Montana labor news., 1945-12-27
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A MODEL

Sweden has been held up as a model,
an ideal arrangement between labor,
MANAGEMENT and the government. Since
the government has taken over most
of the railroads, utilities and big cor
porations, strikes aud union dislg-ee-
ments have almost wholly disappeared
and all sides have apparently gained
by the changed situation.
The history of Sweden goes way
back into antiquity and is mostly a
history Of its kings or rulers with a
continuous succession of wars and
aggressions against neighboring Ncoun-
tries until the year 1909 When King
Charles the 18th lost his. whole army
at Pultavo in Russia, himself and one
companion escaping into Turkey and
having to hitch-hike from there back
to Sweden in disguise. Best thing that
could have happened because from then
on she has been a friendly good neigh
Dor.
With an area OF 1851 square miles,
a little less than one third that Of
Alaska, it has a population of 6.458,
221. nearly a hundred times 1884,
Alaska's population. 1t is at about the
same latitude north but has not the
natural wealth Of Alaska, its big adj
vantage is that it emerged out Of the
last ice age about 10000 years ahead
of Alaska.
Sweden, An Industrial Nation
Copper and iron has been mined
there since shortly after the stone age
and manufactured into articles of COM
merce and its timber as well as Fin
lands has been made into furniture,
matches and pulp. Its iron is supposed
to be the best in the world and, with
its abundance of hydro-eleotric power it
has %prospered to a considerable extent.
1t has the smallest illiteracy Of any
country in the world, GA per cent; Scot
land second with i per cent, Germany
before Hitler, 81 per cent, and Italy,
SAP per cent. School attendance is COM
~pulsory with Lutheran religion taught
in school, it has universal men and
women suffrage, providing you are a
taxpayer and not on relief. 1t is a con-
stitutional monarchy, not a socialist
state, with a good part of its industries
aforementioned Socially it has four
classes OF people mobiles, burgers, clergy
and Peasants, with corresponding i'm
portance in the social and political
structure.
The head-gear generally denotes your
social standing a peasant takes his
cap off when speaking to Herr X"
a woman wearing a shawl or scarf
addresses the lady with a hat as: "Fru
or Mamsell X" while herself is spoken
to as "Du er whatever occupation she
follows. A letter addressed to the Elite
should have a proper prefix and one
to a peasant or worker should be
marked as Blacksmith X or carpenter
or bonde" or whatever he happens TO be.
A Covetous System
Being an industrial nation, Sweden
developed a strong and numerous labor
movement and, as is often the case,
more or less friction developed between
the unions and the industrial owners
which eventually turned into political
movements where the socialist-labor
faction gained control of the cabinet
and introduced notable reforms Of which
government ownership of industrial
monopolies ONE first.
The state simply buys out the plant,
issues bonds for its payment, rehires
the management and runs the plant in
the interest of the public. The original
owner gets away from union troubles
and a fluctuating income to become a
coupon-clipper and a salaried officer
under government control. Like eating
the cake and keeping it too.
The unions are now working under
government control, ala Moscow style,
no fear of strikes or lockouts while the
public will be paying interest on the
bonds for a thousand years, or more.
1t is a simple case Of state ownership"
1t is the least ambitionist goal of the
industrialist's detectives, the other be-
ing imperialist expansion boosted by
the clivenden set, including such figures
as; Kruger (the Swedish match-king).
Farben, Krupp and Mannerheim gen
orally eliminating in relationships.
While some of Sweden's mineral re-
sources are pretty well worked out. her
rich iron deposit at Kiruna is the third
biggest in the world.