Arizona republican., 1918-02-24

|. ARE MADE HAPPY TORNEO, Russia, Dec. 21.-(Corre- l spondence of the Associated Press.)- The Torneo river is frozen over again and business is good in smugglers maven; From far up in the Arctic tundra of Lapland down to ice filled Torneo bay, thirty miles south of the 1 circle, sledges k drawn by reindeer dogs and ponies are crunching across the river by night, laden 5to the run ners with tea, coffee, rubber and sugar, all bound for Sweden, where they are worth almost their weight in gold ;.
 Their sources are Russia and Fin land, and their immediate destination Haparanda,3 on the Swedish side of l'the Torneo river, where ex-sailors hotel walters and a typical collection of frontier town types are making money hand over first and drinking champagne for breakfast.
 Haparanda is Swedish, as different from war distracted and revolution ridden Russian Torneo as if it were hundreds of miles away, instead of being separated only by a ten minute sleigh ride, in winter, and ten minute ferry trip in summer, across the mile-wide, salmon filled river, Haparanda is the Dawson of the new kondike, and its gold comes from sledges that slip by the Russian frontier guards, full of the commodi- ties Sweden needs. It is nearly Arc | rt of riofo there is daylight only five hours. The town doesn't awaken until 10 in the morning, when the champagne-at about twelve dollars a quart-be- gins flowing and bubbles in the cof- fee room of the hotel until 10:30 at night, when the electric lights are extinguished because Sweden is short of coal. And then it bubbles and fizzles by candlelight in bleak look ing wooden houses, warmed by porce- lain stoves and made air-tight by sealed up windows, until some one insists on braeking up the game.
 Before the war, Haparanda was a tiny village, a frontier customs post. The Russian frontier gendarmes were vigilant and those who slipped through from Finland with smuggled goods were few and far between, and there was less incentive to smuggle for Sweden imported freely from across the seas. The war made Tor neo the rival of Archangel and Vladi- vostok as a port of entry into Russia Haparanda shared the gain. Busi- ness buildings of wood and a large hotel that looks like typical Ameri- can small town hall sprang up al most overnight. It is still growing l fhof 1ou ha that buys the wine and keeps the poker games going lives over in Fin. land, which, although short of fooi itself, permits millions of krone worth to slip through every month.
 A year ago, a Swedish preacher, or an innocent mission. was shot by { Russian frontier guard. The troubl, that resulted led to almost complete laxity at the frontier and now, or any dark night, scores of sleighs slil across the river, unmolested, and de. posit their cargoes on the Swedish side. Some of the goods go througl the Swedish customs houses, and tn. duty is paid. Even with the Swedish duty, there is tremendous profit or the shipments.
 Coffee that the Finnish agents SC. cure for ten kroner a kilo (2.2, pounds) brings twenty across tn, frontier. Small boys, muffled in grea overcoats, waddle across the river or skis with rubber tires for automo- piles wrapped around their waists and rubber is the most difficult ot all commercial products to obtain ir Sweden. Its export from Russia is forbidden
 The smugglers are the richest, bu Haparanda's gay white way"-tht hotel-is filled always with othel spenders. There are German agents the German consul always has 2 party" at his table. Haparanda is the spot where invalid prisoners art exchanged, through the agency O. Swedish Red Cross workers, and ha. for months been the only place where Russia was in free contact witt Europe. Hence the Germans.
 Here is a typical picture of an, night in Haparanda when business i: good on the Torneo. The coffee room is crowded early. A Serbian "kap pelmeister' tunes up his violin. young Austrian with a base viol ant three plump smiling German girls with mandolins, the rest of the or chestra, play American rag-time Swedish barmaids hurry about witt champagne and other wines-just a expensive.
 A young Swede with blank look ing face, who has just made ten thou sand kroner on a coffee deal, i spending it, buying for everyone wn will accept. At a corner table, tips but dignified, a group of Swedisl officers stiffly reject such familiarity At the other tables are Russian of ficers. in civilian clothes, who. hay slipped across from prohibition Tor neo to make a night of it; Finnis smugglers, over for the same purpose and perhaps a dozen Englishmer Americans or Frenchmen, just es capped from Russa's troubles an stopping until the night train fo Stockholm, all glad for breath Q gaiety in neutral town. And, in
 far corner, quietly watching it al is an American woman, now a Rus