Scandinavian American. [volume], June 01, 1948, Image 1

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

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Vol. 4, No. 6
King Gustaf Celebrates
90th Birthday On June 16
World’s Oldeffiaiérch Has
Reigned 41 Years
As this issue goes to press the
Swedish people will celebrate the
90th birthday of King Gustaf V,
the world's oldest reigning mon
u'ch and the first king in the
moo-year history of the SWedish
kingdom who has reigned for more
than 40 years.
In December last. on the fortieth
anniversary of King Gustaf's ac
cession to the throne, Sweden's
Prime Minister Tage Erlander re
called the unparalleled social, cul
tural and economic progress that
has taken place in Sweden during
the last few decades. “During this
period, King Gustaf has stood as
the foremost representative of
Sweden and all that is Swedish. He
has gained the respect, loyalty
and affection of his people. and
he stands out, in bad no less than
in good times, as the rallying fig
ure the respected and beloved
Father of the Country," the Prime
Minister said.
King Gustaf ascended to the
Swedish throne in a period of rapid
and promising development. Swe
den's union with Norway had been
dissolved, but the issues and prob
lems arising out of that crisis had
been settled. Democracy was re
plscing the old patriarchal system
of the 19th century. and King
Gustaf took up his duties along
democratic lines, declining to be
crowned. and adopting the motto:
“With the People, for the
Country." '
Bince' that time. the‘ process of
democracy and parliamentary gov-
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, JUNE, 1948
ernment has permeated the entire
SWedish community. But this de
velopment has never involved any
serious opposition to the mon
archy. King Gustaf, with simple
integrity and faithfulness to his
duty, has succeeded in stabilizing
a new type of monarchy in the
hearts and minds of the Swedish
people. He is “The Democrat on
the Throne." willing to cooperate
quietly with his Government,
whatever its colour, always con
scious of his responsibility towards
his country and his people. But
he is also a marked personality.
who does not hesitate to hold his
OWn whenever he thinks that the
situation demands it.
Keen Spokesman {or Scandlnavlan
(‘oopention
Lengthy travels in early years
contributed to give King Gustaf
experience and a broad outlook
on domestic and international af
fairs. and to bring him into con
tact with rulers and statesmen of
other countries. He assisted his
father King Oscar in his duties,
and he took a personal part in the
promotion of Sweden's commercial
and cultural relations with other
countries.
By the time of the outbreak of
the First World War. King Gustaf
had acquired a peculiar Insight
into matters of international pol
icy. He had long been convinced
that the policy of the Great Pow
ers was bound to lead to tragic
(Continued on Page 10)
New Norwegian
White Book
NEW YORK, N. Y."Shortly af
ter Norway’s liberation m 1945.
the Norwegian and Swedish Gov
ernments agreed to publish offi
cial White Books presenting each
of the Governments’ versions of
their relations with each other dur-
ing the war period. It was agreed
that the publications were to ap
pear at the same time and were
to follow mutual consultations in
the interest of clarifying misun
derstandings growing out of the
war years.
Second volumes of Norwegian
and Swedish White Books have
now appearedfieach of them cov
eering a similar period of Nor
wegian-Swedish relations during
the war. Both cover King Haakon‘s
half-hour in SWeden during the
German air attack on Drevsjn in
1940, diplomatic representation to
1943 when Swedish Minister Bock—
Friis was accredited to the Nor-
wcgian Government in London. the
activities and inconveniences of
the Norwegian Legation in neu
tral Sweden, as well as a member
of other issues. A particularly in
teresting chapter in the fiorwegian
“publication, however.’ deals with
the attitude of the Swedish Press
toward Norway's struggle. and
that of the Swedish authorities
toward the press. Considerable
space is also allotth to a review
of the transit of Germany’s Engel
brecht Division following Ger
many's declaration of war against
Russia.
Price Rise Again
Threatens Norway
Wages
NEW YORK, N. Y. —— By April
15th, Norwegian prices were again
approaching the danger point.
Based on 1938 averages. the mid-
April index figure was 160.3 only
.5 of a point below the maximum
rise permitted under existing wage
contracts. Nation-wide labor-man
agement agreements, which have
given Norway over three years of
unbroken industrial peace since
war's end, will be at stake should
this rise continue. One of their
basic clauses gears wages to
prices, with the stipulation that
Labor will be permitted to make
new wage demands in the event
prices top the 160.8 figure. In an
effort to block this trend. the Nor
wegian Price directorate has an
nounced a reduction in the price
of sugar—~40 ore (8 cents) per Kg.
with the resulting difference to be
met from state funds. Consider
ing the increased purchases of su
gar anticipated during the sum
mer months it is expected that
this move will keep the general
price level below the danger mark.
Drawings and paintings execut
ed by pupils in five hundred Amer
ican schools will shortly be on
view in Stockholm at an exhibition
arranged by the Swedish Junior
Red Cross. The art work. which
also includes an album devoted to
the Swedish immigration into the
United States. has been selected
by representatives of the Ameri
can Junior Red Goa.
Lundbeck Jr Honored
By Upsala College
For the second time within a
week G. Hilmer Lundbeck. Jr..
American managing director of
the Swedish American Line, has
been awarded the honorary degree
of Doctor of Laws, being one of
five individuals honored by Up
sala College, East Orange. N. J..
at the commencement exercises,
S'Efixrday, June 5. ‘Dr. Evald B.
Lawson. president of Upsala Col
lege. awarded 160 degrees to the
largest class ever graduated from
the fast growing college founded
55 years ago. Mr. Lundbeck was
made an honorary Doctor of Laws
at the Augustana College. Rock
Island, 111., last Monday.
Others honored by the New Jer—
sey institution were Andrew Clau
sen, president of the Board of Edu—
cation, City of New York., the
Consul General of Sweden. Len—
nart Nylander. Emil O. Deere. re
tiring dean of Bethany College.
Lindsborg. Kansas. and Blanche
Thebom, the Metropolitan opera
star.
Dr. Karl J. Pearson. member of
the board of trustees of Upsala
College and professor of business
administration made the presen
tation. Dr. Kenneth B. Murdock.
professor of English at Harvard
University delivered the principal
address.
300 Reindeer
From Norway To
Newfoundland
NEW YORK. N. Y. (RN15! —
Prospects of the overseas trans
fer of 3000 reindeer from the Lap
districts of Arctic Norway to
Newfoundland are indicated in a
recent Oslo dispatch. According to
the report. a New York business
man has approached the NorWe
gian Export Council offering to
purchase a preliminary lot of 1500
animals. The offer calls for ship
ment from Norway Between July
lst and September 1st of this year
with approximately 1500 deer in
the first transfer. The purchase
offer has been sent out to Lap
reindeer owners in the various
northern districts, but no inter
ested sellers have yet appeared.
It is still to early to say how the
transaction will develop. notes the
Export Council. Although Nor
way‘s policy has stressed expan
sion of domestic reindeer herds.
it is possible than an eventual sale
would be authorized in View of
the offer of dollar payment.
Minnesota Sponsor
Bilingual Souvenir
A unique, bilingual souvenir
piece will be sponsored by the
Minnesota division of the Swed
ish Pioneer Centennial at the
“Swedish Day" celebration in St.
Paul, Minn, June 27.
It will be cacheted with the of
ficial “Swedish Day" emblem and
will receive a special machine can
cellation in the Swedish language
on the five-cent Swedish Pioneer
commemorative stamp. The can
cellation reads “Svenskarnas Dag"
(The Day of the SWedeS) and is
believed to be the first foreign
language cancellation in U. 5. post
al history.
10¢ a Copy
Collectors should forward their
names and addresses, plus 25 cents
each or six for $1, to “Swedish
Day," General Delivery. St. Paul,
Minn. Any profit from this en
terprise will be used to hPlp d0-
fray the cost of the Juno 2? cele
bration.
Letter To Oslo
School Girl Ends
Eisenhower Story
NEW YORK. N. Y. ~ Spetula
tions in the Norwegian press as
to General Eisenhower's Norwe
gian ancestry were ended recently
when a little Olslo school-girl re«
ceived a letter from the General‘s
adjutant. Until then, various Nor
wegion dailies had sought to con
firm that the General‘s mother
iwas the daughter'of a Norwegian
Pimmigrant who had settled in Wis
consin in the 1850's. One of the
papers even went so far as to
print a photo of the settlers in
question. It was this photo which
little Rita in her entliumasm sent
to General Eisenhth-r. and this
is the reply she received “Dear
Rita: General Eisenhower is on va
cation but I know he will be very
grateful for your thoughtfulness in
sending him the newspaper clip
ping. I‘m afraid l'll hau- to tell
you, however. that the persons in
the picture are not related to the
General. as his mother came from
the state of Virginia where her
parents lived before she was mar
ried. Ancestors of the General‘s
father have lived in Pennsylvania
for many generations. Thank you
for your pleasant letter. 1 will see
to it that the General receives it
immediately upon his return. Kind
est Greetings, Major C. Craig
Cannon, Adjutant."
Swedish Cover Girl
Arrived 0n Gripsholm
The motorliner “Gripsholm” of
the Swedish American Lina. ar-
m—
rivod at New \‘urk last \N'vdnvs
day from Swadon. carrying 1215
passengers, among whnm was Ann
Mari Roson. Stockholm cover girl.
lwho hopes to continue ht-r model
ing career here.