Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1916-12-14
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
lected for Scandinavians and
Their Descendants.
By MARTIN w. ODLAND.

BY MARTIN w. ODLAND.
Norway.
Dagbludet OF ChriStiania recently
published an interview with Herr
Iichaels, the German minister to Nor
way, in which the position Of Germany
in the submarine controversy, which
has become SO serious, is outlined.
"Germany,' says the minister, cannot
tolerate any special treatment of war
and merchant submarines by neutrals.
Norway is the sole neutral which by
special instructions has conveyed the
impression Of adopting the view of the
entente. Germany is permitted by In
ternational law to defend itself with
all it's powers against Norwegian ships
carrying cOntraband which prOlOngS
the war and the recent food crises in
Great Britain. France and Russia have
shown that Germany is on the right
path. Germany will not be deprived
Of the sharp weapon it possesses in
the submarine. On the other hand,
Germany always will respect Norway'S
really difficult position and the most
we expect Of really independent Nor
way Is that it does not treat German
warfare and German economic prob
lens differently than those of the en-
| envy"
4 recent dispatch from ChriStiania
says that the Norwegian Coal com
pany which bought the American coal
| fields in SpitZbergen has now complet-
ed the preparatory work for getting
| the mining started and this year will
| have mined more than $4,000 tons, 49,
| 600 tons of which already have been
exported to Norway from August - to
| October |. 1t is the aim of the com
pany in 1920 to have n yearly produC-
| ton Of 100000 tons. Favorable wealth
| or for the four months from June to
| September will allow an average of 100
| days for the shipping Of the coal-and
| there is no difficulty in keeping the
| mines going the year around. There
are now under construction at Advent
| bay great piers with the most modern
| loading machines so as TO permit the
| loading Of 1900 tons day. Later
| similar facilities will be provided at
| Green harbOr. 1t is claimed the quail,
| ity of this coal Is superior to the best
| English cOnI-and the Norwegian in,
| dustry. navy ana mercantile marine
viii take all they can get.
| 1t is reported from ChriStiania that
the food supplies commission has
unanimously decided to recommend
the adoption of the food ticket system
| for the entire country, rs Il means OF
| combating the constantly increasing
| shortage of food and the almost
| prohibitivc prices. At a meeting IL
| this city recently the chairman of the
| commission declared that 1t had be
| come n question whether or not the
| entire country should not be put OF
| rntions. Seighboring neutral coun
| tries, he declared, have already begun
| to organize their resources rs ii they
|
as beginning has decided to intro
| duce the German food ticket system
| for -four and grain products.
According to recent reports, 25t
| sacks of coffee were taken from tn.
| Lyngenfjord, one of the ships of tn,
| Norwegian~Am American line. and contis
| Gated by the British on q recent trip
| 1t was found that raw rubber had beer
mixed with the coffee, the amount il
the $50 sacks being seven tons. TIL,
| sacks came from New York and wer,
| consigned to Il Scandinavian port, blu
| the British prize court held that thu
| shipment was destined for Germany.
| A Stockholm dispatch says that al
| invasion of northern Norway by thou
| sands of Finnish reindeer occurred
| this fall, the animals crossing tn
| boundary line into the kautokeino dis
trict. The inhabitants of the distric
| numbers, and Finnish papers state tina
the slaughter was so great that tn
! fields were red with hides.
A large number of ships is bein
built in England for Norwegian firms
and 1t is feared that these may be con
tiscated by the British government
lowing to the increasing demands upo
the steamship companies of Norway
such action on the part of the Brit
ish government would mean heav
loss TO the Morse firms.
| During the first nine months of tn
year 1915. 2,O96,615 tons of coal wer
imported in Norway from Great Brit
ain. During the same months thi
year, only 1.793.2l9 tons We're I'm
ported.
A movement is under way to rails
statue in honor Of Alexander kie
land ut Stavanger, the home city Of tn
popular Norwegian Novelist. Kiellan
wrote some of the greatest novel
produced in Norway and has larg