The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1918-01-05
important Events in Sweden,
Norway and Denmark.
BRIEFS FROM OLD COUNTRY
Interesting Items From the Three
Great Kingdoms of the North, Sc
lected for Scandinavians and
Their Descendants.
BY MARTIN w. oDLAND.
Norway.

German agents In Norway. as well
as In Sweden and Denmark, are ex-
plotting the collapse of Russia in the
hope of frightening the Scandinavian
countries into Joining Germanic eco
nomlc union. At any rate such Is the
contention Of Ella ADker. the we'll
known Norwegian correspondent. ut
Is pointed out" she says, that as Rus
sia Is now about 90 make separate
minion of the Baltic sea, will shut Rus
Sa Off from the sen and reduce her 70
II oriento, power. A Germanic en-
lire extending from Brussels to Con-
stantinOpe, the German agents say.
| will Exercise economic dominion over
RUSSIA and Persia and farther into
Asia. thus becoming independent of
the rest of the world. Hamburg and
| Copenhagen, these agents assert, will
be the chief export places In the north.
Germany, they add. will crush the
commerce of the northern countries
unless they join her economic union.
This agitation may be In part bluff
| to Brighten Norway and Sweden from
coming to an agreement with England
and America. but the immense in
| creases of German power in the Baltic
region after the collapse of Russia con-
stitutes a serious danger, especially to
Sweden. The leading liberal Swedish
newspaper. the Gotheburg Shipping
| Gazette, in dealing with the new Bal
| tic situation caused by the German
conquest of various important Islands
and territory in the vicinity of Riga.
says: Democratic development of Rus
STA means security in Scandinavia. On
the other hand German occupation of
the whole of the eastern shore of the
Baltic constitutes great economic and
political danger to Sweden. The Ger
mans are now preparing Hansabund
(Hanseatic feague) which may be as
grievous for the Scandinavian coun-
tries as was the old Hansabund.
The Fourgner method Of building
ships made of concrete. reinforced by
steel, is winning the confidence of ship
| builders. and II looks as II ships thus
constructed will within few years be
| plying the ocean In large numbers. The
scarcity of steel and iron Is RESPONSE
| BILE for the effort to substitute concrete
vessels for those Of steel construction.
and the distinctive feature OF the
| Fourgner method is the small amount
Of stsel used. and such as is used Is in
the form Of either straight bars or
| metal lath. Similar bars or metal hath
| are used in Christiania in many of the
| reinforced concrete buildings. Steel
ribs such rs are called for in some of
the American designs Of concrete ships
| are not called for In the Fourgner
method In the building operation. 1t
| Is pointed out by correspondent, the
| high priced labor of the steel worker
| and the riveter is dispensed with. and
| the cOnsrete finisher is substituted.
| The latter IS not of the so-called skill
| I'd labor class, and 1t Is possible ~
| qualify the ordinary worker in brief
| while. BY means of the clever ar
rangement Of this steel lath, Engineer
| Fourgner is able to form the hull walls
Of thicknesses ranging from a maxi
mum of only four inches down to thin
ner sections of but two and half
inches. Not only that, but his hull Is
a homogeneous body, and the union he
tween his concrete and his embedded
metal is perfect.
A Christianla correspondent writes
that since the American embargo went
| into effect the food situation In Nor
way has been going from bad to worse.
| So long as commercial relations with
| the United States were maintained
| the importations Of food just about
supplied the requirements, but now the
shortage Is becoming apparent. Previ-
Gus to the embargo. food could be
bought as before, except for the con.
stantly increasing prices. and sugar
| was the only article the sale Of which
| was restricted, being limited to two
pounds at time. The food admins
| tration of Norway at first refused to
| consider the American embargo seri-
ously,. but now the people are demand
| ing to know why the government does
not stop exports to Germany entirely
until satisfactory importing agree
ments can be reached with the allies.
The Norwegian legation at London
announces that Norway lost ID COM
mercial ships during November rs
result of the war. The gross tonnnge
of the ships was 1902 tons. but the
monetary value of the vessels was not
given. Forty-one sailors lost their
lives.
The city council Of Bergen has set
aside fund Of 100000 crowns. the in
come from which will be used for the
benefit of a municipal orchestra. The
people of Bergen have become very
ambitious to make their city center
of art. culture and learning. The
founding of new university to be
located in Bergen is evidence Of this.
Stock in the Observation-Disclosures
steamship lire sold at $172.S0 on the
Christiania exchange December 1.
Tbia IL somewhat of n decline, but ID