THE AMERICAN-SCANDINA VI AN REVIEW 
36 :> 
Norway 
^ A big reduction in wages throughout the engineering industry was 
announced by the Norwegian Employers’ Association on March 29, 
to take effect on April 6. The wages were cut 90 ore per hour for 
men and 60 ore per hour for women. This reduction the na¬ 
tional Federation of Norwegian Trade Unions refused to ac¬ 
cept, and as a countermove called a strike of the larger unions for 
April 15. The government, however, decided to make use of 
the power conferred on it by the compulsory arbitration law 
and prohibited the strike. The dispute will now be settled by the 
arbitration court. C| The executive committee of the Federation of 
Norwegian Trade Unions has decided with nine votes against four to 
take a general referendum of the workers on the question of withdraw¬ 
ing from the Amsterdam Internationale, chiefly because the Inter¬ 
nationale is co-operating with the Labor Office of the League of Na¬ 
tions. The government of Norway has submitted to the Council of 
the League of Nations a proposal that the Council appoint a commis¬ 
sion for impartial inquiry into famine and epidemic conditions in Rus¬ 
sia and report on measures to counteract the effect on the rest of 
Europe. The Royal Commission appointed two years ago to inves¬ 
tigate the military defenses of Norway has now issued its report. The 
majority of the members strongly oppose disarmament on the ground 
that an army and navy are absolutely necessary for the interior and 
exterior safeguard of the country. The League of Nations is no guar¬ 
antee of peace, and the international labor organizations have shown 
themselves incapable of averting war. The Commission therefore ad¬ 
vocates that general conscription be maintained. Only three Socialist 
members are in favor of disarmament. The Anglo-Norse Society,, 
which was founded less than a year ago with Professor Fridtjof Nan¬ 
sen as chairman, has had a very successful beginning. The members 
already number more than one thousand. Among distinguished Eng¬ 
lishmen who have given lectures in the Society are William Archer, 
Professor Ripman, and John Galsworthy. The Society has also taken 
the initiative in an exchange of dramatic ventures between Norway and 
England. An English company is expected to arrive in Christiania in 
June to produce several of Shakespeare’s plays at the National 
Theatre. It is hoped that leading Norwegian actors may later produce 
Ibsen’s plays in London. t| At the European Conference at Genoa y 
Norway is represented by two delegates, Minister of Commerce Mo- 
winckel and the Norwegian minister in Rome, Mr. Johannes Irgens. 
The delegates are accompanied by four experts, Mr. Volckmar, the 
well known banker; Dr. Klasstad, representing the Foreign Office; 
Captain Prytz, as specialist on economic conditions in Russia, and Ole 
Lian, as representative of the trades unions. 
