The Cook County news-herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Cook County, Minn.) 1909-current, 1916-08-09
SWEDEN.

The British officials in charge Of the
blockade permit the Scandinavian
countries to have only what the Off
c1uls think they should have, not what
the countries proclaim they need. In
tile case of Norway and Denmark the
"rations" basis Is maintained by
agreement. In the case of Sweden it
Is enforced by British sea power, by
seizure of neutral ships at sea and
detention of goods in English harbors
Some Scandinavian ships, en- route to
Sweden from South America, recently
have been entirely emptled Of cargo
and sent to their home ports as pau
pers of the ocean highway. There
are many evidences Of increasing re-
sentiment against Grea2 Britain on the
part Of the Swedish people. The
newspapers are beginning to comment
more and more freely upon what they
say is a practice 'in violation of all
international lava tlagrant misuse
OF power against the unquestionable
rights Of. weaker nations" Swedish
government officials and Swedish mer-
chants alike do not hesitate to saw
they have hoped against hope the
United States would take stand in
behalf of the neutral countries which
would bring about more reasonable
enforcement of the blockade. Scan
dlnavian newspapers and officials ar
que that the United States has a
most potent weapon to use against
the allies to bring about "a more law
ful conduct of the blockade" They
firmly believe that if the United
States government would threaten to
forbid the export of munitions of war
and to declare unlawful any loans to
belligerent nations, England would
quickly be brought to terms. One eff
feet of the blockade has been to place
food supplies in the hands of specu-
lators who are demanding exhorbi-
tant prices for their wares. A great
majority Of these spectators are said
to be Germans. Many months ago
they bought for shipment to Germany
supplies not covered by re-export
agreements, but soon found prices
were soaring to such high figures in
Sweden it was more profitable to hold
their goods and resell to the Swedish
people. This is particularly true Of
coffee. The Swedish system covering
exports Of food to Germany has been
<ery carefully thought out. No food
can be exported without special H.
cense from the government. In or
der to obtain this license the exporter
OF butter, eggs, pork, etc., must agree
to put on the home market at q speci-
fed price an amount of food equal to
that he is sending Germany. The
produce thus placed on the home mar
ket is known as compensation food''
and is sold we'll below the prevailing
market. For long time the better
classes of consumers were able to COB
Bile up oil the compensation food''
Immediately it was offered. Now cards
have been Issued to the poorer classes
and they have special privileges at
all sales. Manufacturers assert that
the British authorities in measuring
materials to be allowed Sweden over
look the fact that Russia has come
into the Swedish market for hundreds
Of products and manufactures former
ly bought from Germany. They claim
to be seriously handicapped in filling
Russian and Japanese contracts be-
cause England will not let the neces-
sary raw materials tout Of bondage"
In the past six months Great Britain
has seized from one line Of Swedisl,
steamers in the South American trade
SO per cent Of their cargoes, allow
ing only II per cent to come through.
The Swedish Red Cross society has
awarded gold and silver medals to a
number of German army surgeons in
recr gnitiOn of their great work in the
hospitals at the front and the aid CIV
en- by them to the surgeons and
nurses sent by Sweden. Among the
recipients of the gold medals are the
famous Professors Kmmel, Friedheim
and Schmidt Of University Of Berlin.
Count Louis Douglas died July 20
at Lysekil baths. He was grand mar.
shall of the kingdom and chief Of the
SNcdish court.
b