46 
THE AMERICAN-SCANDINAVIAN REVIEW 
Norway 
CJThe elections held in Norway October 24 were the first since the 
introduction of proportional representation, and the outcome of the 
new law, which is intended to make the party alignment in the Stor¬ 
ting more nearly in accord with the party affiliation of the original 
voters, was naturally awaited with intense interest. The result was, 
as expected, that the Radical (Left) party, which is the party of the 
present Blehr ministry and of the old Knudsen ministry, lost heavily, 
its Storting group being reduced from 54 to only 39. The Conserva¬ 
tive (Right) party, on the other hand, increased its representation 
from 50 to 57 and is now the strongest group in the Storting. It can 
probably also count on the support of the new Agrarian party, which 
made a successful start by obtaining 17 seats. The two labor parties 
increased their group from 18 to 37, an increase due wholly to pro¬ 
portional representation. CJ It would seem that the former law gave 
an undue representation to the country, where the old Left has its 
stronghold, while the new law gives a more adequate representation 
to the cities, where the Conservative and labor parties are more numer¬ 
ous. There is, however, a distinct trend toward the Conservative prin¬ 
ciples of business stability, room for personal initiative, and curtail¬ 
ment of State interference and State subsidies, with consequent reduc¬ 
tion of taxation. The Conservative papers demand that the Blehr 
ministry resign and give place to a more truly representative govern¬ 
ment. CJ The labor representation consists of 29 Communists and 8 
Socialists. The growth of the Communist element was expected in 
view of the fact that the latter had the whole party machine and prac¬ 
tically the whole labor press in their power. Their representatives are 
not regarded as especially radical, however. One of them is a clergy¬ 
man in the established Church, CJ According to a radio from Moscow 
to Christiania, a Russian expedition exploring Siberia has found the 
bodies of Knudsen and Tessem, the two members of the Amundsen 
expedition who left their comrades in 1919 in order to find their way 
home overland. Though nothing was heard from them, it was thought 
that they might possibly have been stranded somewhere unable to get 
out owing to the disorganized condition of the country. The place 
where the bodies were found is described as near the mouth of the 
Yenisei river. CJ Crown Prince Olav matriculated as a student at 
the University of Christiania with an impressive ceremony in the great 
hall of the University on November 8. The king and the members 
of government were present. The rector, Professor Frederik Stang, 
in his speech of welcome to the prince declared that the crown was a 
precious symbol to the Norwegians, the emblem of an old nation and a 
proud people. The prince has joined the Students’ Society as a life 
member. 
