Willmar tribune., 1908-02-12
ScANDIMAVlANM NEWS
PrknclpaI Events Gathered In the
Oh dScandxl1avlan Countries

The anti-military agitation at the
military drill grounds is abating. The
change is hailed with great satisfac-
tion by the military authorities.
The bishops residence at Ostrabo,
where the famous Bishops Esaias
Tegner once resided, is going to be
restored at cost Of at least $4,000.
The destruction of the fertilizer fac
tory at Nyhamn, Malmo, was the
most disastrous fire which has visited
Malmo since 1888, when the great
woolen mills were burned down. Only
two buildings were saved, and the loss
exceeds $250,000. About 140 persons
were thrown out of employment by
the fire.
Prof. Erik T. Nystrom has occupied
chair of chemistry, physics and
mathematics in the University of Tai.
Yan-Foo, China, since 1901. Prof. Ny.
strom has also published text book
on chemistry in the Chinese language.
His mother, a sister, and another re.
lative of his have just gone from Swe.
den to visit him. going by rail from
St. Petersburg to the place of destina-
tion.
The minister of finance has prepared
document to show that the present
laws are too favorable to the sugar
industry of Sweden. The tariff, he
says, is so high as to give the sugar
trust monopoly of the trade. At the
same time the internal sugar tax is
so low that the trust can make more
money than it ought to-, at the ex-
pense of the consumer. One of his
arguments strikes with tremendous
force. He states that when all the
sugar factories are brought into the
trust some of them were valued at
three times the money actually in
vested. The government wants
sugar tax which is expected to bring
$75O.0O0 into its Golfers before the end
of the year. Naturally, the sugar
barons" are on the anxious seat.
NORWAY.
Drammen had 1858 inhabitants at
the beginning of the year. The in
crease for the year 1907 was 435.
A farmers wife at Grue, Solor, has
given birth to % children. There is
only one baby each year." says her
husband. "but this makes quite few,
anyway" The woman is still strong
and robust; but on account of her ad-
vanced age she expects only one or
two more
When King Oscar made official re-
marks in Norway he was sure to use
perfect Norwegian. and also to pro-
nounce every word just exactly as the
NorWegians do. The language of King
Haakon is also Norwegian; but in
spite of his struggles he cannot get
rid of his Copenhagen brosue.
A large number of ragged men and
women paraded the streets of Kris
tiania the other day, carrying mot
toes and banners. They were the pro-
fessional beggars of the city, and the
demonstration was started as a pro-
test against the ordinance which pro-
hibits individuals begging while the
Salvation Army and the missions are
permitted to carry on collective beg
ging
The damage to the crops of south
eastern Norway is put at several mil
lion dollars. In many cases the farm
ers intended 10 use the frozen grain
for the stock, and bought lot of
young cattle at a high price. But the
stuff is so poor that the stock took
sick from it. Thousands of shocks
are still standing in the fields, and
when the spring weather sets in they
will soon be turned into so many
heaps of poor dung.
A former member of the Swedish
cabinet has expressed himself strong
ly on the invasions which Norwegian
lumbernen are making into the for
ests of western Vermland. The for
ests, he says, are generally in the
hands of Norwegians, and so many
logs are being cut that the agricul-
tural interests of that part of the
country are in danger 1T is true"
he says. that we ought to do all we
can to close up old wounds and estab-
lish good relations with our neighbor;
but we must not neglect the interests
of our own country. We should not
build the Kjolen mountains higher;
but on the other hand, it will not do
to permit, without objections, the
boundary line to be pushed eastward"
Nils Kiar, an author of some note,
has made fierce assault on the
Danes on account of the way they
have exploited the works of Henrick
1bsen. The occasion for his attack
was the publication in Denmark, of an
epic on which Brand" was built, and
some other manuscripts which the
poet did not see fit to publish. At
the same time Mr.. Kiar points to the
way in which the Danes handled Nor
way during the Norwegian Danish
union. They took, he says, anything
from silver vessels in the churches to
whole provinces and national heroes
Mr.. Kiar finally tells Dr. Sigurd Ib-
sen. the poets only son, that it was
a shame for him to give his consent
to the publication of the manuscripts.
Bjorn Bjornson is not going to re-
turn to the National theater of Kris
tiania. 1t is said that he will accept
an offer to become instructor at a
German theater. He is soon going to
begin work on his personal memoirs.
Dense shoals of herrings almost
hugged the shore in the vicinity of
Trondhjem, but violent storms pre-
vented the fishermen from taking their
boats out on the water.