III2 



PERSIA 



Party), and 15 Conservatives and Liberal Left, these being now the names under 

 which parties are divided. At the second ballots (Nov. 4 for towns and Nov. n for 

 country districts) the Radical wave which had already manifested itself practically 

 swept the country, the final results being 76 Radicals (Left 70, Labour Democrats 6), 

 24 Conservatives and Liberal Left, and 23 Socialists. The Government, however, 

 decided to remain in office till the Storthing met in January 1913. The new Storthing 

 contained no woman, the few female vice-deputies who were candidates for some of the 

 Christiania seats being beaten with their male colleagues; there were no women candi- 

 dates elsewhere either as regular members or as vice-deputies. 



The rapid industrial development of the country during the past six years has often 

 brought about friction between workers and employers, resulting in numerous strikes 

 and lockouts. This was especially the case in 1911, when a number of agreements as 

 to conditions and payment of labour expired which were only renewed after protracted 

 negotiations and in some cases very serious conflicts. The most important of these 

 conflicts, which created general notice not only within but beyond the frontiers of the 

 country, originated in the Mining Industry. The agreements within that industry 

 expired on January i, 1911. On October 24, 1910 negotiations were opened, but resulted 

 in a strike, no agreement being arrived at. During the following spring the Employers' 

 Association tried to induce the Norwegian Workmen's Association to prevail upon the 

 striking miners to resume work, but when the latter Association refused to do so the 

 Employers' Association subsequently declared lockout against the organised workers, 

 commencing with the workers in the wood pulp, cellulose and paper mills, and subse- 

 quently including the iron industry, until 32,000 workers or about one third of all 

 Norwegian workers were left unemployed. The conflict was finally settled on August 

 23, 1911 by special mediation. In the same way was also settled an important strike 

 in the summer of 1912 embracing the steamship engineers and stokers, which at first 

 seemed likely to bring about a deadlock in the regular coast traffic. These conflicts 

 have brought about a growing interest in the establishment of mediation and arbitra- 

 tion courts for the settlement of labour disputes. 



Among important recent national events mention must be made of the centenary 

 of the University of Christiania (Sept. 2, 1911), which was celebrated throughout the 

 country and resulted in a national subscription to the University of about 40,000. 



Authorities. The chief Source of statistical information is Norges officielle Statistik (1861- 

 191 1 ) with a complete record on essential subjects of economic and social interest. Amternes 

 okonomiske Tilstand, official publication (last volume 1900-1905), gives a quinquennial 

 summary of the economic and social development of all towns and counties in Norway. 

 For Christiania see also Kristiania, Beretning om den okonomiske Tilstand (quinquennial, 

 last edition 1906-10, published 1912). For the commercial development of Bergen and 

 other towns, Norges handkalender (published every third year, last edition 1911-12) may be 

 recommended, j. V. Heiberg's Unionens Oplosning 1905 (1906) is a complete collection of 

 all official documents bearing upon the dissolution of the Union with Sweden. The stand- 

 ard work in Norwegian history within recent years is Norges Historic, Exhibited to the Nor- 

 wegian People, by A. Bugge, E. Hertsberg, Osc. Alb. Johnsen, Yngvar Nielsen, J. E. Sars, 

 and A. Taranger (1910, not completed), of which 6 half-volumes have appeared, embracing 

 the following periods: Period before about 800 A. D.; about 800-1030; 1537-1588; 1588-1660; 

 1660-1746 and 1884-1905. (S. C. HAMMER.) 



PERSIA 1 



Neither the concession of a " constitution " in 1906, nor the abdication of Sultan 

 Mohamed Ali and the accession of his son Sultan Ahmad Mirza (b. 1896) in July 1909, 

 availed to bring order into the Persian chaos. The history of Persia from the opening 

 of the new national council or Mejliss (Majlis) in November 1909 is indeed one of pro- 

 gressive anarchy. The actual events are disconnected and in many cases individually 

 unimportant, but their cumulative effect is evidence of the gradual paralysis of the cen- 

 tral government. The root cause of this paralysis is not difficult to trace. It lay in the 

 inability of the Mejliss to work with the Cabinet. Votes of censure followed hard upon 



1 See E. B. xxi, 187-202, 244-5. 



