New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-25
Scandinavia Near W..
Faces Famine Unless U-Boa,.
Conquered
BY JOHN G.. HOLME

preaching a tragedy. Any one who Ia,
the news dispatches of the past f.x
and who knows Scandinavia and n, -.
must realize that the three little n,s.
Northern Europe may be dragged ;,,.
whirlpool Of war at almost any mom.r,
But, after all. such calamity ro,,a
be the second worst thing that could h,s
The trouble is that war might no, ,v..
worst possible fate, famine. wh;.l
seems to stare the Scandinavia p,o,,.
the face.
Famine is a strong word. but N.
economic structure Of Scandinavia |.
terwoven with the commerce Of oths,
tries, already in the war, that a general =
walton seems more than likely unles, n. :
boat puzzle is solved Sweden i, "a :,
most without bread, and Norway .,I
mark are little better off Prse,i..l-
grain has been imported into SweS.,
the Russian revolution. Throuss.., -
war Russia has had plenty OF mi,
under the old regime Sweden wa. IA
purchase large quantities OF bread,,,s.
Riga. The Swedes returned thi, f,,..
reseling grain to Germany. or its ..,.'
lent in foodstufs raised on sved;,,
Old Russia managed to export enou,, :.
barley and rye to keep Sweden supol,.x =,
help materially in provisioning Germ.,, :.
though Russian peasants did not nav. 81
TO eat, and the Russian soldiers w,,. g..
ing in their trenches.
Since the revolution, brought abou. a.,
mismanagement Of the war. OF viii, !,
people knew little or nothing. but nv t,.
among the civilian population. Russia, -.
pied and inadequate transportation ,v,,.
has been devoted principally to IN. d;,,,.-
ton Ct foodstu;fs among the h.lf.u,r.,
population of the country. But no er.,, 4.
been shipped to the port Of Riga or a..
Baltic ports for export.
Sweden Sold Out
With the granaries Of Russia closed al
Germany's U-boat campaign guided 4, :.
intelligence which the world outside N, e..
trail Powers will not understand, swe!e !,
reduced to desperate straits, for Swed., a..
not raise anywhere nearly enough ur.i
foodstuffs to feed itself. Il is well ,,.,,.
to look at Sweden's annual trade tabl,, al
point to the enormous food material, ~,
ported from that country in normal tina 70
such figures meant anything at eli nan a,
indicative OF reserve stock, Sweden eoun a,
be starved. The country could live On r.s
and fish varied with the very limited sncr,,
of grain raised in the southern part Of 4,
country. But Sweden is sold out. The c.,
mans have eaten up her livestock. IN
country has nothing much to subsist On q,
cept fish. The population will be blo,,s
with scurvy unless the country can inu.
grain in large quantities. Denmark is
exactly the same position, depending on 4,
Western World for provisions. which mar h
cut off whenever il pleases the peeyish va
lords in Berlin to do so.
Norway may scrape through on half "a.
tions. for that country can communicate with
America by a northerly route between lee.
land and the Faroes. German u-bosn have
circled tho Faroes. sinking trswlers and
threatening merchantmen and laying for YES
sells plying between Archangel and English
and French ports. But il would hardly b
practicable for Germany to patrol the enor
nous stretches of the North Sea except pr
haps during the season that the route nora
of the Baltic Peninsula to Archangel il epa
TO navigation.
sw.a k.s
forced the Swedish government to SEM =
this country Mr.. Lagercrantz, former Ass
ter to Washington, and one Of Svsdri
ablest diplomats. IL is not unlikely rnnyr
Lagercrantz comes here as a Representative
of all the Scandinavian countries inssasss
as they have pooled their interests il ts
handling of international questions darit
the war. He comes to plead with Presidss'
Wilson to save Scandinavia from starvsilss
President Wilson has asked Congress f''
power to declare an embargo on the shipment
of foodstuffs TO neutral countries sdjofsf
Germany in order TO prevent trade viii III
enemy. Mr.. Lagercrantz will ask the Prs
dent to use this power leniently, II 4 y
granted.
t-bOat Campaign VIII DeSioe
But the fate of Scandinavia hangs rot y
generous diplomatic agreement 1t de>sss
on Anglo-American success in drowning "
U-boat pest in its own element. Inc ~
traditions of German Workmanship and W.
man diplomacy as practised since the '"
began were maintained when the three sSs
ish vessels, loaded with grain and o''a
from an English port to Sweden, were -
last week with loss Of life.
An embargo will not be enforced. Il can \
predicted, and Germany will continue os'
Swedish, Norwegian and Danish ships, KID
innocent sailors, and the inevitable re-
will be that Scandinavian patience WIZ \
exhausted. Norwsy's patience is slres~ ),
an end, and the temper Of the Swedes !.
nearly so sunny as that OF their eo''
across the mountain range. Even " tne' :.
numerically weak, the Scandinavian O.
muster fine stock Of fighting men, and us'
is a limit to their good nature. Wnen "
Scandinavians have been goaded long en'st.
by murder of their brothers on the hlsh y.
and by hunger at home, they will hsht w.,
They will enter the war without i!luAo'
they do enter, knowing that they have ~.
ing to gain, knowing that their only n'''
will oe the maintaining OF their seh'rF~s. =.
Ii is not in the nature of proud, physHrss
able and independent people TO SIT stu s'ss
blows and starve like slaves because ~,
the scheme of tyrant power to make W
suffer