48 A SUMMER IN GREENLAND 
Greenland is a ‘dry’ country, but the officials are 
allowed to have in their possession a definite quan- 
tity of alcohol; the higher the official the larger the 
allowance. There are no taxes in the ordinary sense, 
though, when skins and other things are bought 
by the officials from the Greenlanders, a reduction 
is made and the money thus obtained is spent for 
the country’s benefit. The profits accruing to the 
firm which works the cryolite mine in South Green- 
land are taxed by the government, and this tax 
plays an important part in the balance-sheet of the 
Royal Greenland Administration. A special paper 
currency is used in Greenland; a 25-dre note has 
on it a picture of an Eider Duck, a Saddle-backed 
Seal is represented on a 50-Gre note, a Reindeer on 
a one-krone note, while a Polar Bear represents 
five kronen. There are no police, and serious 
crimes are very rare. Crime is, however, not un- 
known nor are the criminals without a sense of 
humour: an Aztaché of the Danish Legation in 
describing a film illustrating the royal visit to 
Greenland told the following story: ‘Before the 
coast was sighted, a frail native canoe carrying a 
single man was detected among the ice-floes. 
Assuming that this was a messenger who had 
ventured so far from land to bid the King wel- 
come, he was invited on board the cruiser, treated 
to a royal cigar and presented with a rifle. When 
the King landed a few hours later His Majesty 
was informed that the guest he had so signally 
honoured was an escaped convict.’ Disputes be- 
tween natives are settled by a court composed ex- 
