Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-22
NORWEGIANS READY
AND EAGER TO SELL
SHIPS TO UNCLE SAM
Regard Proposal to Create
American Marine as
Splendid Opportunity to
Make Big and Profitable
Bargains.
CoPENHAGEN. Sept. %.

COPENHAGEN, Sept. ".
The steps being taken in the United
States to acquire merchant marine are
being anxiously watched in Denmark, and
in,the event Of the American Government
deciding to purchase ships it is expected
that Norwegian vessels will be selling like
hot cakes. The Land of the Norseman Is
thus likely to be affected by the war,
and as result the nation is obsessed
by the old gambling spirit, with this dif-
ference, that the gamble now involves
ships and not their cargoes
1T Is splendid opportunity for Nor
way" was the remark Of leading Chris
tiania citizen who landed at Copenhagen
today "The nation has the fourth big
gest fleet of merchantmen in the world,
and when the war is over and the new
ships take the place Of the old ones that
are sold we will probably take the third
place America, which has no CONNER
cial fleet crossing the Atlantic to speak
Of, is going to make big bid for mer-
chant ships. Most of the steamers rum
ming to her coast at present fly the Nor
wegian flag, and we are going to help
her to get all the vessels she can"
Commercial chaos reigns in Norway as
a result of the war and this Ia accentu-
ated by this general desire to sell ships,
Travellers inland say that the railroads
are choked with traffic and that trains
are sometimes a day late. This may be
good for certain trades, but it Is wrong
for the general good. The lines, particu-
larly the beautiful coast line from Chris
tiania to Bergen, are choked with butter
trains. Where one port is flourishing an
other Is ruined.
Bergen, for example. has become the
busiest port on the North Sea. The but
ter boats are scratching each others
Aa1y Nbn v on a
oversea. Norway is confident that SO
long as the British fleet has control of
the North Sea and the Atlantic it will
be possible to maintain this export trade.
Norwegian fishermen are. of course,
suffering. The State decided to borrow
60 900. 900 kronen for certain undertakings,
but this had to be abandoned at the out
break of the war. 1t has taken over the
corn supplies. which have been reduced,
and is relying on wheat and rye from
Russia and Germany.
But Norway's export of wood pulp has
doubled and the paper boats are con-
stantly leaving.
AMERICAN TOURISTS SCARED.
The presence of floating mines in the
North Sea has completely terrorized
American tourists here. In most cases
they are actually stranded, yet their
dread Of being blown up al sea is so great
that they prefer the plight which their
poverty necessarily entails. While the
war lasts. or, at least while danger turks
in the North Sea. they are determined
to remain on land, but how they will
pass the winter here is difficult to under
stand.
Copenhagen is gradually losing her sea
communication with Great Britain The
service is jerky and fretful, and at times
it vanishes for days together. The Eng
lish mail is supposed 10 leave every day.
via Alost and Esbjerg. The landing place
for the mails is kept a close secret. but
it is known that they are going miles out
of their way and dropped at the first
British port the captain makes.