The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1939-10-05
CAPITOL
Norway
BY Experimentation

Norway
When Hamilton Fish announced
my appointment as one of the
American delegates to the Inter-
parliamentary Conference at Oslo 1
felt that was at last going to real
ize my ambition to study the
growth of the cooperative Move
ment in the Scandinavian Coun-
tries but the outbreak of the war
made it necessary for me to return
to America before could do so.
Our party arrived in Oslo on Au-
gust Is, the opening day of the con-
ference, and for an entire week our
time was taken up with the pro-
gram that had been laid out for the
meeting. AS stated in my last
weeks letter very little was accom-
plished at the Oslo Conference be-
cause Germany, Italy, and Russia
did not send delegates.
Norway is a rugged, mountain
Gus country, beautiful in the ex-
IRENE. Everywhere one finds large
bodies of water. Fjords are almost
as numerous as are lakes in North
ern Minnesota, some Of them ex-
tending inland for a 100 or more
miles. Until recent years they were
practically the only arteries CT COM
merce but with the advent of the
motor car several thousand miles
of excellent highways have been
built and the motorized vehicle is
rapidly displacing the small coast
al steamer that formerly carried
all the internal commerce of the
country.
In point OF resources Norway is
a comparatively poor country.
Nothing is permitted to go to
waste. In travelling about one is
struck by the fact that the smallest
plots of land are cultivated and
everything seems to grow surpris-
ingly well. The main crops are
grains, potatoes, and hay, although
surprisingly large amount of
fruit is also produced. Owing to
the scarcity of feed the Norwegians
have produced strains of livestock
and horses that are small and ex-
tremely hardy, most of them being
dun-colored. The farming is large
ly done in the valleys. Early in the
summer the cattle are driven into
the mountains where they are
tended by young girls who spend
their spare time in making cheese
and butter. The cheeses of Norway
are a delight to the palate and no
meal is complete without several
varieties being on the table.
Oslo, the capitol, is a beautiful
city situated at the end of Olso-
ford. While Oslo is an important
shipping center Bergen is more so.
The two cities are connected by a
modern railroad and an excellent
highway.
Norway is an expensive place in
which to live, I was told the most
expensive in all Europe. Several
told me that Holland is equally ex-
pensive. This is due to the fact
that taxes are very high. Norway
has had series of So called liberal
governments that spent money
freely for all sorts of public i'm
provements. Although country CT
but 3 million people they have
debt of billion 500 million kroner.
The country is highly socialized
and the government is engaged in
nearly all forms of activities. The
railroads and communication lines
are government owned and operat-
ed and the work of specialization
goes merrily on. To carry on this
work was told that 35 per cent of
all incomes are taken by the tax
collector. Notwithstanding the high
taxes Norway was enjoying pros
perity before the outbreak of the
war and practically every able
bodied person was gainfully en-
ployed at good pay.
The three principal industrial
activities are timber (they ship
newsprint and pulp to all parts of
the world). shipping (the Norweg-
ian flag is to be found in every
port) and fisheries. The cutting Of
timber is regulated by the govern
ment and I am credibly informed
that the supply is larger today than
it has ever been before. The gov
eminent also regulates the whal-
ing industries to prevent extermin-
alton. All in all, it may be said that
the Norwegians are prosperous,
happy, well fed, and clothed. AS a
matter of fact, I should say that