Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1952-08-15
"HomeleSs Love" In Scandinavia

dition upon which ones chances
of getting an apartment rest to a
large extent. For one must not
only wait a long time to get an
apartment, one must also purchase
it in order to get it and some of
the prices are sky high.
Private Housing Only
Wouldn't Work
Since private housing is expen-
sive, which only the well-to-do can
afford, the average Norwegian's
best bet is the municipality oper-
ated housing programs, financed
two-thirds by the state, the rest
by the municipality. And so it is
generally said that were it not for
such projects the average man
would be at a loss to solve his
housing problem.
In Oslo the city has launched
a 1O-year 10O,OOO,0OO kr. hOus-
ing program for buildings mainly
in its eastern and northern parts.
Oslo must build houses. (apt.
units) for 10000 people, which is
virtually like building a city the
size of Trondheim. A sewage plan,
just arrived at, will amount to
100, 100000 kr. In addition, ade-
quate transportation must be pro-
vided for 100000 persons living
in the outer fringes of Oslo, whose
total area was enlarged 26 times
in 1913. The material impact from
these programs can be judged, in
sense, by the fact that OslO's
newly approved budget for the
coming year amounts to 5SO,OOO,-
600 kr. Seattle can stand some
comparison here, for there are
about an equal number of inhabi-
tants in both cities,
How To Get An Apartment
To get an apartment in one of
these units, one must apply at an
official bureau, pay 1900 kr. as
! 'inskudd," mostly more than that,
borrow the money, if you will. from
national bank through govern
ment loan with the interest added
to the rent. The rent for Broom
apartment with kitchen is $50 kr.
But the applicant must be married
and have children in order to ac-
quire it; must have. lived in Oslo
for two years. The single-man ap-
plicant can get an apartment, but
only one without a kitchen. At
best, he gets a kitchenette with
out a window.
Yet, though the applicant may
meet or acquire those qualifica-
tons he still has to contend with
the greatest personal problem OF
all. The waiting period after the
application has been made. Some
must wait five or six years. In
one instance, we heard of a couple
that has been waiting since 1912!
The "inskudd" price system has
plOuuCeO 10TH Oh bribery Cnal
is officially sanctioned with no
apparent means of stopping it..
Inskudd prices from $4,000 to 25,-
600 crowns are common. l spoke
to one girl, engaged for two years,
who, along with her fiance, would
have TO save up enough money
during a period of over five years
to meet the price tag on an apart
men.t. They planned to find a
duplex outside Oslo. She's now
living at home with her parents
And there her love life must be
quite "cramped up"
Tough For Kids. Too
Yet, say an Oslo couple is hap
PLY settled at last in their apart
ment. Their children are growing
up, but there's another problem.
The birth rate reached it's high
est level during and just after the
war, with not enough schools for
the children now approaching
school age or going to school.
Consequently many classes are di-
| yided I'D in two shifts" some in