Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1915-04-08
I'm FAR NORTHLAND
important Events in Sweden,
Norway and Denmark.
BRIEFS FROM OLD COUNTRY
interesting Items From the Three
Great Kingdoms Of the North Sc
fected for Scandinavians and
Their Descendants.
BY MARTYR w. ODlAND.
Sweden.

Sweden.
The Kansas City Star has pub
lished an article on Sweden's state
aided homestead system, which has
attracted worldwide attention. 1t
seems to be a system which combines
the 'back-to-the-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 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 d
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-
tons OF affection, and the girl fled
| 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 i'm 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 It,
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 icefree
| harbor in Norway and at the same
time 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 We,
with Scandinavia and such a thine
Russia is absolutely opposed to.
| The Copenhagen correspondent OF
the London Mail reports that the Gus
toms authorities at Malmoe have
seized 90 wagon loads of lard i'm
ported from the United States which
was discovered to be consigned tc
Germany. The expectation of lard
from Sweden was forbidden some
time ago.
Reliable statistics show that this
annual attendance at the motion mic
ture shows of Sweden Is so, 900 900
and that the gross receipts exceed
100000. The shows are managed
differently in different localities. Now
II Is proposed to have the nationa
government draw up certain rules q
management for the benefit of the
public
| Much enthusiasm was created n
Stockholm when $50 soldiers of th,
Swedish landsturm appeared at tn,
royal palace, King Gustaf. dresse,
in a generals uniform, and accom-
panied by prominent officers. was es
corted into the presence of the sol
disrs, while band played a stirrin,
military march. His majesty ad
dressed the men as comrades" an,
told of the interest with which h,
/ had Fallpwaj the frsinirs nj the xro,