Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1913-03-19


ers have won their living from the
sea; whole cities have grown Up
around the shipping Ind stry. The
highest type Of workmen have put Ell
their skill OF hand and brain, all their
mechanical genius into the construc.
tion Of ships made from the timber q
our own forests. and our sailors have
carried NorWay's name all over the
world. Now all this Is changed. q
few decades ago It was the greatest
ambition Of the Norwegian boy to
command his own ship. now the &c
tive. intelligent boy seeks something
better than the Sailors life has to, Of
fer him under the changed conditions.
It was clear that II Norway should
advance, or even save herself from
retrogression, she needed a fresh I'm.
pulse to healthy activity. It came.
just at the right time. through the
modern inventions that have made 1t
possible to wake, as with g wizards
wand, the powers that sleep In her
waterfalls. In July, 1903, the nrst
small factory was started at Frogner-
kilen for the producing of nitrates
from the air by the Birkeland.Eyde
method. I venture to say that 1t was
not only the mother OF all the nitrate In.
dustries Of Norway, but that it has
given the impetus to the many sided
activity which Is fast transforming
Norway from a thinly settled country
into one Of the great manufacturing
communities Of the world. The salt
peter industry. which had It's beginning
at Frognerkilen less than ten years
ago. has grown to large proportions.
We began with q plant utilizing TWEEN
ty-hve horsepower in the Birkeland.
Eyde furnace; now our two plants at
Rjukan and Notodden use 100000
horsepower. We began with two Ii,
borers and two other employees; now
we have 1910 laborers and 143 other
employees" =
That the export of canned goods Ii
one of the most important items ID
the trade Of Norway we gather from
the followjl g figures: In 1902 5,O00,-
900 pounds were exported; by 1912 it
had climbed to 5S,0O0,000 pounds The
fact that four-fifths of this amount
was shipped from Stavanger gives a
good idea of the Importance OF that
city as far as the canning industry
is concerned. The sardine is respon-
sible for three-fourths Of the total
amount Of the export. The value Of
last years exports amounted to o.:
most 100000. Although the war;
GUS countries of Europe buy great
quantities of the sardines the United
States is also heavy buyer. In fact,
In 1911 the United States bought sar-
dimes and other delicacies from Nor
way for about $1,000,000, which, to-
gether with other fish products,
means a total of nearly $3,OO0,O00.
But in spite Of the large strides the
canning industry has made during
the last twenty years there are still
enough opportunities for work and
profit. The canning of vegetables.
and the question Of teaching the Nor.
wegtan peasants to aise~vegetables.
IL most important one. as is the
problem of finding some use for the
thousands upon thousands Of barrels
Of herring fished in the spring and
which so far they have not been able
to utilize. An interesting develop
ment in connection with the sardine
industry is the objection raised by
the French packers to the use of the
name "sardine, the claim being
made that this title rightfully be-
longed to the species of sprat canned
In France. The case has been in
court in England for quite a while,
but last year a decision was handed
down favorable to the Norwegian
packers sE