New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1914-12-30

ssss - -s'ssis-
nation that as the Germans had been
dropping mines north Of Ireland, evi.
IDENTIFY from vessels carrying neutral
flag, England felt compelled to bar all
trading vessels from the North sea by
series Of mines laid along q line
drawn from Iceland through the
Farce islands and the Hebrides. This
action, which is no doubt the first
step toward complete closing in OF
Germany, will give the British control
over all ships that pass to the harbors
of Northern Europe. Captains of neu.
trail ships are compelled to enter by
way of the British channel and the
Straits Of Dover, where sailing direc.
lions will be given them, enabling
them, III possible" to reach Lin.
desnaes, the southernmQst point in
Norway. The route is extremely dan.
gerous, for the North sea Is bristling
with mines, which have already claim.
ed heavy tribute, especially from the
Danish merchant marine, while the
course within a mile and a half of the
eastern coast of Great Britain, with
unlighted reefs on one side and mines
on the other, is almost a marine tight
rope. It may be taken for granted
that England will in her own inter.
ests allow the Bergen-Newcastle line
to remain in operation, as it is the
only safe connecting link with her
ally, Russia, and therefore the mail
route between America and Scandi
navia will be kept open. It is also
likely that the Danish and Norwegian
passenger lines may continue to take
their northerly course, at least for a
time, and at the discretion of the
captain. It is asserted that they will
not be stopped, since suspicion has
been directed chiefly against smaller
freight vessels. It is manifestly i'm.
possible to lay mines along the whole
distance of 800 miles, since the water
is too deep for anchorage, and it is
forbidden by The Hague convention
to lay floating mines except where
they are so constructed as to become
harmless an hour after the person
who has laid them has ceased to con.
troll them.
\ !. +
The following yarn, said to have
been published in Germany some time
ago by a German linguist, has caused
no little amusement in Sweden and
Norway and is, of course, taken with
a grain of. salt by Scandinavians gen
orally: when Russia has been
brought to her knees Finland, which
is largely Swedish, is to become an
Independent kingdom. The Baltic
provinces, at one time belonging to
Denmark, are likewise to be formed
into separate kingdom. And these
two new countries are to form with
Sweden, Norway and Denmark a fed
Grafton to be known as the Scandina
Wan empire with the king of Sweden
as emperor of Scandinavia. But each
of the other four countries also is tc
have it's own king and legislature and
retain it's own language, though Ger
man would probably best be made the
official language of the united EN-
pire. Then the Greater Scandinavia
would form an alliance with the other
two empires, Germany and Austria.
and the three could and would safe,
guard the peace of the world"
!. !. +
Aroused by the published imputa
tion Norway is engaged in smuggling
petroleum into Germany the govern.
ment census bureau has prepared fig
ures showing that the imports of this
commodity during August and Sep
TENDER of this year fell far below cor.
responding months in other years
The imports during August and Sep
TENDER were 6,172 tons, against 25,60e
for the same months in 1918, 1880
tons in 1912, 2O,500 tons in 1911 and
100 tons in 1910. The marked fall.
ing off in imports during August and
September was explained by the fact
that heavier imports during the first
seven months had left the country
with a good supply on hand, with a
slackening demand upon the approach
of winter.
J. !. j. + !. i. !. + !. + i. j. + + + + !.
J. DENMARK. !