Scandinavian American. [volume], January 01, 1946, Page 3, Image 3

About Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958

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THE SCANDINAVIAN AMERICAN
News from Norway
Issued by the Royal Norwegian Information
Service, Washington, D. C.
Norway Pleased With London U.N.0.Showing
Recent proceedings at the London U. N. 0. conferencel
indicating the high regard in which Norway is held abroad
have awakened much favorable comment in the Norwegian
press. An editorial in 0510’s “Aftenposten” remarking on
the significance of Foreign Minister Trygve Lie’s showing
in the U. N. 0. Assembly presidential vote noted the fol
lowing:
“We can be most satisfied with the honor shown Norway
through the nomination of our Foreign Minister, and with
the sizeable vote which he received. And not least can we
be pleased with the arguments which the Russian proposer
and those who supported him gave for their point of View”
‘1“... ...—...,J.‘ A: -_-:H‘ “.-.... ._-..I.-.‘ ,‘____,__M__wn__,n__W,A, H, |
Many words of praise were spoken.
on behalf of our little land's mod-l
est contribution to the war. Let'
us hope that they were deservedl
We have every reason to note withl
pleasure that our Foreign Minis
ter's international position was!
shown to be as strong as it was."‘
The Norwegian delegation to the’
Conference, headed by Minister;
Trygve Lie, includes Ambassador
Erik Colban, Judge Terje Wo1d,|
Professor Jacob S. Worm—Muller,
Editor Finn Moe, and C. J. Ham
bro and J. Strand Johansen, both
members of Parliament.
The vote placing Norway on the
United Nations Social and Eco
nomic Council was the most size
able obtained by any of the candi
date nations. while five votes were
cast for Norway's inclusion in the
Security Council, even though that
country was not even listed as a
candidate.
=k >i1 *
Gri'eg Music Rights
Claimed By Norway
Norwegians are demanding a
unique form of repayment to cover
a part of their reparations claims
against Germany. A significant
movement is under way to obtain
the copyrights to numerous Nor
wegian musical compositions now
held by German publishing firms.
The greatest interest is centered
on he compositions of Edvard
Grieg. over 700 of which are now
in German hands.
=14 =k *
Lie Outlines Norse
Foreign Policy
During a recent parliamentary
debate on Norwegian foreign pol
icy, Norway’s Minister of Foreign‘
Affairs Trygve Lie stated that an
other war would threaten the very
existence of the small nationsi
Norway must do her utmost to
strengthen and develop the world
security organization. at the same
time increasing her own military
strength as rapidly as possible
liuth for her own security and to
fill her international obligations.
Commenting on the withdrawal
of Allied troops from Norway. the
Prime Minister d e c l a r e d that
agreements have been met to the
satisfaction of all concerned and
that the last Allied troops will
soon be leaving. The repatriation
of Germans has proceeded incom
parably faster than in any other
country and of the 400.000 German
military and civilian personnel in
Norway on VE Day, less than 40.-
000 remain.
During a later interview Min
ister Lie stated that Norway does
not favor a. Scandinavian bloc. Co
operation with Sweden and Den
mark will continue. but not in the
form of a bloc. The fate of the
small nations. he noted, is depend
ent upon harmonious relations be
tween the “Big Three." 3. factor
more important today than either
the Atlantic or the San Francisco
Charters.
V I t
1300 Germans Await
Trial In Norway
British Lieut. Col. Dobson. chim‘
United Nations War Crimes in
vestigator in Norway, has just re
vealed that not a single British
prisoner was found alive in Nor
way after liberation. All British
troops who fell into German hands
while on operations in Norway
were killed. Of the 6.000 Jugoslav
deportees in Norway, only a few
hundred survived to greet the
Allies.
Awaiting trial for 140 crimes of
war committed in Norway are
1.300 Germans, amongr them Gen
eral Jodi, brother of the Field
Marshal Jodl now being tried at
Nuremburg. The infamous General
is best known for his treatment of
Russian POW’s ordered to build
defenses in Arctic Norway in Jan
uary, 1945. By April, when half of
them were too weak to work, the
General ordered their rations cut
in half,‘ the “extra" food being
given to those still able to work.
Within a few weeks, starvation,
execution. and torture had ac
counted for the whole contingent.
War criminal trials in Norway
have already begun.
Double Nazi
Suicide In Norway
The approaching trials of Ges
tapo agents and war criminals in
Norway are marked by an increas
ing number of Nazi suicides. A re
cent account describes how Ges—
tapo official Albert Weiner.
charged with a score of murders.
succeeded in killing both his cell
mate and himself. While S.S. man
Erich Lorenz; former guard at My
sen Concentration Camp, was being
removed from his cell. Weiner
rushed past him, overpowered the
guard and seized his machine gun.
Before he could be stopped he had
poured a stream of bullets into his
cell mate and had turned the gun
on himself. Weiner and Lorenz
died immediately. while the guard
was uninjured.
Norse Ask Free Competi
fion In World Shipping
With over half of Norway's mer
chant fleet written off as a war
casualty. shipping men in that
country have anxiously pondered
the disastrous effect which Amer
ica’s huge war-built merchant ton
nage nYig‘ht have on the rehabili
tation of the Norwegian shipping
industry. Some of these fears were
alleviated recently when Mr. Klaus
Wise Hansen. president of the
Norwegian Shipo w n e r s Associa
tion. predicted close American co
operation in reestablishing a sound
international shipping system. “Up
to the present time." stated Mr.
Hansen. “America's policy. with
regard to the employment of ex
cess tonnage. has tended to
strengthen the belief we can count
on close cooperation in a. sound
development of international ship
ping with the greatest possible ex
pansion of private initiative and
free competition."
3 l I!
Nazi Locomotives
To Norway
The Norwegian State Railways
will in all likelihood be allowed to
keep tho 1.500 freight cars and the
110 locomotives which the Germans
left behind them in Norway. So
stated Traffic Manager Olav Holt—
mon. recently returned to Oslo
from conferences in Brussels and
London. Although the issue will
not be decided for several months,
the State Railways have long since
pressed all available rolling stock
into service.
Better Sardines
The Norwegian Packing Indus
try's Stavang‘er laboratories note
that the 1945 sardine pack is far
superior to any packed during the
war. The year’s Catch of unusually
choice fish packed in an improved
oil and tomato sauce approaches
prewar standards.
Norway Falls Heir
To Nazi Forts
Maintenance of the massive
coastal defense guns which the
Germans left behind them in Nor—
way has called for the recruiting
of volunteers for special army
training. Norway's coastline is
now dotted with these huge in
stallations. Built at a cost of mil—
lions of dollars, each of the com
plicated electrically driven units is
self-contained, complete with its
own power plant. and a month of
neglect can have disastrous n:-
sults. Now under the control of
the Norwegian Army, this whole
chain of German-built feltifica
tions can form a valuable element
in that country's coastal defense.
and according to Norwegian au
thorities will not be allowed to de
teriorate. Some of the larger cali
bre guns fire projectiles weighing
one ton, and the only comparable
installations. are those along the
French Channel Coast.
The Tune Changes
Norway's repatriation office in
Hamburg, Germany, reports that
an increasing number of Nor
wegian women married to German
soldiers formerly stationed in Nor
way are now asking to be returned
to their homes. Norwegian rulings
in such matters permit these wom
en to return only on the condition
that they have never been mem—
bers of the Quisling organization,
or that they are now suffering
from want. Those admitted, more
over, are given only temporary
residence permits.
American Bishop- V
Norse Envoy Honored }
King Haakon of Norway hast
awarded the Grand Cross of thei
Order of Saint Olav, Norway'sl
highest decoration, to two out-i
standing figures in Norwegian af-§
fairs in the United States. Bishop}
J. A. Aasgaard of the Norwegiani
Lutheran Church in America and!
head of American Relief for New!
way was personally decorated dur- ;
ing his recent visit to Norway. The:
second recipient. Ambassador Wil-i
helm Munthe Morgenstierne, re-é
ccivcd the award in recognition of;
his outstanding service as Nor-3
way's chief representative in the?
United States. ‘
Norse Whalers Protest
Norwegian Whalers in the Tons
bcrg district mot recently to ex
press disapproval of their Govern
ment‘s order forbidding them to
accept employment with newly es
tablished foreign whaling firms.
This order, which had followed
the announcement that a new
Netherlands whaling firm was in
tending to man its ships with Nor
wegian crews. was described as a
blow at individual freedom which
would deprive Norwegian Whalers
of an important source of income.
Several more meetings in the
Tonsberg and Sandefjord districts
are planned. following which 3 del
egation of Whalers will meet with
Government officials to discuss fu
ture action.
It 1‘ t
Norse Escape
Vessels Pose Problem
During the war some 280 Nor-E‘
wegian fishing vessels managed to}
slip away from Nazi-held Norway!
to perform valuable service asl
coastguard ships, anti-aircraft ves- E
sols. and minesweepers in Britain. ll
After a thorough overhaul at theii
Norwegian Government's repair!‘
yard in Scotland these vessels areH
now being sailed back to their?!
homeland. The hundreds of doriesé;
and rowboats which also brought ‘
patriots from Norway pose a more 3.
complicated problem. however. it;
is not likely thnt anyone will vol-‘
unteor to an that tiny can:
Norwegian American Line Predicts
Heavy Passenger Traffic In 1946
Following a recent visit to New
York, Mr. Hans Christian Henrik
sen, Norwegian-America Line
manager, predicted a heavy pas
senger traffic between the United
States and Norway. ”It was easy
to see,” stated Mr. Henriksen,
“that an increased interest in Nor
way is causing many Americans
to make plans for an early trip
abroad. I therefore believe that
we must prepare for a sizeable
passenger traffic for the first
years at least.”
Regarding competition in the
Norway-America trade he called
for an early re-establishment of
the International Passenger Lines
Conference to conclude route and
price agreements among the vari
ous competing firms. A survey of
the effect which new trans-Atlan-
across the North Sea now, and it
will be too expensive to ship them
home as freight. To further com
plicate matters. ownership of the
boats is obscure, as most of them
were appropriated by patriots not
too interested. at the moment, in
who happened to own them.
ar- :5: *
Norse May Purchase
Boats In Canada
Norwegian Minister of Supply;
Lars Evensen announced in a re
cent press conference that Nor-.
wegian fishermen are planning to.
purchase fishing boats in Canadaf
to replace those lost during the‘
war. These groups, involving only
pre-war firms, intend to unite and‘
purchase the trawlers on a cooper
ative basis. In August of 1945.1
Canada extended Norway a $133
000.000 2154 per cent loan for theE
purchase of food and reconstruc—
tion supplies. ‘
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3
tic air—passenger routes will hat.-
on ocean travel must also be con
sidered by the group. said M1:
Henriksen. Stable air-passenger
rates are of as much interest to
ocean shipping firms as are their
own fares.
Regarding replacements for th:.
line’s war losses, he announcer,I
that two cargo-passenger ship.-
totaling 13,000 tons may be ex
pected from Swedish shipyards
this year while a modern 550 pas
senger liner to replace the “05-
lofjord" will soon be under con—
struction.
Prefabricated Housing
Industry Fully Occupied
Swedish manufacturers of pre
fabricated wooden houses signer:
a. contract in August with th»’-
French Ministry of Industrial Pro
duction for 1,500 units, valued a:
$2 millions. for delivery by March
31, 1946. This will bring the to
tal number of prefabricate‘
houses from Sweden for postwar
reconstruction in France to ove.“
2,000, in that '600 had already‘
been donated by the Swedish gov
ernment.
The houses now contracted for
are of the well-known Swedi‘si:
one~story type of 2-3 rooms an“.
kitchen. adapted to meet specia
French requirements. The great
er portion will be supplied b_‘~'
A.-B. Svenska Trihus, a companj'
in which several factories arr
amalgamated. Included in the
deal are also about 20 prefabricat
ed barracks buildings.
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