The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1917-08-18
Important Events In Sweden,
Norway and Denmark.
BRIEFS FROM OLD COUNTRY
Interesting Items From the Three
Great Kingdoms Of the North, So
Isctsd for scandinavIans and
Their Descendants.
BY MARTIN w. opLANp.
Norway.


Fridtjof Nansen, the famous explorer,
heads the commission, which is made
up Of six others who are men selected
as authorities and experts from vari-
GUS industries and have brought with
them carefully prepared and officially
approved statements to show the off,
Gals at Washington what Norway
needs to supply the wants Of her peo-
pie. Their aim Is, II possible, says a
dispatch from the point where they
landed, to arrange an agreement with
this country similar to the one In effect
between Norway and Great Britain
for the exchange of commodities and
in an interview on board the ship, was
emphatic In his assertion that Nor
way Is not providing Germany or the
central powers with grain or fats.
About the only commodity that Is sold
to Germany, he asserted, Is fish. and
that In quantity much less than what
Is sold to the entente powers. "The
situation in Norway with respect to
grain and fats threatens to become Sc
,rious." Doctor Nansen said. 1--WE are
required to import approximately two
thirds OF our normal consumption of
grain and more than one-half Of our
fats. We have been depending on the
United States to supply us with the
greater part of these commodities and
IL an embargo against us should be
put into effect IL would be attended by
serious results" Doctor Nansen con-
firmed previous reports that Norway
has lost through the submarine war
fare approximately 80 per cent Of Its
merchant feet, or about 100000 tons.
Coal In Norway costs as much now
as sugar did before the war; This
seems an astounding statement, but
seems to be borne out by facts. Coal
delivered in Norway at the present
time costs 30 crowns per ton, which
Is - oere per kilogram. Before the
war the cost OF sugar per kilogram was
20 Oere. THIS immense increase In
price, says Stavanger correspondent,
is due mostly to the soaring rates for
the war coal was carried from Eng
land to Norway for about three shlll-
ings. an increase of more than hun
dredfold. One result of the almost
prOhibitive price of coal is the prob
able Introduction of electric ovens In
the bakeries. A Christiania hotel man
has invented an electric oven which
Is giving excellent results, and which,
II is estimated, would save the bake1
les Of Christiania one million crowns
yearly as compared with the use of
woods and coal. Seventy electric
ovens would supply the city with
bread, and the average consumption
OF electric energy per oven Is 80 kill
owatts annually. Figured at price
of 80 crowns per kilowatt, the cost Of
electriclty for year would not exceed
100000 crowns. while the wood and
coal now used In the ovens costs about
], 100000 crowns annually.
A Christiania dispatch says that the
'so-called railroad plan of 1908" will
cost between 125 and 100 million
crowns before 1t Is completed, instead
Of the estimated SIN million crowns.
The increase In cost of the several
projects varies from 123 per cent on
the Dovre railroad to 200 per cent on
the Trondhjem-S toren railroad. There
is a big shortage of labor on all the
projects, and instead Of the required
five or six thousand workmen. only
1893 were employed on May %.
According to press reports, the Spitz-
bergen Guano company has been or
ganized in Aalesund, Norway, for the
purpose Of exploiting the guano depos-
its of Spitzbergen. Fields containing
an estimated deposit Of 100000 cubic
meters of this highly priced fertilizer
have been acquired by the company.
The deposits are close to the ocean
and within easy reach Of good har-
Dor. It Is declared that these deposits
will be Of much Importance to the agri-
cultural interests Of Norway.
The taxable income in the city of
Bergen amounted to 2OOOOO,OOO crowns
last year. Computed on the basis of
last years rate, the tax on this income
should bring from ten to eleven million
crowns. an increase Of 100 per cent
over the preceding year.
It Is said that Rev. Otto Jensen is
sure Of being appointed bishop Of the
diocese Of Hamar.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
people Of Norway are prosperous at
the present time and have more money
than at any time before, they face a
hard winter, owing to the difficulty Of
obtaining food and fuel, says Knud
Bachke, a prominent banker Of Chris
tiania, now on a visit to the United
States
Road Amundsen has baptized his
new polar ship MAUD" 10 honor Of the
queen Of Norway He has not
yet announced the date when his ex-
pedltion starts.