Middletown transcript., 1918-03-23
Traders Run Goods From Finland
Into Sweden, Bringing
Enormous Returns.
AIDED BY FRONTIER LAxITY
Haparanda Is the Dawson OF Sweden's
New Klondike Where Gold and
Wine Flow Freely-TypicaI
Night Scene.

TOrnea, Russia.-The TOrnea river |
is froz N over again and business IS
good in smugglers' haven. From far
up in the Arctic tundra of Lapland
down to ice-filled Tornea bay. ~
miles south of the circle. sledges
drawn by reindeer, dogs and ponies
are crunching acrOs; the river by
night, laden to the runners with tea,
coffee, rubber and sugar, all hound for
Sweden, where they are worth almost
their weight in gold.
Their sources are Russia and FIN
land, and their immediate destination
Haparanda on the Swedish side OF the
Tvrnea river, where eX-sallOrs, hotel
walters and a typical collection or
frontier town types are making money
hand over fist and drinking champagne
for breakfast.
Hapar;nda is Swedish, as different
from war distracted and revolution
ridden Russian TOrnea us II 1t were
hundreds of miles away, instead OF
being separated only by ten-mlnute
sleigh ride in winter and Il ten-mlnute
ferry trim in summer, across the mile
wide s;llmon-fil!ed river. Haparanda
is the Dawson of the new klOndike,
and its gold comes from sledges that
slip by the Russian frontier guards,
full of the commodities Sweden needs.
1t is nearly Arctic, and in the heart
| of winter, there is daylight only hve
hours.
Frontier customs Post.
Before the war Haparanda was
tiny village, Il frontier customs post.
The Russian frontier gendarmes were
yigilant and those WHO slipped through
from Finland with Struggled goods
were very few and far between, and
there was less incentive to smuggle,
Cor Sweden imported freely from
across the seas. Tie war made Tor
uea the rival of Archangel ana
Vladivostok as port of entry into
Russia. Haparanda shared the gain.
Business buildings Of wood and large
hotel that looks like typical Amer
lean small town hall sprang up almost
overnight. 1t is still growing.
The goose that lays the golden egg
that buys wine and keeps the poker
games going lives over in Finland
which. although short of food itself
permits millions of kroner worth tC
slip through every month.
A year ago Swedish preacher, or
an innocent mission, was shot by ;
Russian frontier guard. The trouble
that resulted led to almost complete
nx:ty at the frontier, and now OF
any dark night scores Of Sleighs Sill
across the river, unmOlested, and de
posit their cargoes on the Swedish
side, Some of the goods go through
the Swedish customs houses, and TIL
duty is paid. Even with the Swedish
duty there is tremendous profit on tn
shipments.
Coffee that the Finnish agents sc
cure for ten kroner kilO CO.
pounds) brings 20 across the frontier
Small boys, muffled in great Overcoats
waddle across the river on skis wit
rubber tires for automobiles wrappe
around their WaiStS-and rubber is tn
most difficult of all commercial prof
ucts to obtain In Sweden. Its eXpOl
from Russia is forbidden.
"Gay White Way" Always Filled.
). The smugglers are the richest, bt
Haparanda's Gay White Way"-th
;, hotels filled always with Otht
a spenders.
|. Here is a typical picture Of an
l. night in Haparanda when business
e good on the TOrnea. The coffee roo
q Is crowded early. A Serbian ''kappe
Z meister' tunes up his violin. A your
!, Austrian with bass viol and thr.
= !, plump, smiling German girls, wit
;. nandOins, the rest Of the orchestr
: play American ragtime. Swedish ba
v maids hurry about with champagl
n and other Wines just as expensive.
s A young Swede, with blank-loo
It ing face, who has just made 1910