Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1914-11-26
NORWAY.

The Aura Stock company was or
ganfzed and q city was laid out and
christened Aura. The place had about
500 population. which number was In
a few weeks increased to 5000.
Streets wore laid out with sewer
pipes and watermains. nd the build
ing of many houses wa. begun. One
firm of building contractors took con-
tracts to put up 40 cottages for the
company. Brickyards were started
and other building material brought
to the place. The old landowners had
dreams of growing rich.
But 1t was to large degree British
capital which had been enlisted In the
enterprise. The war came and the
hope Of securing this capital went
glimmering, and the Aura company
went to pieces. At the time when
work on the new city stopped the
company had 1900 laborers In It's en-
pioy. besides score of engineers and
a good sized clerical force. Building
contractors had brought to the place
400 masons and carpenters. Now all
is at a standstill. the houses have
foundations but no walls, the sewer
bitches are filling with water and are
caving in. and the people are idle and
looking forward to a hard winter.
The government is being criticized
bitterly for having granted franchise
to the Aura company without proper
assurance that the company would be
able to keep its head above water.
An article from the London Finan-
cial News is being run in some OF
the papers in Norway, presumably
with a view to influencing Norwegian.
public opinion, stirring 1t to greater
bitterness against Germany. It must
produce an effect opposite to the one
intended on any man in a condition
bordering on sanity. This literary
stunt runs far beyond the bounds of
rhyme and reason in abusing tn Ger
mans. This kind Of traffic is causing
the sympathy of many thinking people
in Norway to veer around in favor of
Germany. That the trend is in that
direction Is indubitable.
There is in Christiania little An
glican church, hidden away in one
Of the poorer quarters of the city, on
Moellergatan. It excites no comment
when the king and queen attend the
services In that. church. In which spe-
cial prayer Is offered for success to
British arms.
Their majesties are very democrat
ic. They march into the church with
the rest Of the congregation aid take
their seats on or OF the from benches
with whatev r pleheians happen to
be sitting there. The congregation
do, however, rise and remain standing
while the king and queen walk down
the aisle.
The vast water power Of Romsdalen
was to be utilized for running an i'm.
mense saltpeter factory at Sundal-
soren.
Some nitrate and other factories in
Norway have. by reason Of Inability
to market their products, or by rea.
son of the failure to secure certain
raw material ordinarily imported
from Germany. been obliged to lay on
many Of their men. In order to give
work to the unemployed the manage
ment of the government railroads
promises to push the work of building
the new roads decided on. especially
In Nordland. to the north Of Iron
dhjem.
Norway's big centennial exposition
has been a tremendous success. The
war for time caused the attendance
to fall OF. but taken all In all the
gate receipts have been larger than
expected. And the exhibition itself
has in every way been excellent as
showing the wonderful Industrial de-
velopment of the country. There were
10000 persons on the grounds. and
a noise and hilarity which under
usual conditions would inl Norway be
IA