790 



SWEDEN AND NORWAY. 



The sum of the exports was 281,753,000 kroner ; 

 129,853,000 kroner went to Great Britain, 34.- 

 837,000 kronor to Denmark, 29,593,000 kronor to 

 France, 27,150,000 kronor to Germany, 13,991,- 

 000 kronor to Norway, 13,749,000 kronor to Hol- 

 land, 10,480,000 kronor to Belgium, 5.581,000 

 kronor to Spain, 4,632,000 kronor to Finland, 

 3,191,000 kronor to Mediterranean ports, 2,552,- 

 000 kronor to Russia, 2,503,000 kronor to Aus- 

 tralia, 1,807,000 kronor to Portugal, 1,147,000 

 kronor to the United States, and 690,000 kroner 

 to other countries. 



The imports of articles of consumption amount- 

 ed to 109,200,000 kronor, including 40,100,000 

 kronor for colonial products, 28,300,000 kronor 

 for cereals, 17,400,000 kronor for animals and 

 animal food products, 9,300,000 kronor for to- 

 bacco, and 9,300,000 kronor for drink. The ex- 

 ports in this class were 72,500,000 kronor in 

 value, the chief articles being animals and ani- 

 mal products for 50,400,000 kronor, cereals for 

 18,000,000 kronor, and fermented liquors for 

 2,600,000 kronor. Of raw materials were im- 

 ported textile fibers for 23,500,000 kronor, coal 

 for 19,500,000 kronor, hides and leather for 13,- 

 000,000 kronor, metals for 9,600,000 kronor, arid 

 other articles for 10,200,000 kronor, making a 

 total of 75,800,000 kronor. The exports of ma- 

 terials were 109,700,000 kronor, consisting mainly 

 of lumber and metals. The Swedish iron indus- 

 try is constantly expanding. The imports of 

 textile fabrics were 63,000,000 kronor in value, . 

 those of metal goods were 14,300,000 kronor, of 

 machinery, vessels, and vehicles 14,100,000 kro- 

 nor, and of paper, glass, and other articles, 15,- 

 900,000 kronor, making the total imports of 

 manufactured products 107,300,000 kronor. The 

 exports of manufactures were 58,200,000 kronor, 

 comprising 24.100,000 kronor for paper and pulp, 

 7,400,000 kronor for textiles, 4,400,000 kronor for 

 metal goods, and 22,300,000 kronor for other arti- 

 cles. The imports of miscellaneous merchandise, 

 including 12,100,000 kronor for oils, were 31,600,- 

 000 kronor. and the exports in this class amount- 

 ed to 5,000,000 kronor. The imports of specie were 

 800,000 kronor and the exports 100,000 kronor. 



Navigation. The number of vessels entered 

 at Swedish ports in 1888 was 28,571,000, of 

 5,022,000 tons, of which 13,390, of 1,764,000 tons, 

 were Swedish, 2,620, of 576,000 tons, were Nor- 

 wegian, and 12,561, of 2,682,000 tons, were foreign. 

 Of the total number, 10,140, of 2,173,000 tons, 

 brought cargoes, and 12,128, of 3,403,000 tons, 

 were steamers. The number cleared was 26,834, 

 of 4,983,000 tons, including 11,872 steamers, of 

 3,359,000 tons, and of the total number 18,166, 

 of 3,727,000 tons, carried cargoes. 



The Swedish mercantile fleet on Jan. 1, 1889, 

 comprised 2,885 sailing vessels, of 374,514 tons, 

 and 959 steamers, of 125,496 tons. 



Communications. The railroads in operation 

 at the end of 1889 had a total length of 7,888 

 kilometres, of which 2,613 kilometres belonged 

 to the nation and 5,275 kilometres to private com- 

 panies. The Rigsdag in May, 1890, voted 6,750,- 

 000 ,kronor for the purchase of the unfinished 

 railroad to the Gellivera mines on the Norwegian 

 border. The State telegraphs had a length of 

 8,676 kilometres besides 118 kilometres of cable 

 and the cables owned in common with Denmark 

 and Prussia, which have a total length of 119 



kilometres. The length of wires was 22,529 kilo- 

 metres. There were 3,334 kilometres of private 

 lines, with 12,887 kilometres of wires. The num- 

 ber of paid dispatches sent was 939,624 inland 

 and 586,559 international, besides 182,569 in 

 transit. The receipts were 1,428,448 kronor, and 

 the expenses 1,304,939 kronor. 



The post-office forwarded 54,211,227 letters 

 and postal cards, 5,731,013 circulars and samples, 

 and 47,164,882 newspapers, in 1888. The receipts 

 were 6,598,040, and the expenses 6,561,924 kronor. 



The Gothenburg Licensing System. A 

 project of temperance reform introduced in 

 Gothenburg in 1865 and afterward extended to 

 other places is based on the theory that drinking 

 is promoted by the liquor-dealers. A company 

 undertook the whole business of supplying fer- 

 mented liquors on the condition that all profits 

 beyond a fixed percentage on the capital should 

 be paid into the municipal and provincial treas- 

 uries. It engaged to remunerate the dealers 

 whose licenses were extinguished. During the 

 first year the convictions for drunkenness 

 dropped from 2,070 to 1,424, yet for ten years 

 the consumption of spirits did not diminish, the 

 reason being that there was a constant rise in 

 wages. Since 1876 the operation of the system 

 has been marked by a steady diminution in the 

 consumption of spirits, in convictions for drunk- 

 enness, and in cases of alcoholism. The quan- 

 tity of spirits drunk fell from 1,777,728 litres to 

 1,568,154, or from 28'90 to 16-05 litres per capita 

 between 1876 and 1889. The cases of delirium 

 tremens in the hospitals declined from 89 to 42, 

 notwithstanding a growth of 67 per cent, in popu- 

 lation. The report of the company for 1889 

 shows that, after paying a 6-per-cent. dividend 

 and handing 'over 72,400 kronor to dealers as 

 compensation for the loss of their licenses, it paid 

 into the public treasuries 682,000 kronor. It 

 has raised the price of spirits sold at the bar. 

 The sums paid into the public treasuries are used 

 for improving the condition of the poor and for 

 works of general utility. The Stockholm com- 

 pany, which began operations in 1877, reduced at 

 once the number of dram shops from 200 to 87. 

 The improvement in public morality has been as 

 marked as in Gothenburg. 



NORWAY. The Storthing is composed of 114 

 representatives, 38 from the towns and 76 from 

 the rural districts, elected indirectly for three 

 years. One quarter of the members are elected 

 by the body to form the Lagthing, and the others 

 constitute the Odelsthing. The Council of State 

 in 1890 was composed of the following members. 

 E. Stang, Minister of State; U. F. C. Arneberg, 

 Justice and Police; E. Rygh, Finance and Cus- 

 toms ; J. A. Bonnevie, Worship and Public In- 

 struction ; P. Birch-Reichenwald, Public Works ; 

 Col. E. H. Hoff, Defense; 0. A. Furn, Interior; 

 H. Lehmann, Secretary of State ; G. W. W. Gram, 

 Minister of State of the section sitting at Stock- 

 holm, and his associates the Councilors F. N. 

 Roll and J. H. P. Thome. 



Area and Population. The area of Nor- 

 way is 123,205 square miles. In 1887 the popu- 

 lation was computed to be 1,978,400. The num- 

 ber of marriages in 1888 was 12,154: of births, 

 61,277 ; of deaths, 33,645 ; excess of births, 27,- 

 632. The number of emigrants in 1889 was 12,- 

 642, against 21,452 in 1888, 20,741 in 1887, 15,- 



