ARMED NEUTRALITY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 March 1943, Page 4

ARMED NEUTRALITY

SWEDEN IN WAR TIME PEOPLE PROUD & INDUSTRIOUS. DETERMINED TO REMAIN FREE. (By Maurice Feldman in the “Christian Science Monitor.”) Stockholm is one of the very few capitals of Europe which still illuminates its stores and streets. Yet even in this city one feels the touch of war. In the Kungsgatan is the German travel bureau and a German institute. In the window a great map of Europe with a caption: “A continent fights against Bolshevism.’ Pictures of German soldiers, the German and Italian communiques. Near the railway station in the Vasagatan is the window of the British, with British pictures, plane models, and the Union Jack. Not far away are the headquarters of “Intourist,” with Russian posters and photographs. Every Swede gets to know the propaganda of both sides, and Swedes read it—with reservations. One Stockholm paper has a reminder on top of its newsstands: “Read the news, but do not talk about it here.” And another one: “In serious times keep your knowledge of military things to yourself.” The big and old Hotel Anglais is a home for transient Finnish children. This summer more than 24,000 spent their vacation in Sweden. When they arrive in Stockholm they are put up at the Hotel Anglais. Later they come into homes for children or to families. The means for this general relief work are collected through public contributions. * Disabled Finnish soldiers can frequently be seen on the streets. They are guests of Swedish organisations and hospitals. Posters solicit aid for Belgian children. Since it was impossible to transport these children to Sweden eating places .dor children have been opened in Belgium. Another committee works for French children. Still another organisation sent foodstuffs to Greece, under the most difficult circumstances. The daily life of the Swedes is determined by one word: rationing. Food, clothes, tobacco, wood, coal and many other articles are rationed. If you go into a restaurant, you need bread, butter, meat and egg ration cards. To stretch the ration as much as possible, the waiter gives you friendly advice. In spite of rationing and the increase of prices, the places are overcrowded. People still earn money and look fordistraction and relaxation. The summer theatres played to full houses and the movies have more patrons than ever. While masses look for amusement, the bookshops are prospering. The reading public is on the increase, libraries have a greater reading circle, and books are published in many editions. Swedish literature maintains its place beside a great number of translations of foreign authors.’ English and American literature is prominent in the windows of the bookshops, mostly political and military books, but novels and poetry as well. At newsstands one finds mostly'German papers. English and American papers are hardly, ever to be had. Sweden needs workers. Posters request: “Volunteer for work on the farms while on vacation.” “Become a State worker.” State workers are workers who voluntarily quit their jobs for a fevz months to work in the forests. Food and fuel must be secured. Gigantic amounts of wood must be cut — for industry, for fuel, as a substitute for gasoline in automobiles, for the manufacture of paper and rayon. The Government is thinking of drafting labour. Sweden is preparing for an ever stronger armed neutrality. Parliament has accepted a five-year plan of armament, the greatest military budget in Sweden’s history. The violent debates about it concerned only details; the principle meets with complete unanimity. The Social-Democratic Party—for ten years the Government party almost without interruption—has the majority of the people and the majority of representatives in both Houses of Parliament. Yet the Government consists of representatives of the four great parties. National unity is the motto. Typical proof of this was given by the press at the occasion of the sixtieth birthday of the Minister for Public Education and the leader of the Conservative Party, Gosa Bagge. The Social-Democratic Prime Minister and party leader, Per Albin Hansson, congratulated his colleague and was joined by other ministers and party leaders of the farmers and liberals. After two bad harvests this year’s crop was good beyond all expectations.

This means that the rations will not be reduced. Parks and lawns have been transformed into vegetable fields. Wherever uncultivated land was found grain is growing now. Stockholm is not less beautiful for it. Stockholm beautiful and joyful, too, despite the war, and its people proud, industrious, and determined to remain free and independent.