Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-12-14
NORWAY lis NEEDY
FOR MANY THINGS
Scarcity of Fats Is Being Felt Among
Other Privati0ns-R Realized That
United States Means Business.

Christiania, IT. Correspondence OF
The Associated Press. THE food sit
uation in Norway has grown from bad
to worse, especially since the Ameri
can embargo was imposed, So long
as the commercial relations could be
maintained between Norway and the
United States, the import of food was
about big enough to meet the consun-
ers' demand. Except for the steadily
increasing prices of all articles Of
food everything could be bought as be-
fore, the only form Of rationing being
sugar which could only be bought from
government sores two pounds at a
time
AS a matter of fact, the government
and especially the food minister had
1 been too optimistic. When cablegrams
from Washington stated that the
4 American government was going to
place an embargo on different articles
the answer from the Norwegian gov
/ eminent to the press. asking how this
would affect Norway, was that it only
meant that Norway should guarantee
that nothing would be re-exported TO
4 Germany and then Norway would get
all il needed.
At last, during the last two months
ii has dawned on the government that
Uncle Sam means business and that
Norway cannot expect special fayors
: sa favorite friend.
After the importation of grain and
-four stopped the government estab-
lished grain monopoly taking charge
i. of all grain imported and produced
p here. The farmers are not allowed to
sell their crops to anyone but the
government and at d fixed price The
| nation viii be put on -four or bread
, rations, every persons, adult OF child,
/ being allowed 25 pounds ef bread
! monthly, or l6 pounds of unsifted
, -four. The people, however, are in
b structed to mix potatoes in the bread
/ dough. With this years crop and the
g imported grain in storage, Norway has
; enough -four till February or March.
! 1t is hoped here that the United States
G will grant export licenses for some of
e the grain bought there by Norwegian
y importers and Norwegian government
: which now is ready for shipment.
Norway is dependent on imported
s sugar as no sugar is produced here
n The consumption of sugar is still un-
g limited. Candy factories turn out as
! much candy as before and no sugar
6 card is in use here, as in Sweden.
Last summer an ordinance wal
q passed putting motor vehicles ant
a motor craft on rations of gasoline. Tht
:. result was that automobiles were usc(
! more freely than ever. The American
K embargo again forced the authoritie
o to action and the sale of gasoline fo
/ use in private cars was entirel,
stopped beginning Oct. /. Taxicab
were only permitted to operate from
6 a. m. TO s p. m. and the streets ii
e the city are now as quiet and fire
% from noise as they were 20 years age
. The supply of kerosene is becomin
a. very low with no prospect of replace
g ment. For fishers this is disastrou
p as all along the coast they are usin
:. kerosene-driyen motor boats TIL
n country population and the poor pee
,. pie in the cities using kerosene 70
r light and cooking are hard hit, a
r every family is only allowed two ga
Ions month.
- The scarcity OF fat is felt more an
% more every day. The majority of tn
~ population have been using margarin
! instead of butter, but now that til
"a raw stuffs for this product are not a
y. lowed to be exported from the Unite
~ States, the margarine production
w. reduced every week. Grocers hay
been forced to put their customers G
"A allowance, nobody receiving more tina
~ a pound at once. Norway is facing
"a fat shortage and the nation will ha,
- to be rationed.