Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1914-03-18
LETTER FROM NORWAY.
Norheimsund, Hardanger, Norway.
Feb. 9. 1914.

Of rain. Just before Christmas we
had snow and then cold weather as
much as II degrees Celsius, or about
zero Fahrenheit. This was the cold
est we had here. At Voss they had
as cold as 81 degrees G.. and at Ror-
aas 40 degrees G. This cold weather
only lasted a few days and then we
had more rain and snow. At one time
we had about three feet of snow. IT.
was a pleasure to see it snow as the
snow falls down so nice and the trees
become covered, something we never
see in Minnesota. have failed to find
a snow drift in Norheimsund yet but
this does not include all of Norway.
One evening heard a strange noise,
at first thought it was a thunder
storm and when l heard the same
noise again I went out and found it
was only the snow sliding off the roof.
The snow will lay on the roofs some
times twofeet deep and then when it
thaws, tho roofs being mostly of fiat
stone, Nslidsssoff with great veloc-
IVY. E.tssSrSFIT[
Lastsweek we had only rain here.
All the snow is now gone and there
is nosfrost in the ground. They can
plow nowsjnst as well as in the spring.
I cannotSsay that I like this rain but
it makes the winter mild. Along the
coastSthe weather was very stormy in
the earlier part of the winter and also
just lately. Many steamers and small
er boats have gone undefapd q num-
Der Of people drowned. JaaaaarJ;
25th, four steamers Went rocHa
far from Haugesund. ROne steamer
sank close to Masterhavn. All the
people were saved.
On January 3Oth, we got our first
lot of herring which was caught west
Of Haugesund and reached here the
day after. It was nice large herring,
and was sold for s. ore each, which
price people here thought was much
but which I am sure you would be
willing to pay ten cents for in Mime
sofa.
Later on when they get more of
them Of course they will be cheaper
here also. Fishing this winter along
the coast has been poor also in the
fjords but the next two months l
think will bring good results.
Last fall, there was voting on the
Samlag (saloonsj here in Norway and
in fifteen cities they voted them out,
eight went wet again and three did
not vote. This is good record for
Norway. Some cities were dry be.
fore. This does not mean that they
are temperance cities as they stin
have the right to sell wine and beer.
The temperance forces will still con-
tinue their work until this also has
been voted out. believe they could
win out more but we find the same
carelessness here as in America. The
women have the power to vote but
they don't see their rights. I have
heard many foolish arguments In re-
greet to this question about like what
we hear in America. One man said
to me, IF we don't buy liquor from
France, they will not buy our fish,"
Norway has borrowed a large sum of
money from France and for this rea-
son are afraid. Still they are doing
we'll here.
l will give the names of the towns
and cities where the liquor question
was voted on. Vads0, Molde, Eyer
sund, Kristiansand, Grimstad, Larvik,
T0nsberg, Horton, Svelvik, Drammen,
Kongsberg, Honefas, Lillehammen,
H0len, Fridrikshold. All of these cit
les went dry. Those who lost out
were the following: Troms0, Bod5,
Bergen, Arnedal, Holmstrand, Aas-
gaardstrand, Dr6bak, Gj0vik, Christ
iania did not vote on the question.
Stavanger, Aaksund and Throndhym
had them voted out before. It will
take six years before the next elec-
ton but then we believe all saloons
in Norway will be voted out except
Christiania. There is more saloons
in Christiania according to the popu-
lation than we have in Chicago which
means more work for that city.
Norway is coming to the 'front.' fast,
both in culture and industry. They
have taken possession OF many water
falls, the last one being Bj0lvo in Aal-
vik. It was sold to a company in
Christiania several years ago. They
did not have the capital to put up the
power plant, therefore sold it to a
syndicate. I believe it is French. To
put up the pipes, turbines and power
station, they will have to blast tun-
mel through the mountains from Biol
sonaa to Furnfjeld which is about 2
kilometers. The pipes will be laid
from Furnfjeld to Skj@r, where the
power station will be. They are at
present putting up the line and station
for the electric light plant. They take
power there from the river. They are
also putting up the cable track to the
mountain which is very high and steep
for transportation. Three farmers
sold all of their land to the company
last fall for S0,000-100, 900 kroner each
Still they have their houses and
enough land left to keep three cows
on. The fourth farmer who lived
nearest the sea sold all his farm four
years ago for 5000 kroner to Director
Hort from Christiania who bought the
river first. He had to sell because he
was too much in debt. Now he could
have received 100000 kroner. The
small store and lot which he now
has near the sea he wants $4,000 kro-
ner for but no one dares buy it and
compete with the company in business