Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1945-11-01
Swedish Ore Pushes Search
For Markers Outside Reich

One of the most interesting, if
little talked-about, consequences
of Germany's downfall has been
to throw the huge Swedish iron
ore industry into a frantic hunt
for new markets present or po-
tential.
For many decades, Swedish for
eign trade has been dominated by
large-scale exports of two groups
of raw materials-forest products,
especially wood pulp, and iron
ore. All other Swedish exports,
including a large variety of quail
ity steel products, We're secondary
in Importance to these two main
stays of Sweden's wealth.
The Swedish wood-pulp indus
try has no worries now that the
war is over and the sea routes
are being opened again for peace
full shipping. There is world
wide paper shortage, likely to con-
tinue for quite while, and for
elgn buyers are crowding the Of
fices of the Swedish Cellulose
Trust.
IrOn-Ore Outlook Darker
But the outlook is not so bright
for Swedish iron ore. Ever since
the opening of the huge Lapland
mines, at the turn of this century,
placed Sweden among the worlds
largest producers of iron ore, Ger
many has been. far and away. the
best customer for this commodity.
Before the war, Germany took
on the average, three fourths of
Sweden's total exports of iron ore.
These rose steadily from year to
year, after Hitler's rise to power.
as the ornaments race got under
way and g a t h err d momentum.
Peak production was reached in
1889, when Sweden shipped to
Germany 11,292,OOO tons of iron
ore out of total of 1850 900
tons exported.
Germany jealously guarded it's
dominant position on the Swedish
iron-ore, m r k t, reacting in
stantly to all attempts to estab-
lish a more balanced situation by
increasing the relatively small
shipments of Swedish ore to other
countries, in particular to Great
Britain, Belgium, and the United
States. After the civil war in
Spain, which resulted in large
scale diversion of Spanish ores
from the British to the German
market, Britain made a deter
mined bid for more substantial
share in Sweden's output. This
was cut short, however, by the
outbreak of war.
Overseas Shipments Halted
The seizure of Norway by the
Nazis, in April, 1910, brought
Swedish shipments of iron ore to
Great Britain, and indeed to all
oversee countries. to a complete
halt, Up to that time, all Swed-
ish ore going to countries other
than Germany and the bulk of
exports to the Reich as well-had
been shipped through the Nor
wegian port of Narvik, which is
linked by rail to the great Swed-
ish mining centers of Kiruna and
Gallivare in northern Lapland.
Ever since, Germany and Ger
man controlled countries have
been the sole market for Swedish
iron ore. Total production and
shipments declined during the
war, mainly as a result of the
heavy damage inflicted on the
harbor installations of Narvik
during the bitter fighting of May
June, 1910, but even so, Germany
and its satellites continued to re-
ceive an average of 10000, 900
tons of high-grade Swedish iron
ore a year.
In 1914, however, a sharp de-
cline set in, as result of Ger
many's steadily deteriorating mil
itary position. German ports, dew
astated by fire and steel. were I'M
able to accommodate the usual
number of cargoes shipments
from Sweden's Baltic ports, Lu-
lea in particular, were intermit-
tently halted by mines and Rus
sian submarines, and the British