TIIE A ME RICA N-S CA N DIN A VIA N RE VIE TV 
685 
Denmark 
CJ After its victory in passing, with the aid of the Conservatives, the 
military defense law described in a former issue, the Liberal govern¬ 
ment yielded to pressure from the other parties and compromised on a 
limited import regulation including chiefly cigars and footwear. This 
measure is favored by all parties outside of that represented in the gov¬ 
ernment. CJ The import regulation, together with a new land tax, also 
passed in the last minute before adjournment, has resulted in a move¬ 
ment on the part of the Danish Agricultural Society to form its own 
political party with independent candidates for the coming elections. 
At the same time the Industrial party, which had only three repre¬ 
sentatives in the Folketing, has split, two of its members deciding to 
combine with former Conservative member of the Folkething, Editor 
Asger Ivarstensen, to form a new party with an extended programme, 
while only one of the old Industrial party members remains to per¬ 
petuate the party name and programme. CJ The possible co-opera¬ 
tion of the Conservatives with the Socialists and Radicals—a possi¬ 
bility that has formerly been thrown out for consideration by the 
Socialists—has now been taken up for consideration also by the Con¬ 
servatives. Recently a young member of the Folkething, P. Kors- 
gaard, who has often been mentioned as the future leader of the Con¬ 
servative party, at a political meeting said that the time might come 
when the Conservatives would make their way to power by uniting 
with the Socialists and Radical Left party against the Liberal Left, 
more particularly on the subject of import regulation, and thus force 
out the government, which is hardly expected to concede more than 
it has already done by the law for regulating the import of cigars and 
footwear just passed. The general opinion, however, is that when 
the time comes for the present ruling party to retire, it is most likely 
to be succeeded by a purely Socialist government, possibfy with some 
aid from the Radical Left. Cji The unrest in all the political parties 
is partly due to the uncertainty created by the retirement of a man 
who for many years has been the mainstay of the Liberal Left, J. C. 
Christensen. He has for some time declared his intention of retiring, 
largely moved by failing health. Last August he resigned his port¬ 
folio as minister of ecclesiastical affairs in the Neergaard cabinet to 
Minister of Education Jacob Appel, who thus combines two port¬ 
folios. Though a strong party man who has during his active career 
roused violent opposition in many quarters, J. C. Christensen on his 
retirement received an almost unanimous tribute from all over the 
country. CJ The economic situation in Denmark is now somewhat 
better than it has been, both as to the State and private concerns. The 
State railways have begun to pay, and almost the whole merchant 
marine is in active service again. Unemployment has decreased. 
