Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1946-02-01
PAGE FOURTEEN

III dCI ~ SoiiPoA> SANS
conditions among farm workers
with those of Sweden.
While in Denmark he is living
in the home of a farm worker near
a typical large estate on Zealand,
where some land holdings run from
1000 to 1900 acres. The workers
houses are built in rows along the
highway, each building housing
two families; the construction is
brick with the Danish style OF
timber inserts known as Bindings
vaerk" and seen often, for IN
stance, in older houses in the state
of Utah. The woodwork is painted
black. the bricks are chalked in
white and the color design appears
attractive. The roofs are tile on
which moss is often seen. In
nearby building is room for
the pig and in the rear of the house
is a pen large enough to accom-
modate half a score of hens. With
each house is always tiny garden
Twice each week comes the
e-drawn bakery or beer wag-
ons. Everything is kept unbeliev-
ably clean and neat.
MY host was named Petersen
says the author, lust another
Petersen among 100000 who are
employed in Danish agriculture as
landless workers. The husband is
AZ, the wife is So; there is a boy
of 6 and a girl of 9. The two chill
dren system seems to rule in
nearly every house.
when the wife is told that she
is to have a Swedish author as a
house guest she does not exclaim:
oh, dear, if only he can sleep on
this Mattress or Wonder if he
will be satisfied with what we can
offer?' or don't know if he can
something else you would rather
eat p No, she is quite calm, as
though 1 had lived with them for
wears. The rest of the family acts
lust as natural and I felt at home
when l had been there five min
uteS.
They have two rooms and
kitchen; some workers have three
rooms. Those employed all year
around accept the house rent as
part of their wage. Some pay not
over 40 crowns per year-that is
about $40! They have free wood
for fuel, and piece of land for
potatoes. We have nothing just
like that in Sweden.
The house is we'll kept although
not too fussy. There is a Singer
sewing machine in the kitchen.
Sticks and brush are used in the
stove. Water comes from a pump
located between the houses. In the
bedroom sleep the Pedersens in a
double bed and there are two
small beds for Kristen and Bent.
The room where 1 sleep is a
little more complicated 1t has an
oak table, high dining room
chairs, a good radio, photos and
good pictures on the walls. There
is a bookcase with glass doors.
Here l find "a volumes of an il
Illustrated encyclopedia and, of
course, novels by Morten Koch
There are some other good books,
novels of farm life and three or
four travelogues.
My neighbor has many more
books, says Petersen, and that is
true. find large volume about
Danish estates, there is H. c. An
dersen's fairy tales, several scien-
tific works and a long row of
children's books. Not a single one
of the farm workers homes l visit
ed was without a bookcase or a
shelf
There are in all Denmark 10000
workers who periodically are en-
ployed in agriculture To this must
be added 16- $4,000 year-round
workers on the large estates. And
then there are 10000 youths from
IA to 25 years of age.
When the kids play hopscotch
they use real copper coins-they
have money in their piggies, and
cash is not at all unusual in these
homes; there is very little stint
ing. In the morning we have
bread, cold meat and cheese with
substitute coffee At noon we again