Scandinavian American. [volume], January 01, 1948, Page 5, Image 5

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

Image provided by: Washington State Library; Olympia, WA

                
THE SCANDINAVIAN AMERICAN
Imports from Hard Currency
Countries to Be Cut in Half
STOCKHOLM—According to a plan formulated by a
Government export and import committee, headed by Axel
Gjores, Minister of Commerce, Sweden's imports in 1948
from the hard currency countries should amount, at the
most, to 1,465 million kronor, or a decrease of almost fifty
per cent as compared with an es
timated import value for the cur
rent year of 2,800 million kronor.
and one of 1,900 million in 1946.
Total Swedish imports from all
sources in 1948 are calculated to
be worth not more than 4,000 mil—
lion kronor against an estimated
5,000 million this year, or twenty
per cent less.
0f the 1.465 million for 1948,
285 million kronor will be prelim
inarily allotted to foodstuffs. 445
million to coal and oil. and 449
million to machinery and instru
ments, textiles, leather. hides. and
skins, iron ore and steel, non-fer
rous metals, chemicals, pharma
ceutical goods, etc. The import
cut affects primarily dispensable
goods. The fears expressed in cer
tain quarters that the import plan
may lead to the rationing of tex
tiles and shoes are discounted. An
adequate supply of such goods is
forecast. Thanks to agreements
recently signed with the Soviet
Union and countries in the sterling
area. Sweden will be able to re
place to a considerable extent her
usual imports from the hard cur
rency regions.
Paper Export to 1', S. A. to Be
Doubled in 1948
Sweden's exports in 1948 will be
considerably greater than in 1947.
and will to some extent be directed
more toward the hard-currency
markets in America, Switzerland,
Portugal, and Turkey. Exports of
paper to the United States are ex
pected to be doubled. while the
shipments of wood pulp are esti
mated to yield up to one billion
kronor. half 9f wh'ch will be in
hard currency. In 1947 the export
of cellulose to the United States
amounted to some 500,000 tons,
valued at 300 million kronor.
Agru-oments with Great Britain
And Russia Help Sweden's
Trad:- Balance
According to its new trade
agreements for 1948 with the Un
ited Kingdom and the Soviet Un
ion, Sweden will be allowed to buy
from Great Britain one half mil
lion tons of coal, besides machin
ery and instruments valued at
about 200 million kronor, 50,000
tons of iron and steel, textiles for
180 million kronor. and motor ve
hicles for 55 million kronol‘. From
Russia Sweden may , purchase
among other items, 50,000 tons of
wheat and 15,000 tons of rye. In
return. Sweden will export to Brit
ain 150,000 tons of mechanical
pulp. as well as other forest goods
and products, and to Russia iron
and steel. ball bearings, breeding
animals. etc. The tota! value of
Sweden's export to Britain is es
timated to be 500 mmlon kronor,
while Sweden's imports from that
News In Brief
The nation-wide paper salvage
campaign is expected to net 100,-
000 tons by the end of the year.
This means that twenty-rive per
cent of Swedene' annual consump
tion has been recovered. The value
of the salvaged paper. cardboard.
and newsprint is estimated at 64
million kronor. The collection will
also not the Swedish European Aid
mind over a million kronor.
The Swedish Social Democratic
\Vorkers Partv will hold its 18th
congress in Stockholm. May 9-14,
lfl8a1'he elections to the Congress
will be held at the beginning of
next year. but all motions must be
submitted in December.
Captain Sigfrid Ericsson. master
of the M. S. “Gripsholm” of the
Swedish American Line, has re
ceived the medal of merit of the
Swedish Rod Cross for his contri
bution toward the work of the In
ternationu Red Cross in the ex
clunge of diplomats and other na
tionals during and after the war.
country will be worth 750 million
kronor. The Russo-Swedish ex
change of trade, which is inde
pendent of the crcdlt agreement
between the two countries, com
prises only 30 million kronor in
each direction.
l The two agreements constitute
a measure of relief in Sweden‘s
‘present import situation. according
Ito Minister Gjores' statement in
the leading Government organ,
lMorgon-Tidningen, of Stockholm.
’“Several items on the import side
are goods that are little or not at
all affected by the hard-currency
'situation. The British coal deliv
,erfes are a welcome surprise to us
‘and they will not cause any reduc
‘tion in our coal imports from oth
er countries. The import item of
200 million kronor for machinery
is larger than we had been count
ing on. From the outer sterling
area we anticipate imports for
about 250 million kronor of goods
of the traditional type, including
substantial amounts of oil. The
combined imports from the whole
sterling area should thus reach in
value next year over one billion
ki'onor." '
Shortage of Electricity
Called Temporary
STOCKHOLM—(By airmaillru
The present shortage of electric
power in Sweden was described as
“temporary" by Waldemar Borg
quist. head of the Government
Water Falls Board, at a recent
meeting in Gothenburg. attended
by 400 electric power experts. A
large number of new water power
stations are now under construc—
tion, he said. or else being planned.
It is estimated that by the au—
tumn of 1955 they will have in
creased Sweden's electric supply
by fifty per cent.
So far as can now be judged.
the rationing of electricity will
probably continue for at least two
more winters, although a ye a r
from now it may not have to be
as strict as it is now. During the
ensuing debate. representatives of
the Fuel (‘ommission emphasized
that no Christmas illumination in
the streets will be permitted. On
the other hand, shopkeepers and
department store owners will be
allowed to light their show win
dows during each of the three Sun
days before the holidays. This has
long been a custom in Stockholm
and elsewhere, and has always
brought out a big parade of win
dow shoppers-a, big stimulus to
the Yuletide trade.
Aerotransport
Workers Go on Strike
STOCKHOLDE—(By wireless)—
About 1,200 employees of the
Swedish Aerotransport Company.
which maintains inland lines and
a number of routes to the Conti
nent and the Near East, have gone
on strike after negotiations for a
new collective agreement failed.
It looks as if the strike would be
of long duration. and in the mean
time Aerotransport'a fleet of
twenty planes is idle.
‘ Scandinavian Airlines System is
not directly affected by the strike.
but for the time being it will use
Copenhagen, instead of Stockholm.
as the terminal for the New York
and South America lines.
Ivar Starkenberg. veteran artist
and regarded as one or Sweden's
wittiest and men incisive political
curtoonisls. recently died in Stock
holm at the age of sixty-one. His
drawings appeared regularly in
Morgan-“dningem chief Labor or
gan. as well u in my maxulnes.
‘Tirpitz’ Norway’s
Newest Iron Mine
: OSLO——The German battleship
‘ “Tirpitz,” once the pride of Hitler's
‘navy. has now become Norway’s
'newest iron mine. Lying bottom-up
ion the shore of a north—Norwegian
i fjord near Tromsoe. the huge ves
sel was recently sold by the Nor
wegian Directorate for Enemy
Property. and breaking-up opera
tions are now under way.
The “Tirpitz,” built at a reputed
icost of $140,000,000. is still of con-
Isiderable 'value. The Norwegian
lsalvage firm which has under
taken the job expects the ship to
fyield 20,000 tons of iron and steel
as well as quantities of machinery
and equipment— all valuable to
Norwegian industry. Much of this
equipment is in excellent condition
as a third of the vessel has never
been submerged. and at least 100
electric motors have never been
touched by water. Not only will
these motors. transformers, cables.
and other electrical equipment find
a ready market in Norway, but
there have already been inquiries
regarding the ship's three steam
turbines—each generating 50.000
horsepower. At present. however,
they represent an unusual salvage
problemwfastened as they are to
the "ceiling" of the capsized ship.
VVater-damage in sunken sections
of the ship has been reduced,
thanks to quantities of oil floating
within the vessel which greases the
equipment twice daily ~with each
tide.
New under-water metal cutting
methods will be extremely valuable
as some of the armor plate is 12
inches thick. with each plate
weighing 40 tons. Workers will
have to operate with extreme cau
tion as there are several thousand
tons of explosives aboard the
“Tirpitz.”
It is also expected that the
bodies of hundreds of German
marines are still imprisoned in the
massive hulk. These. according to
the contract. are to be turnele‘er
to the Norwegian Navy for burial.
Commerce of Sweden
And Great Britain
To Be Increased
STOCKHOLM (By wirelessl
A supplen-ent to the credit agree
ment between Sweden and Great
Britain. of March 6. 1945, was re
cently signed in London. It will
be in force until the end of 1949.
It was agreed that the volume
of trade between Great Britain
and Sweden should be increased.
and it has been assumed that the
Swedish trade with the sterling
area will be balanced. To allow
for seasonal variations it was de
cided that both parties be per
mitted an overdraw of eight mil
lion pounds. Amounts in excess of
this sum will. after May 1, 1948.
automatically be paid in gold. If
one of the parties. at the end of
1949. is in possession of more than
five million pounds of the other
party's currency, this amount
should then also be paid in gold.
Swedish exports to Great
Britain. will be brought back to
pre-war normal. and it is ex
pected that Britain will be able
to export more machinery and
certain raw materials for the tex
tile industry. Deliveries of iron
and steel may also be increased.
There was no definite promise of
a resumption of coal deliveries
from Britain to Sweden. but the
British referred to their promise.
made at the Paris Conference.
that if the Marshall plan material
izes the coal shipments will be re
sumed. In that event. Sweden will
receive her share.
The Swedish representatives“
pointed out that if no coal is re-i
ceived from England next yearn?
Sweden may be forced to recon-I
sider the question of wood pulp;
deliveries to Great Britain. A}
Swediah trade delegation arrived;
toward the end of November in;
London. where Swedish-British ne- l
satiation: will be resumed on the
basin ot the supplementary agree
ment.
Radio Speakers Draw
Soviet Union Protest
STOCKHOLM—~(By wirelesslv »
The Russian Embassy in Stock
holm objected to the appearam-e
of a Swedish author and a Nor
wegian poet on a special radio pro
gram sent out by the Swedish
Broadcasting Company on the re
cent thirtieth anniversary of the
Soviet revolution, because of their
“unfriendly attitude” toward the
Soviet Union. The Foreign Office
refused to intervene. and the two
writers delivered sharply critical
addresses. '
They were Arnulf Overland, Nor.
way, and Eyvind Johnson. Sweden.
Other speakers were Prof. E.
Lonnroth of Upsala University.
Sven Jerring' radio commentator.
the Danish author Martin Ander
sen-Nexo, and Erik Blomberg,
Swedish novelist. Commenting on
the incident, the leading Labor or
gan, Morgon-Tidningen, wrote that
it. was only natural that the For
eign Office turned down the Rus
sian request.
“This attempt from the Russian
side to interfere must be regarded
as pure lack of tact. or as an un
derstandable ignorance of the
democratic principles of freedom
of speech."
' "Dar Pomorzo," training ship of
‘the Polish merchant marine, has
‘rpaid a visit to Gothenburg. Caught
1,by the outbreak of the war when
[on a visit to Stockholm in 1939.
{the vessel made an enforced stay
;m the capital until the end of the
Q hostilities.
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Norway Shares
What She Has
OSLOw—Only a few years re
moved from Nazi occupation, and
still familiar with long ration
lines, Norwegians are neverthe
less losing little time in going to
the aid of less fortunate European
neighbors.
European Relief, the Norwegian
help organization for aid to Eu
rope, has just announced that it
has already collected and distrib
uted over 3,300 tons of food in
various European countries and
that a new money-raising (am
paign is now under way During
the fall. a series of radio pro
grams stressed Europe‘s food
needs, and the organization's film
"Here‘s How They Live in Eu
rope" is now playing in five Oslo
theaters.
Week-0nd public collections at
well-attended fall sporting events
have already brought in over 25‘-
000 Kroner ($5.000M most of
which will be used for cod liver oil
purchases. The Norwegian group
is sending its aid to those lands
where the need is greatvst.
GIRL M. LIISTEAD
Mfg. Silw-rsmilh
0 (mid and Silu-r Plating
0 Baby Shmw Bronzed
O Repairing 01' \ll Kinds
102‘: l’lKl-J ST. )l\. .333“
SEATTLE
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