SWITZERLAND n 43 



First Chamber, took final shape in May 1907 and was accepted by both Chambers. 

 Under the Constitution, the Bill could only become law if ratified by the Riksdag after 

 new elections to the Second Chamber, but it was finally passed in 1909, after the elec- 

 tions of 1908. 



The Lindman Ministry was especially eager for practical economic legislation, and 

 during its term of office the Riksdag passed a series of bills for construction of new rail- 

 ways, state purchase of waterfalls, erection of state-owned hydro-electric power stations, 

 etc. The State took over half the shares of the great Kiruna-Gellivara and other min- 

 ing concerns in Lapland. A thorough-going reform of the income and capital taxation 

 was effected in 1910, and industrial development was advanced in various ways. 



In 1909 a gre~at lockout was followed by a general strike, in August, affecting 285,000 

 workmen, but the railwaymen and the agricultural labourers did not join, and in 

 September most of the strikers were back at work, the great conflict being finally ended 

 in November. Thanks to the orderly conduct of the workingmen and the firm meas- 

 ures of the Government, order was admirably preserved during the whole conflict. 



The General Election of September 1911, the first since the introduction of Man- 

 hood Suffrage and Proportional Representation, was keenly contested and resulted in 

 great successes for the Liberals and Social Democrats (102 Liberals, 64 Conservatives, 

 64 Social Democrats). Mr. Lindman then resigned, Mr. Staaff, the Liberal leader, 

 again becoming Premier (Oct. 7), with Count Albert Ehrensvard (previously 

 Swedish Minister at Washington) as Foreign Minister. Wishing to gain a sure working 

 majority at the joint sittings of both Chambers on Budget questions on which the 

 Houses were at variance, Mr. Staaff induced the King to dissolve the First Chamber, 

 where the Conservatives had always been in an overwhelming majority. The result 

 of the new elections (Nov.) was a considerable weakening of the Conservative 

 majority in the Upper House (87 Conservatives, 51 Liberals, 12 Social Democrats). 



The chief questions of political interest during the last two years have been the 

 Defence Question and several matters of social legislation. A great scheme of National 

 Insurance and Old Age Pensions is being prepared, the sick relief fund law has been 

 reformed, and several bills for improving the Factory Laws have been passed. The 

 Women's Suffrage Question has been keenly discussed on the platform and in the 

 Riksdag; bills purporting to grant the suffrage to women on the same terms as to men 

 have more than once passed the Second Chamber, but have then been invariably re- 

 jected by the Upper House. The creation of Small Holdings is generally recognised to 

 be of great national importance, but opinions differ widely as to the best system of ten- 

 ure, and violent dissensions have arisen in regard to the respective rights of the State on 

 the one hand and the private occupiers or owners on the other to utilise the waterfalls for 

 generating electric power for industrial enterprises. 



Obituary. -The deaths may be noted of: Rear-Admiral THEODOR SANDSTROM (b. 1853; 

 d. Feb. 6, 1911); ALFRED ELIS TORNEBOHM (b. 1838; d. Ap. 21, 1911), the geologist (see E. B. 

 xix, 801 b; xiv, 810 a); JOHAN SEVERIN SVENDSEN (b. 1840; d. June 14, 1911), the famous 

 composer (see E. B. xxvi, 175); CHRISTIAN LUNDEBERG (b. 1842; d. Nov. n, 1911), the 

 statesman who, as premier, conducted the negotiations for the separation from Norway in 

 1905; and AUGUST STRINDBERG (b. 1849; d. May 14, 1912), the famous author (see E. B. 

 xxv, 1038). (VERNER SODERBERG; Louis ZETTERSTEN.) 



SWITZERLAND l 



Population. The provisional results of the census taken' on December i, 1910 

 Snow that the resident population of Switzerland on that day was 3,741,971 as against 

 3,315,443 in 1900, an increase of 426,528. The details of the 22 Cantons are as 

 follows: Aargau, 229,850; Appenze'll, 72,354; Basel, 211,787; Bern, 642,744; Fribourg, 

 139,200; Gall, St., 301,141; Geneva, 154,159; Glarus, 33,211; Graubiinden, 118,262; 

 Lucerne, 166,782; Neuchatel, 132,184; Schaffhausen, 45,943; Schwyz, 58,347; Soleure, 

 116,728; Thurgau, 134,055; Ticino, 158,556; Unterwalden, 30,914; Uri, 22,055; Valais, 

 129,579; Vaud, 315,428; Zug, 28,013; an d Zurich, 500,679. In the rural districts the 



1 See E. B. xxvi, 239 et seg. 



