The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1916-01-28
NORWAY REALIZES
LARGEST PROFITS
Cash Per Capita Doubled in Year and
Half; Great Revival in Ship Building;
Expect to Become Second Mari
time Nation in World
BY CHARLES P. STEWART.

oy N1ARLES +. 81 EWART
Omitted Fress Staff ccrrespondent.)
COPENHAGEN, Jan. 5.--tBy Mail.)
Scandinavia is enjoying a tremend-
Gus war boom. 1t is more or less CON-
mon to Sweden, Denmark and Nor
way, but so far as appearances go, it
Is most pronounced in Norway Swe-
den has sold to the belligerents, es-
pecially to Germany, immense amounts
of raw and finished products, includ.
ing war munitions, though these lat
er sales were not countenanced b.
the Swedish government. Denmark,
being separated from Germany only by
an imaginary line instesd Of a stretch
Of mined and dangerous water, has
done still better. The lions share of
the war business, however, has gone to
Norway
The Norwegians have profited, to
some extent, like Sweden and Den
mark, by sales Of their own goods to
the belligerent nations. especially to
Germany, but it has been as middle
men that the bulk of their business
aas been done. Norway was the worlds
third maritime nation when the war
broke out England ranked first, Ger
many second. England still ranks first
| but even the British mercantile marine
has suffered heavily from the destruc-
ton incidental to war. Germanys mer.
chant shipping has been out of COM
mission altogether since the early days
If hostilities. This was Norway's
| chance.
| Compared with Norway, Americas
war boom has been a small affair This
is speaking relatively, of course. In
actual dollars and cents the European
struggle unquestionably has brought
more money to the United States than
to any other country Comparatively
Norway has been the bigger gamer
That is. the Norwegians are richer by
the struggle to the extent of about
5000, 900, 900 IN actual cash thus fac.
To properties they already owned
there has been added value of ap
proximately as much more This is
IN basis CT a population Of 3,5eO,000.
An addition of $50 per capita to
Norway's wealth in year and a half
has been felt emphatically. 1t has
meant a boom such as the old world
aas not seen hitherto in historic times.
Millionaires have been created whole
sale Many of them are millionaires
only in kroner-akroner being in the
neighborhood of 27 cents-but Jump
from nothing in IS months to fortune
Of s25O,O to $4,000. which has hap
pened in hundreds of cases, is not so
bad. The big old shipping firms
have profited in actual millions Of dol
lars The newly made millionaires in
Norwegian mS1ey are mainly mere
clerks in shipping houses. or working
: officers of ocean-going craft who were
2 able to command little credit and
{ branched out in business for them
? selves.
; Numbers of the newIy-made mag
Z yates have never owned ship. The'
4, have bought vessels IN course of con
struction or invested merely in char
/ tors and have been able to transfel
either their unfinished craft or theil
o char sers, so rapid was the increase il
, the demand for bottoms at huge ad
e vances, sometimes in the course Of ne
It more than a few days War taxes hav'
II been high, but profits have been 81
II much higher that the taxes have hard
~ been felt The Norwegians coun
on being the worlds second MARTINI
I power when the war ends. Only Enc
= land, they believe, will lead then
: Neither do they believe their boon
j will burst with the struggles end.
: Shipbuilding, with the exception G
v, warships, has been practically at
n slandstnl since fighting began, the
point oCt This means, they say ths
the supply Of vessels has not bee