VALUE OF PEACE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19137, 5 October 1936, Page 12

VALUE OF PEACE

POLITICAL PARABLE

RESULTS IN EUROPE

NORWAY, SWEDEN,

DENMARK

LONDON. Aug. .10

A writer in (he Economist provides striking evidence of the value of peace in a survey of conditions in Norway, Sweden- and-De'nmnrk. It is 1 a notable political parable.

"The observant visitor to the three Northern democracies —Norway, Sweden and Denmark —is first of all impressed .by the culture and the high material standard of living- which these small countries can maintain," suvs the writer.

"Here arc three nations, mustering only some 20 millions of inhabitants altogether, subsisting on lands of which more than half are mountains or uncultivable, vet living at the highest standards of living which bourgeois Europe can afford, and possessed "of considerable capital assets in the shape of mercantile marine, foreign investments, etc. Their train de vie is higher than that of other countries, such as Argentina, which have a comparable population.

SOCIAL WELFARE INCOMPARABLI

"Their popular culture is much higher, and their systems of social welfare are incomparable. > The neatness and good quality of their clothes; their particular understanding of hygienic problems; their universal cleanliness; the wealth of their technical labour-saving devices of all kinds; the care of their children; the excellence of their schools, (most ot which, together with the universities, are free of charge) and the surprisingly high level of general education ; finally, their love for and knowledge of art, music and literature—these are the things which most impress the observant visitor to the North.

"How do they do it? How is it possible for these- small countries to have readied their present position, and to have maintained and even consolidated it despite a world crisis and the competition of more powerful nations? "The outstanding cause of ordered prosperity in all these countries has been peace? —the absence of ravaging wars and of their crushing legacies; gigantic national debts, distorted distribution of national income, etc. Many decades of internal and external peace'have enabled the Swedes and their fellow Scandinavians to turn their best brains to oeonomic and cultural development. TASTE AND COMMON SENSE, "''Good taste and common sense have guided them in this process, and the fact that they enjoy spending money and like to get the best of everything has helped to create a strong internal market, it must be realised that in the Scandinavian countries few people are rich, but fewer really poor. An extraordinarily even distribution of the national income has gradually taken place, with the result that the. general standard of real incomes to-day is strikingly high. "There can be no doubt that the present prosperity of the Scandinavian countries is very largely a result of psychological forces and the broad human element. However great or limited their natural resources may be, perhaps the decisive factor is the national character and the quality ot the population. All throe countries" are inhabited by people who possess the ability and the will to make the most of the opportunities offered them by their respective countries. "Thus iii Denmark, especially during the last few decades, the efficient and systematic industrialisation of agriculture was possible only because the Danish peasant is remarkably hard working and intelligent. Agriculture in Denmark demands, a thorough knowledge of bookkeeping and statistics, a comprehension of foreign exchange operations and of economic problems of world importance; and all this in addition to the ordinary knowledge of the peasant of tillage or cattle-breeding. EFFICIENT PEASANTS

"It is enough to exchange a few words with a simple Danish peasant, to realise at once that he lias reached so high a degree of efficiency as to turn out. a standard pig, cow or chicken with the same precision as Mr. Ford turns out his motor ears.

"The Swedish peasant has much in common with his Danish cousin, especially down in Skane—justly considered the granary of Sweden. Industrialised as Sweden is", her agriculture remains one of the main foundations of her economic life. Moreover, the Swedish peasant—who, incidentally, has never known serfdom—has for centuries played a decisive part in the country's political life.

"Both the men and women seem particularly skilful with their hands; and Swedish arts and crafts, homespun, textiles and rugs deservedly enjoys a wide repute. Orrefors glass, furniture, woodwork, mosaics and pewter must also be mentioned as typical specimens of Swedish artistic genius. "This flourishing economic and cultural development of Scandinavia: has very deep roots in the history of lrcr people. Democracy is there the tradition, yet it is creative, adaptable and vigorous. While the present economic and social institutions have been evolved during the last few decades, they are a continuation of Scandinavia's best traditions. Those traditions, coupled witli good management, have turned Sweden. Norway, aiid Denmark into the aristocratic democracies of the North."