Phillips County herald., 1923-01-11
DENMARK OPENS
WAY TO BALTIC
New Fairway Win Make Short
Route for Large Vessels Co.
ing Either Way.
COPENHAGEN TRADE THRIvEs
New Nations to the East Open I'm.
portant Market for American Prod
ucts-Port Becomes Important
Distributing Center.

COpenhagen.-Denmark's new fair
way enterprise through the Drogden
channel, southeast Of Copenhagen, is
expected to enhance the deep-draught
scafaring trade Of the whole Baltic
rcgs5n. The commercial resurgence Of
Copenhagen, the Queen Of the Baltic"
which of old defied alone the German
tegressIons Of the Hanseatic league, is
one Of the phenomena resulting from
the World war and the Bolshevlst
eclipse In Russia. Extensions and Inn
provements Of the Copenhagen har-
bor, between the islands Of Seeland
(Sjaelland) and Amager, during the
war ind after, cost Denmark 5O,OO0,O0O
kroner. That she Is now to spend
from one 10 several million kroner to
excavate the Drogden channel, be-
tween the islands of Amager and Salt
holm, is a token OF ler newly achieved
detachment from what is called dis
nessetl Europe" 1t Is planned TO clear
a shallow In Il key position which has
hindered deep-draugbt Baltic traffic.
The local waters are unaffected by
tides, hut the numerous shadows of
the Baltic formerly made It possible for
only moderate-sized vessels to visit
Baltic ports. Since the war number
0f these harb0rs, besides that Of Co
penhngen, have been excavated to u
depth Of % to Sd feet, admitting large
freight steamers. The present Drog-
den channel has Il depth of 30 feet;
the plan IL to excavate II 10 81 feet,
with a minimum bottom-wid.h Of So
feet.
Passage for Steamers.
This excavation will enable freight
steamers Ia pass through the sound
south Of Copenhagen, saving the long
,letour by way of the kiel canal. The
Germans have been contending that
the Treaty Of Versailles does not re-
.aure the opening Of the Kiel canal to
International shipping. and the coun-
ell Of ambassadors has decided to turn
the question over to the International
Court of Justice at The Hague. Any
way, the Kiel canal. built mainly for
military purposes, never has been
much OF u thoroughfarc for merclpnt.
men. The establishment Of the new
Baltic states. Finland. Esthonia, Lat
via, I.itlunnIa and Poland, some of
which recently have cxcavated their
harbors for deep-draught freighters.
has nude the new Baltic market more
important than ever before.
Prior to the war this market was Of
small interest to the United States.
Except for Denmark and Sweden. II
WIS dominated commercially by Ger
many, American imports were neg
ligible. and the Stars and Stripes were
seldom seen In the Baltic. All this
has been changed. Copenhagen. the
gateway to the Baltic, Is new entered
by an American vessel every fourth
day, on IN average. the year round.
Most of the American exports there
silll 20 10 Sweden and Denmark. For
the fiscal year OF 1922. Denmark I'm
ported S:l8.OOO.hp0 worth of American
goods aud Sweden $30.WO.0O. Little
as II Is realized In this country Den
mark Is rs good customer as. for
instance. the Brazilian republic whose
Imports from the United States for The
last fiscal year amounted 10 S:'s.-
100000.
The Emitted States shipping boari.
the more Important New York banks.
many export and import firms. mud
other large American business con
rcrns have general agencies and their
rwn representatives In Copenhagen.
Secretary lioovcr's representative.
Mngnns Swcnsson. when lie went 10
Europe to supervise the distribution 1T
American foodsfuffs In Scandinavia
and the Baltic countries unhesIimiiny.
ly chose Copenhagen for his disiribui.
lng center. The same conditions which
determined this choice logically point
iowurd important cooperation between
American exporters and Danish mer-
rhnnfs. The American gets along very