Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1931-03-26
NEWS AMONG
SCANDINAVIANS
Continued from Page II


lion tons a year, and the products of
the Swedish iron and steel factories
are known all over the world. It is a
Swede. Ivar Kreuger, who heads not
only the match industry of his own
country but that of the entire world,
his company having made it bust
ness to lend large sums of money to
INDECENT governments and, in return,
securing monopoly on the match in
dustry in many countries.
AS in the case of Norway and Dem
mark, there is no illiteracy in Sweden.
The educational system ranks very
high.
In regard to Swedish trade with the
United States-fostered to some ex-
tent by an important Swedish-Ameri-
can chamber of commerce in New
York-the figures are interesting
From 1922 to 1929 --latest available
complete statistics) Swedish imports
of American products rose from $780,
46S,000 to $5S,703,5O1. During the cor
responding period exports of Swedish
33,350,OOO to $52,9S3,OO During
1880 there appears to have been a
slight decline in both exports and
imports.
A Farming Country.
Denmark is not only the smallest
of the Scandinavian countries but one
of the smallest in Europe, for it COM
prises only 17,110 square miles
which may be compared to the 56,147
of Iowa or the S4,6S2 of Minnesota;
it's size is about half that of Maine,
or that of New Hampshire and New
Jersey together. But the population
is about 4 million of which nearly one
fifth lives in the capital city, Copen-
hagen.
1t is especially as a highly devel-
oped agricultural country that Den
mark has won a prominent place
among the lands of the earth, rs per
cent of her total area being under Gull
tivation. 1t is of interest to note that
go per cent of the farmers own the
land they cultivate.
Butter, eggs and bacon form the
principal articles of export, and Great
Britain has for years been Denmark's
biggest customer.
The success of Danish agriculture
is due, in very large measure, to
the socalled folk-high school and to
the consistent and complete way in
which the cooperative principle has
been applied. Farmers are organized
in not only cooperative selling associ-
ations but also in national organiza-
tions for cooperative buying.
The merchant fleet consists of 705
vessels G47 motorized) with a total
of 1,0SS,000 registered tons. But about
"a, 900 vessels-domestic and foreign
enter Danish ports every year.
AS there are no waterfalls, no noun
tains and no mines in Denmark, there
is naturally dearth of raw products,
and the country cannot be classified
as an industrial factor of any signi-
ficance. For her machinery and other
industrial products Denmark must,
therefore, depend very largely on for
eign countries.
For the reason given above, Danish
exports to the United States are not
very extensive; in 1922 they amounted
to $4,163. 900, in 1923 (banner year,
to $6,63O,0OO, and in 1929 to $4,563.
Imports to Denmark from the United
States have increased from $35, $40, 900
in 1922 to $51,444,O0O in 1929, but in
1927 went as high as $5S.605,000.
There is a pretty general complaint
that the American tariff legislation
has made it increasingly difficult for
Denmark to sell her products in this
country, and tendency is noted in the
direction of purchasing products from
other countries than the United States
countries like Great Britain and
Germany which buy the bulk of the
Danish export products.