile
round trip and the wooden seat coach
es called third-class about | cent per
mile round trip. There are no first
class coaches III Norway, except on
the trains going into Sweden. There
is no coal in Norway, so the fuel for
the railways ONE largely from Eng
land. The railroad wages are compar-
itively low compared with the Ameri-
can scale Of railroad pay,
Among the customs of the indi-
vidual, the peculiarly striking features
of the average Norwegian home which
impresses a stranger upon entering
that country is the One-styled gable,
tile or slate rooted, plain zinc white
painted houses; a little flower garden
in front of every house, in the center
of which is invariably a flag pole
from which the flag floats every Sun
day and upon festive days or at half
mast upon deaths. Painted floors and
lace curtains are found in every
house, rich or poor; those we'll off
may have a linoleum for the dining
room and large center rug for their
sitting room and library; but most
rooms are without. Cheap pianos are
kept in most homes. out organs are
seldom seen. There beds are. as a
rule, of the old fashioned feather kind.
The barns are. as a rule, red and trim
med in white and at first sight, impress
ses one as large and comfortable. One
of the first impressions formed is the
noticeable pOlitenesS Of the people in