BITTER WINTER

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 4576, 29 April 1922, Page 3

BITTER WINTER

GRIPS SCANDINAVIA. Stockholm, Fob. 28. Tho winter of 1921-22 will undoubtedly go down in Scandinavian history as the bitterest in several decades. Each day adds new detail to the story of terrible sufferings among all classes throughout Northern Europe, and especially in Sweden and Denmark. The latest unemployment figures show 158,000 without work in Sweden, which .means that more than 300,000 persons feel the pinch of want through the failure of their providers to find work. In Denmark the labour difficulties are even worse as a stringent lockout has greatly added to the already large horde of jobless. Severe cold during January and February intensified the suffering. . 'Low temperature has prevailed over the whole Scandinavian peninsula for a longer period than has been recorded since 1893. The epidemic of influenza, which began early in January, continues with little abatement. In the last two weeks in January 32,000 cases were reported in Sweden alone, while in Stockholm 80 cases are reported 'each week. ■ . / In scores of little towns traffic is cut off by pack ice. At present even the ice-breakers find the greatest difficulty in mating-their way through the ice blocks which are driven by the wind into confused mass. Each phase of the winter's catastrophe is costing the State and municipal governments millions of crowns. Tho Swedish Government disbursed 50.000,000 crowns (normally (£270,000) for unemployment allowance in January. The people are fervently praying' for an early spring to release them from their multifarious difficulties.