Morris tribune., 1914-11-13
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+ NORWAY. ]

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A dispatch from Christiana says
The Norwegian press is making an al
most unanimous appeal to the gov
eminent to rescind the prohibition or
1inance which was passed in the first
excitement of the war to stop the sale
Of alcoholic beverages. @Nominally so
per cent of the Norwegian people is
represented in the membership of
"teetotall societies and next to Fin
land Norway ordinarily has the small
est per capita consumption of alco-
hol in the world. 1t is the working
classes who are most largely repre-
scented in the "teetotaP membership.
The appeal for resembling the prohi-
bition act Is based primarily on asser-
lions that after more than two months
of prohibition the plan has not work
ed. Persons who could afford it have
INDUCED extensively in the irnporta-
ton of strong liq1oFs from Denmark
and Scotland individuals have COM
bined to form private stock compa-
MES" and have brought in thousands
of gallons every week, each person
taking key or two for private use.
Among the poorer classes complaint is
made that the prohibition law has Gre
ated worse conditions, prompting the
concoction of such wierd drinks as
"self-murder'-the name given to de-
naturalized alcohol favored with oil Of
peppermint = and the cheapest kinds
of so-called sweet wines, made from
chemical products, which never saw
grapes. The government has already
rescinded the special law forbidding
distillation of alcohol from potatoes.
This is ordinarily an extensive indus
try in Norway, but at the outbreak of
the European war 1t was thought nee
essary to stop it in order to conserve
the food supply. AS a matter of fact,
it was found that the potatoes used
for this distilling process could not be
kept long, there not being enough
frost-proof cellars for their storage.
The breweries, which also had been
forbidden to malt their barley, have
recommended operations.
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That Norway, as well as other small
nations, was approached by England
before the outbreak of the war with
a view to having her maintain her
neutrality against German pressure, is
brought out in the Gray Book" re-
Gently published by the Belgian gov
eminent. According to this book the
Belgian minister in London telegraph
ed to his government on Aug. 4: "The
British minister of foreign affairs, Sir
Edward Grey, has informed the Eng
lish ministers in Norway, Holland and
Belgium that if those three kingdoms
will resist the pressure from Germany
and guard their neutrality they will
be supported in their resistance by
England, which in that case is ready
to cooperate with France and Russia,
If such is the desire of these three
kingdoms, while Offering an alliance
to the aforesaid governments in or.
der to repel the use of force against
them by Germany, and in a guarantee
for future maintenance of the indie.
pendence and integrity of the three
kingdoms made the remark that
Belgium is neutral in perpetuity. The
minister of foreign affairs replied:
This is in the case Of your neutrality
being violated No mention of this
offer by Sir Edward Grey to the Bel
gian, Dutch and Norwegian govern
ments appeared in the British Blue
Book Later, message on the same
day from the Belgian minister in Lon
don to his government states that this
British proposition is annulled for the
moment :"
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Some of the great construction com
panies in Norway financed with Eng
lish capital have had to stop work, al
payments from England have been GU
off. Several of these companies have
been Harvesting Norwegian water falls
for electric power. The Nitrogen
Products and Carbide company, linn
tied, for instance, has been erecting
machinery to develop 100000 horse
power, but after having spent a. few