Omaha daily bee., 1918-10-02
War Time Life IN Sweden

Ira Nelson Morris the American minister to
Sweden, now home on a vacation, for four
years has lived near the rim of wars inferno,
observing the explosions and the human lava
thrown over the top. In an interview in the
| New York World he draws instructive sketches
OF life in the neutral state, the mighty cross cur
rents of the CONFUSION and the strain imposed
on the people.
Mr.. Morris is quoted in part
Sweden is very we'll satisfied with the trade
agreement she has made with the United States
| We wanted the use of its shipping, and it
wanted food and raw materials, without which
it cannot live. The only successful contract is
one that satisfies both parties, and this arrange
ment fuhlS that condition. Because of it Sweden
/ is enjoying some measure of relief from the
famine fear which is the nightmare OF many Eu-
ropean neutras, and we have 100000 tons of
| shipping that would otherwise be lost to US.
Even with the food we are furnishing
| Sweden is no place for sybarite. Things are
down to a rockbottom basis, but there is
enough for them to get along with. As in every
other country, prices have skyrocketed so that
Sweden, from being one OF the cheapest places
to live in, has become one OF the most expen-
sive. A kroner, 80 cents, for cup OF substitute
| coffee is an indication of how food prices have
| risen.
Here is little table that indicates how the
cost of living in Sweden has been affected by
the war:
Formerly. Now.
| A good dinner $50 Kr.. 1900 Kr.
pair of shoes 1000 Kr 5000 to 10000 Kr.
| A pound of tea. . 800 kr. 10000 Kr
| A suit of clothes 5000 kr. 90 Kr.
| A cake of soap. ..... rs 500 Kr.
Fruit is almost unobtanable-an apple last
spring cost 50 cents to ST. Pears were still
more expensive, costing 81 to So apiece. To-
bacco and cigars or cigarettes are hard to get
and expensive A medium good cigar costs 81.
Cigars and cigarettes cost proportonately.
Overshoes cost about SIS to $40 pair and were
almost unobtainable at that.
This is only partial list, but will give a
fair indication of how the price of food has
climbed.
However, the Swedes are grateful that
things are not worse.
Sweden is the crossroads Of the war. Out
OF Russia come fugtives from the bolshevki
regime-merchants, officers and others who are
practically prescribed. Stockholm is crowded
with Russian officers, waiting and hoping for
the re-estabishment OF system that will enable
them to serve their country. Our people are
constantly passing through on their own mis-
sOns. Firms come over for a respite from the
confusion of their country, and it is only about
four hours to Germany by ferry, SO that there
is constant tide OF travel from the enemy
country.
Social life under these conditions is natu-
rally an abstruse science. 1t would not do to
have German and Austrian guests at the same
table with people from the entente countries
Il handled the German and Austrian inter-
ests in Russia before the United States entered
the war, and so was thrown into close associa-
, ton with the diplomatic representatives of the
central powers. Now of course, we do not
know each other. 1t is not unusual for me to
find myself sitting in restaurant with the adj
joining table occupied by party OF peop': with
whom was on friendly terms year and half
ago, but now neither party sees the other. The
ladies as we'll as the diplomats are Obvious of
the presence of the other party.
Stockholm, besides being an International
anteroom under the present conditions, is the
whispering gallery of Europe. We get all the
gossip of Germany and all the groans and cries
of Russia, writhing in the welter OF chaos. If
there was an invariable method of rctortng the
pure truth from the enormous volume of Cos
sip, fact propaganda and simple invention. one
could learn the whole of the war situation in all
evening in a cafe
Much of this goss p concerns the situation
in Germany. We hear almost as much about
starvation in the central empires as you do
here, but we are able to check up on it, and we
know that though the civilian population in
the German manufacturing centres has been re-
duced to a minimum ration, that minimum is
sufficient to live on
"The majority of the people of Germany still
possess faith in the nvincibility of their mill
tary establishment. They still regard their war
chief as possessing all the military wisdom there
is, and if they read the entente communicates,
they don't believe them.
1T will take the stark tidings of defeat
steady, persistent and unmistakable defeat-to
bring them to realization of what they have
to look forward to. What will happen then can
only be surmised and man in a diplomatic Of
fee is not permitted to make gueSses"