The American press has been busy lately spreading rumors about the Scandinavian countries, rumors that we must take issue with. The press reads as follows:

"The United States is feeding and supplying Germany with war materials and food. Not directly, but just as effectively. It is feeding and supplying Germany by way of Holland and Scandinavia. We send food and other products to Holland and Scandinavia, and Holland and Scandinavia pass them along to Germany. Either the identical things that we send or their products as substitutes are sent to Germany, and, of course, it makes no difference which.....Norway places contracts for her merchant shipping in America so that her own shipyards can turn out submarines for Germany, submarines that destroy our shipping." [The above appeared in Chicago, Wisconsin, and Minnesota newspapers.]

Yes, we protest. The above statements are false as far as the Scandinavian 2countries are concerned. The office of the American Scandinavian Foundation recently investigated the rumors that Scandinavia is a channel of food supply to Germany, and has been able to say definitely that they are quite unfounded. Early in the war the belligerents demanded guarantees against re-export of goods (whether transatlantic or from countries at war) consigned to persons in Scandinavia, and all three countries have passed laws making it a punishable offense to break such guarantees. This law is rigidly enforced. Goods are shipped in transit, principally to Russia, but these are required to be plainly marked and do not enter into the import statistics of Scandinavia. While none of the three countries have surrendered the right to export its own products to whomever they desire, the governments have found it necessary to protect the food supply of their own citizens by embargoes, and these lists comprise not only food, but almost every conceivable form of merchandise, including benzine, textiles, metals, and, of course, all kinds of weapons and ammunition.

The very small amount of food that is shipped to Germany is, therefore, domestic produce, and this is strictly regulated. In Sweden, dispensation is sometimes 3given exporters for shipping food to Germany in return for coal, because Sweden is quite shut off from all other sources of coal supply; but every shipload of food that goes to Germany must be "compensated" by an equal amount thrown on the home market at a low price. In Denmark, an agreement exists between the British Government and the Merchants' Guild in Copenhagen, stipulating that the relative proportion between the amount of food exported to Germany and Great Britain must be the same as that before the war. So conscientiously is this rule kept that when the German submarine blockade temporarily paralyzed Danish shipping, the goods destined for England were loaded on ships in the harbor of Copenhagen and held there until they could be transported on Norwegian ships even though Germany was willing to pay a high price for them. The Merchants' Guild likewise guarantees consignments of goods sent in its care against re-export. In case of breach of contract, the exporter is fined double the highest market price of the goods in addition to costs, and his name is published. In Norway, Great Britain has secured practical control of trade by threats of withholding coal from Norwegian ships, and it may safely be said that practically nothing at present is shipped from 4Norway to Germany.

The supposition that Scandinavia supplies Germany with food is founded entirely upon the figures showing the increase in American exports during the war, but obviously the only fair estimate must be based on a comparison of Scandinavia's total imports from all sources. The subject was thoroughly disposed of in England as early as last September, when, in answer to an accusation in Lord Northcliffe's paper, the Daily Mail, that the British blockade was inefficient, the War Trade Statistical Department published a report dealing with the trade of Norway. The average annual import of grain and fodder to Norway in the years from 1911 to 1913 was 484,000 tons; for the year 1914-1915 it was 495,000 tons, showing an increase of only two per cent. In 1913 Norway received 151,300 tons of grain and flour from Russia, 18,700 tons from England, and 197,600 tons from Germany, 367,600 tons in all.

"It is definitely known," says the government report, "that the Russian supply to Norway has ceased, and that the export of grain from England has shrunk to 5negligible proportions. Germany may obviously be left out of account as a possible source of present supply. These supplies being no longer available, it is clear that Norway was faced with a prospective shortage of 367,600 tons."

The increase in meat imports, it is said, is balanced by the decrease of imports of live animals, while the increase in cotton imports is accounted for by the absence of manufactured cotton goods which were formerly imported from Germany. The British Government's report states that the aggregate imports of grain and fodder to Sweden and Denmark have not been greater than in times of peace, and this statement is borne out by official figures from both countries. The export of grain and fodder from the United States to Denmark was valued at $22,620,000 in 1913, and $53,300,000 at this time, showing an increase of $30,680,000. Against this must be placed the exports of the countries now at war, which, in 1913, amounted to $35,100,000, distributed as follows: from Germany, $19,240,000; from Russia, $10,010,000; from France, $2,210,000; from England, $1,950,000; from other European countries, principally Rumania, $1,690,000. Denmark has always been a heavy purchaser of fodder in the world's markets, and her economic 6life is entirely dependent upon securing enough to feed her cattle. It may be seen from the above figures that Denmark, in 1913, bought less than her normal supply.

The total imports of Sweden from the United States in 1913 amounted to $12,104,366; today, $15,939,182. In 1913, however, Sweden imported goods from Germany valued at $75,374,520, of which $14,919,000 was for foodstuffs. The imports from Great Britain amounted to $353,771,640, of which the largest item was minerals valued at $31,408,260. It is obvious that not only these imports, but likewise the lesser, though considerable amounts from Belgium, France, and Russia, have been practically stopped. The chief import from Russia before the war was grain, of which Russia formerly exported a great amount to all the Scandinavian countries. That supply is now stopped, not only because the grain is needed in Russia, but also because of lack of facilities for carrying it from the interior, for the rolling stock of the railroads is employed for transportation for the army.

7

The preposterous charge that Norway is furnishing Germany with submarines is evidently based on a stupid story which recently had an extensive circulation in the press of America. According to this story a certain shipyard in Christiania had, during the war, delivered hundreds (sic) of submarines to the German Government. Skandinaven branded the story an infamous and criminal fabrication and stated that Norway, of course, could not have furnished Germany with a single submarine during this war. Skandinaven submitted the matter to the Norwegian Minister at Washington, His Excellency, H. Bryn, who has responded as follows:

"Editor of Skandinaven, Chicago, Illinois:

"There has recently been reprinted in your paper a rumor to the effect that submarines were delivered from Norway to Germany. In reference to this matter, I am in a position to declare officially that the said rumor is absolutely without foundation. I would be thankful if you would kindly print this statement in your paper at the earliest opportunity. I would also appreciate receiving a copy 8of this issue in which this letter is published.

"Thanking you for your assistance in this matter, I am

"With highest regards,

"H. Bryn, Minister to Norway"