Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1915-04-08
IN FAR NoRTHLAND
important Events in Sweden,
Norway and Denmark.
BRIEFS FROM OLD COUNTRY
interesting Items From the Three
Great Kingdoms Of the North Sc
iected for. Scandinavians and
Their Descendants.
BY MARTIN w. oDLAND.
Sweden.

| Sweden.
The Kansas City Star has pub
! iished an article on Sweden's state
| aided homestead system, which has
| attracted worldwide attention. 1t
| seems to be system which combines
| the "back-tothe-land' movement
| with the "get-the-land-back princi-
pie, says the article, which thus con-
tinues: Sweden provides state-aid
fund from which the tenant farmer,
or the city worker who wants to farm,
| can borrow the money at low interest
rates to buy a small farm. A system
| Of cheap state insurance makes 1t
| safe to lend the price of the farm
| without taking an advance payment.
This aids the class that most needs
aid, the really poor. A late bulletin
of the United States bureau of labor,
which describes this system. tells
that another special fund has been
provided by the Swedish government,
the purpose being to break up large
landed estates by purchasing for dis
| tribution among small landholders.
Societies. approved by the govern
| ment and forbidden to make profits.
conduct the new system. The home
| steaders tmany of them inexperienced
or too poor to provide the beginnings
| OF farming) are not left wholly to
their own resources. The bureau Of
labor says: The societies as whole
are reported as doing very practical
work, The plans for dividing these
lands into small agricultural colonies
have been prepared by experts. In
many colonies important measures
have been taken. depending on the
| capital at their disposal, such as the
construction of roads and drainage
systems
| An unusual tragedy took place at
Landskrona recently, which caused
much sorrow in that community. A
seventeen.year-old girl, Annie Ander-
son, attended ball, where she was
shown a great deal of attention by a
young man who escorted her home
when the dancing was over. When
they reached her home, the youth be-
| came rather ardent in his demonstra-
| lions of affection, and the girl fed
| through the gate into the house.
When the young man had gone few
| PAGES, he heard the sound of falling
glass, but did not investigate, and did
not learn till the next day that the girl,
in her haste to get away from him, had
'un her arm through the glass panel of
The hall door and the glass had sew.
cred the artery in her wrist. The
blood spurted from the wound and be-
fore she could arouse anybody to help
her she had fallen In a faint She
was rushed to a hospital, but died
before reaching 1t.
An anonymous writer in the Novo.
lie Vremja, the great Russian news
paper, has attracted much attention
In Sweden. The writer calls atten.
ton to the fear in Sweden that Rus
STA is planning to seize an ice-free
| harbor in Norway and at the same
time a goodly slice of Swedish terri
tory. This fear, says the writer, is
utterly groundless. Russia desires
an ice-free harbor. to be sure, but a
harbor In northern Norway would be
OF no benefit. Indeed, If Narvik, on
which Russia Is supposed to have her
eye. Should be rendered her as a
gift, she would scarcely know what to
do with 1t. A harbor in that quarter
would be impracticable for CONNER
cial purposes, says the writer, and
argues this point at some length, Nor
| would 1t be OF any strategic value in
war time, whether Russia was
fighting Germany, England or France.
The only time it would have strate-
gic value would be in case of a wsr
with Scandinavia and such a thing
Russia is absolutely opposed to.
The Copenhagen correspondent of
the London Mail reports that the Gus.
| toms authorities at Malmoe have
| seized 80 wagon leads OF lard i'm.
| ported from the United States which
| was discovered to be consigned 70
| Germany. The expectation of lard
from Sweden was forbidden some
| time ago.
Reliable statistics show that the
annual attendance at the motion pic.
| ture shows of Sweden is $4,000, 900.
and that the gross receipts exceed
I.500.aoo. The shows are managed
differently in different localities. Now
1t is proposed to have the national
government draw up certain rules of
management for the benefit of the
public.
Much enthusiasm was created nj
Stockholm when $50 soldiers Of the
Swedish landsturm appeared at the
royal palace. King Gustaf, dressed
in a generals uniform, and accom-.
panied by prominent officers. was es.
eorted into the presence of the sol.
diers. while band played a stirring
military march. His majesty ad.
dressed the men as comrades" and
told of the interest with which he
had followed The training OF the vol.
nnfAs-s and he y-,n,- A.. :