Morris tribune., 1909-07-24
TIDlNCS FROM !
SCANDINAVIA
News Of General Interest
from Three Countries.


City Is Deserted in Summer Time by
All Who Can Afford to Leave-Rents
and Taxes Unreasonably High with
No Signs of Any Change in the Stu
alton - Even Tourists Complain
About the Excessive Prices Charged
at the Hotels.
SWEDEN.
Talking about an expensive city to
live in, Stockholm certainly caps the
climax. In no European city are the
daily living expenses so high as they
are in the Swedish capital. Rents,
heat and light will consume over one
fifth of the income of Stockholm fami.
lies who exist on an income of 1,50C
crowns year. Rents and taxes are
unreasonably high and there does not
seem to be any change in the situa.
ton either. Stockholm is deserted in
summer by all who can afford it and
many find that they can live cheaper
in the smaller suburban towns, so
there are hundreds Of middle class
folks who have given up their apart
ments in the city for good, and moved
out into the small villages surrounding
the capital. Even tourists are COM
planning about the high prices at the
hotels and they find that they can
travel far cheaper in Denmark and
Germany for instance than in Sweden.
This is an unfortunate condition of af-
fairs and the country must needs suf-
fer from it.
A new scheme has been introduced
by a Swedish insurance company,
which is certainly unique. It appears
that many poor people are afraid of
insuring their lives for fear that they
may not be able to keep up the pay
ments. A Swedish insurance company
has therefore hit upon the plan Of
minimizing this fear by giving each in
sured savings bank of peculiar con-
struction. 1t is made in such way
that one may keep it going like a
watch by dropping into it ten ore "a
little more than two cents) every day.
If so much a day is missed the ma
chinery stops. The coin acts as sort
of a key, and every coin put in is reg.
istered. It is supposed that the in
sured will not feel the burden of the
are paid in daily driblets of less than
three cents each. The experiment has
not been fairly tried as yet, but insur.
ance officials seem to think that it will
work very satisfactorily.
Needless to say the Gar of Russia
was well received in Stockholm, al
though there was less show and pomp,
owing to the fact that the Russian
cars life is in continual danger The
streets were lined with soldiers and
during the few hours that he spent in
Stockholm he was certainly as closely
watched as he had even been in all
his life. The Swedish authorities saw
to it that the detective and espionage
system was complete during the cars
visit and it would have been difficult
indeed to have done the car any bodi-
ly harm. The car is reported to have
been exceedingly well pleased with his
visit to Stockholm and as token of
his appreciation he donated 10000
crowns to the poor of the city.
The seats in the first and second
class passenger coaches on the state
railways will soon be numbered, and
when passenger buys a ticket he will
receive numbered tag, which entities
him to certain seat. The same in
noyation will be made on the Nor
wegian and Danish lines connected
with the Swedish lines in southern
Sweden.
1t sounds strange enough, but it is
reported on good authority that the
next consignment of Swedish postage
stamps put on the market will be made
and engraved in Vienna The en-
gravers in Sweden ought, it would
seem, reach out for this business. It
would undoubtedly pay them to make
an effort to get it.
A party of German philanthropists
visited Stockholm the other day for
no of 70