Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1949-10-17

CraVellnS on GMC-Dullt venice.
If he happens to live in the
southeastern part of town he will
pass by plant of the Atlas Diesel
Co. Coming into town he will pass
only three gas stations in five
miles, but those sell ESQ and
Shell gasoline. National Cash
Register, Northwest cranes, all
makes of American cars; these
are some of the common brand
names. But most popular and
most prominent OF all American
products is the Hollywood movie.
Stockholm, city with a popula-
ton about equal to that of Seattle,
but with a much smaller areal eX-
tent, has more than one hundred
and thirty movie theaters and
aside from a few Swedish, Eng
fish, French, and Italian films
they all show American pictures.
No Serious Shortages
There are no serious shortages
of any kind here, although the
housewife may complain that she
can't get rice or pineapple or ny
Ions. The clean little food stores
with water streaming down their
display windows are filled with
good things to eat-Swedish APP
Piles, grapes, cauliflower, lettuce,
tomatoes. And to pass a butcher
shop is to make ones mouth
water. Links of vari-cOlOred saus-
ages in shiny castings are piled one
on top another and surrounded by
different kinds of cheeses and
bricks of fresh creamery butter.
Three Items Rationed
Some prices are controlled. Most
important is the control of rent
and of food prices. Three items
are rationed: coffee, liquor, and
gasoline. The coffee ration is just
over a pound per month per per-
son. For the Swedes, who love
their coffee, this is a real hard
ship and even becomes an issue
at the polls.
The liquor ration is one liter of
hard liquor per month for every
man between the age of twenty
five and twenty-eight and two
liters for every man over twenty
eight. A woman of twenty-five or
over is allowed two liters every
three months. Since a liter is more
than a fifth and beer and wine
can be had without limit, the ra-
ton is not unreasonably small al
though many SWedes find the
limitation irksome and feel that
it is unnecessary.
No Unemployment Problem
The rationing of gasoline does
not affect most of the people
since most of them do not drive
cars anyway, and those who need
a car for business reasons can get
increased allowances. Most would
be pleasure drivers, on the other
hand, find the price of gas so
high lit must be imported and it
is also taxed very heavily that
they can not afford to use more
than the allowance.
There is no unemployment prob
lem in the Stockholm area. At
the state employment agency last
week there were only three per-
sons waiting to get into the office
when it opened at nine Tuesday
morning, and an English speaking
counselor told two American stu
dents that he would be able to get
them part-time jobs without diff
Guilty. There are a considerable
number of help wanted ads in the
papers every day. Especially
scarce are engineers, skilled
craftsmen, and stenographers.
Not only do the Swedes have
job vacancies, but they have them
at a time when the standard
work-week is six days and large
numbers of women are employed
in transport and industry.
The Swedish standard of living
may not be as high as that of the
Pacific Northwest, but it is .ap-
parent that the Swedes are busily
engaged in making that standard
as high as their resources will