The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-05-21

l claims for consideration from England inasmuch as Sweden constitutes the great highway to Russia in wartime. England and Sweden now deal with each ether on an informal and not officially recog.
 nized give and take basis. If Eng land allows certain amount of imports into Sweden, Sweden allows the passage of an equal amount of goods from Eng land to Russia.
 RUMORS ARE GROUNDLESS The wholly unauthenticated rumors as to the sinister intentions of the opposing ! belligerents are set aside of course as worthless. They would be completly dis missed If it were not for the ever increas- ing fear that there may be two or three years more of fighting. The complications that these years would bring about, the effect of the long drawn out struggle up. 1 on the belligerents and the constant en- encroachments upon neutral rights are looked forward to with anything but quietude. This idea was expressed here during the conference by Gunnar Knud- sen, the Norwegian prime minister, when he said:
 '1t would be useless for us to blind ourselves to the fact that the outlook for the neutral states grows darker and darker with every day that passes. We, in Scandinavia, hope to continue to play the part of onlookers We cannot over- look the fact, however, that the British blockade is becoming more and more ot a hindrance to neutral shipping. On the other hand we have to face the fact that public opinion in England Is de- manding stronger naval policy in the North sea and the government there is finding it very difficult not to take this position into consideration.
 "The neutral states must first and fore most devote themselves to carrying out an equal and just neutrality which can not be doubted by any of the belligerents. In doing this the governments must have the fullest cooperation of the commer- cial interests with the greatest possible honesty. It is not sufficient that our commercial organizations should merely impose fines for violations of obligations. We must kill all illegal trade and we must sentence the offenders to penal Servitude.'
 INTERESTS MAY DIFFER The people of Scandinavia make no effort to hide the fact that the interests of their respective countries may differ decidedly in detail, but the great major ity in all countries are anxious that the most faithful neutrality shall continue to be the policy of all In this respect the Copenhagen conference was hailed as an evidence to the world that Scandinavia stood together for rigid neutrality, but expected consideration for the rights of
 
 here none of the discord of the Balkans. In connection with the conference the general feeling here was that Swedish sentiment favored a more aggressive at- titude by the northern states toward the belligerents. This tendency in Sweden al- ready had been shown it was said, by her strong protests to Great Britain against the action of that government in holding up and confiscating much of the parcels post passing between Sweden and the United States This was followed by Swedens act of retaliation in stopping all parcels post between England ana Russia.
 Norway and Denmark, on the other hand, feel that bad as the situation is with respect to shipping it might still be worse It is argued here that while England's S policy of declaring a So-called paper blockade may be irregular the difficulties arising therefrom are not so great as they would be if an attempt were made to establish an actual block ade and couple with it a still further ex- tension of the list of contraband. The belief here seems to be that more can be gained for the smaller neutral states by a policy of rightful conciliation than by bellicose attitude. It IS not believed by the Danish or Norwegian governments that England will go so far in her deal ings with neutral shipping as to create condition with respects to Scandina- vian rights that might be classed with the German treatment of Belgium.
 In considering the attitudes of the Scandinavian countries it must be borne in mind that in Norway and Denmark public sentiment greatly favors the al- lies, while in Sweden the majority senti- ment appears to be pro-German. There are close ties of kinship between the reigning families of the two former countries and the royal family in Eng land. Then, too, there is the feeling here against Germany which has existed Holstein.
 SWEDEN FEARS RUSSIA
 Sweden on the other hand has long stood in fear of Russian aggression. This feeling was at it's height in 1914 when the European war swept all minor consid- erations aside and Russia was plunged in- to the conflict with Germany. There had been distinct efforts in Sweden to estab- fish close relations with Germany as possible friend in the event of trouble be- tween Sweden and Russia.
 The fruit of this work, of course, Is the present Swedish sympathy for Germany There is a growing sentiment that this attitude should not, however, prevent the fullest cooperation between England and Russia consistent with Swedish rights The Swedes are proud people, but one or the lnIluenudl newspapers III OtOSn- holm. admittedly free from outside influ- ence, has urged there would be nothing incompatible with honor in making an- other effort to negotiate trade agree ment with the allies, thus solving many industrial and commercial diniculues. It was suggested the negotiations might be brought about through third party, but so far as known here nothing has been done in that direction.
 Various Scandinavian statesmen have urged from time to time that there should be the closest possible alliance among the peoples of Denmark, Sweden and Nor way. Such conferences as the one held here have been referred to in the press as tending gradually in that direction, all thought the time is not now regarded as ripe.
 Thus it is that while the three nations still have their somewhat divergent in terests the conference found there were many common grounds upon which they could unite. There are many phases of