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21 - History of Iceland by Knut Gjerset · History of Iceland

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Speaker 1: Chapter eighteen of History of Iceland by Knute Jersat. This
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Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain. The struggle for
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Speaker 1: independence Iceland proclaimed a sovereign state recent economic development. The constitution,
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Speaker 1: granted in eighteen seventy four, contained many features distasteful to
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Speaker 1: the Icelanders. It was accepted as a first installment of
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Speaker 1: liberty in the hope that new concessions could be obtained later,
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Speaker 1: but it was evident that the people were not satisfied
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Speaker 1: with an autonomy so imperfectly accomplished. It is said that
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Speaker 1: the first time King Christian the Ninth met Yan Sigurdson
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Speaker 1: after the millennial festivities, he asked him if the Icelanders
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Speaker 1: were satisfied with the constitution, to which Sigridsen replied that
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Speaker 1: since the chief wish of the Icelanders had not been granted,
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Speaker 1: his could not expect them to be satisfied. This answer
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Speaker 1: expressed very pointedly the relation existing between the two countries.
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Speaker 1: No one could doubt that the constitutional struggle would be renewed,
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Speaker 1: though king and government were sure to falter at every
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Speaker 1: step towards a more perfect democracy. The Icelanders wished their
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Speaker 1: administration to be entrusted to native officials residing in Reikievik,
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Speaker 1: but it was still directed from Copenhagen. No Minister for
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Speaker 1: Icelandic affairs had ever been appointed, as provided in the Constitution.
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Speaker 1: The management of these matters had been left to the
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Speaker 1: Danish Minister of Justice, who would often advise the King
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Speaker 1: to veto bills passed by the All Thing. When Yon
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Speaker 1: Sigurdsen died in eighteen seventy nine, his able Lieutenant Benedict Sfeins,
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Speaker 1: at one time Associate Justice of the lands Furture and
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Speaker 1: later sislu Math of Thingei Yo, reopened the constitutional conflict
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Speaker 1: by proposing in eighteen eighty one a revision of the constitution.
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Speaker 1: According to the plan submitted, both the office of lands
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Speaker 1: sho Thinghi than that of Minister for Iceland were to
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Speaker 1: be abolished, and an Icelandic administrative government was to be
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Speaker 1: created in Reykievik, consisting of a Viceroy with a ministry
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Speaker 1: of not more than three members appointed by himself but
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Speaker 1: responsible to the All Thing. To become law, all bills
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Speaker 1: passed by the All Thing had to be signed by
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Speaker 1: the King or by the Viceroy, who should exercise for
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Speaker 1: royal power. Constitutional amendments should be signed by the King
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Speaker 1: in person. The ministers, if accused, should be tried by
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Speaker 1: a special tribunal consisting of some members of the Upper
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Speaker 1: Branch of the All Thing and the Justice of the
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Speaker 1: Lands for utter or highest Icelandic court. All members of
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Speaker 1: the All Thing thirty six in numbers should be popularly chosen,
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Speaker 1: and a supreme Court of appeal was to be created
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Speaker 1: for Iceland. This proposed revision was submitted to every session
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Speaker 1: of the All Thing till eighteen ninety five. It was
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Speaker 1: always passed by the lower branch, but meant determined opposition
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Speaker 1: in the upper branch. It was at last passed by
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Speaker 1: two succeeding all Things as provided in the Constitution, that
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Speaker 1: is eighteen eighty five, in eighteen eighty six, eighteen ninety three,
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Speaker 1: eighteen ninety four, but it was promptly feedoed by the King.
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Speaker 1: In the reasons for the Royal veto submit in November two,
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Speaker 1: eighteen eighty five, it was stated that it would be
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Speaker 1: a violation of the Danish Constitution and of Iceland's position
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Speaker 1: as an inseparable part of the Danish Kingdom. Furthermore, the
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Speaker 1: proposed changes would also entail two big expenses for so
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Speaker 1: poor a country as Iceland. The more moderate political leaders,
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Speaker 1: in seeking a way out of the difficulty, began to
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Speaker 1: consider acceptable compromises. In eighteen eighty nine, Sigurdur Stephenson, Yona
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Speaker 1: yensign I, Recur Briham and Paul Briham framed such a compromise,
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Speaker 1: the mith Lund patterned on the Government of the Dominion
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Speaker 1: of Canada, but it was not passed by the All Thing.
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Speaker 1: In the session of eighteen ninety five, the majority of
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Speaker 1: the members resolved to drop the old revision plan, which
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Speaker 1: was again submitted. In its place, a resolution was passed
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Speaker 1: requesting the government to submit a plan for revision, but
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Speaker 1: this request was also rejected by the government. Among the people,
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Speaker 1: great confusion prevailed. Some were in favor of continuing the
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Speaker 1: struggle along the lines hitherto followed. Others thought that this
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Speaker 1: would be useless because of the determined opposition of the government,
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Speaker 1: but all agreed that the existing conditions could no longer
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Speaker 1: be tolerated. In eighteen ninety seven, Vaultier Gudmansen, professor in
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Speaker 1: the University of Copenhagen, who had been elected member of
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Speaker 1: the All Things, submitted a compromise plan in order to
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Speaker 1: shape an issue which might gain general support. According to
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Speaker 1: this plan, nearly all the main provisions in the Constitution
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Speaker 1: were to be retained, but a Minister for Iceland capable
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Speaker 1: of speaking the Icelandic language, should have a seat in
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Speaker 1: the All Things, should take part in its deliberations, and
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Speaker 1: should be responsible to it for all his official acts.
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Speaker 1: This provision, however, if carried through, would bring about a
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Speaker 1: greater change than at first apparent, as it would virtually
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Speaker 1: establish parliamentary government. It is therefore quite noteworthy that the
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Speaker 1: government agreed to accept the plan. The bill was passed
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Speaker 1: in the upper branch of the All Things, but in
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Speaker 1: the lower branch it was defeated by a majority of
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Speaker 1: three votes. In eighteen ninety nine, it was again passed
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Speaker 1: by the upper branch, but failed to pass in the lower.
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Speaker 1: The plan did not provide for an Icelandic administration in Mugiwick,
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Speaker 1: as the Icelandic Minister should remain in Copenhagen. In consequence,
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Speaker 1: it failed to pass as it did not solve the
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Speaker 1: constitutional question in a way satisfactory to the majority of
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Speaker 1: the people. The election of nineteen hundred gave the supporters
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Speaker 1: of Goodman's Sons Bill a slight majority in nineteen oh one,
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Speaker 1: it was introduced in the All Thing for the third
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Speaker 1: time in a slightly altered form, and was passed by
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Speaker 1: both branches. The bill provided for an increase in the
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Speaker 1: number of popularly chosen representatives to thirty four, eight of
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Speaker 1: whom should sit in the Upper Branch, in order that
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Speaker 1: the popularly chosen representatives might be in the majority in
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Speaker 1: both branches of the Assembly. Suffrage was extended to all
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Speaker 1: male citizens not servants twenty five years of age who
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Speaker 1: were paying a yearly tax of forkrowner. The sessions of
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Speaker 1: the All Things should last for two months, even before
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Speaker 1: the measure had been voted upon in this upper branch,
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Speaker 1: where it was received that a liberal ministry had been
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Speaker 1: formed in Denmark and that a Dane had been appointed
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Speaker 1: Minister for Iceland. A memorial was therefore addressed to the
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Speaker 1: King stating that a fully satisfactory solution of the constitutional
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Speaker 1: question could be reached only when the Icelanders received a
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Speaker 1: government of their own residing in Reykievik. To this memorial,
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Speaker 1: the King returned a very favorable answer, saying that the
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Speaker 1: desired modifications of the constitution, among others, also that a
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Speaker 1: minister for Iistland capable of speaking the Icelandic language and
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Speaker 1: taking part in the deliberations of the All Things, would
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Speaker 1: be granted that a government proposal would be submitted to
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Speaker 1: the next session of that Assembly containing a plan for
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Speaker 1: establishing and Icelandic ministry in Reykievik. In the next election,
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Speaker 1: the Home Rule Party was victorious. The government proposal providing
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Speaker 1: for an Icelandic Minister residing in Reykievik was submitted to
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Speaker 1: the All Thing and was passed by both branches. New
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Speaker 1: elections were ordered in nineteen o three, the Home Rule Party,
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Speaker 1: again receiving a majority. The government. Amendments to the Constitution,
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Speaker 1: passed almost unanimously by the New All Things, received royal
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Speaker 1: sanction October three, nineteen o three. Eisen had now received
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Speaker 1: Home rule. The revised Constitution, which was to become effective
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Speaker 1: February one, nineteen o four, abolished the office of Lands
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Speaker 1: sho Thinghi, likewise those of the two amped Men. The
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Speaker 1: Icelandic Minister was to reside in Kievik. He was to
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Speaker 1: be able to speak and write Icelandic, and should take
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Speaker 1: part in the deliberations of the All Things, and should
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Speaker 1: be responsible to it for all his official acts. From
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Speaker 1: time to time, he should go to Copenhagen to lay
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Speaker 1: before the King in cabinet meeting, bills and other important matters.
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Speaker 1: The all things should be assembled July one every other
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Speaker 1: year and should remain in session eight weeks. It was
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Speaker 1: to consist of forty members, thirty four of whom should
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Speaker 1: be elected by the people, as six to be appointed
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Speaker 1: by the King. In organizing itself for legislative work, it
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Speaker 1: should divide into two branches, the free dealed or upper branch,
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Speaker 1: to consist of fourteen members, and the nethree dealed or
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Speaker 1: lower branch of twenty six members. Male citizens not servants
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Speaker 1: and paying a yearly tax of fikroner should have the
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Speaker 1: right to vote. Mayor and cislu Mather Hannes Afstein was
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Speaker 1: appointed Minister for Iceland. There can be no doubt that
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Speaker 1: the Danish government at this time made an earnest effort
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Speaker 1: to solve the constitutional controversy in a manner satisfactory to
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Speaker 1: the Icelanders, and all hoped that political peace and good
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Speaker 1: understanding would now prevail. But the changing of an old
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Speaker 1: conservative fundamental law to fit a new time spirits something
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Speaker 1: like the task of a modeling an old house one
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Speaker 1: change necessitates another, and many alterations will have to be made,
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Speaker 1: which at first were neither foreseen nor contemplated. Together with
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Speaker 1: the provision in the revised Constitution that the Icelandic Minister
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Speaker 1: should reside in Reikievik, it was stipulated that he should
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Speaker 1: submit to the King meetings of the Cabinet, new laws
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Speaker 1: and other important matters for his signature. This had been
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Speaker 1: done and could easily be done so long as the
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Speaker 1: Minister resided in Copenhagen. Provision in the Constitution that existed
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Speaker 1: regarding this matter already in the summer of nineteen oh two,
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Speaker 1: before the constitutional amendments were passed, anonymous writers began to
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Speaker 1: oppose this provision in the revised Constitution and sought to
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Speaker 1: prevent its adoption. A new party was formed, led by
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Speaker 1: Judge John Jensen and the political leader Biarnie Johnson, to
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Speaker 1: oppose this feature of the revision program. This new group,
10:25
Speaker 1: calling themselves land bar Nar Floker or Party of National Defense,
10:31
Speaker 1: soon received the support of the Conservatives, now calling themselves
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Speaker 1: the Progressive Party from sok Nar Flocker, who also were
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Speaker 1: opposed to the minister. This opposition to the new administration
10:44
Speaker 1: became as formidable as it was determined. The cry was
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Speaker 1: raised that through the revised Constitution, Iceland had been incorporated
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Speaker 1: in the Danish Kingdom, that the law of eighteen seventy
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Speaker 1: one regarding Iceland's relation to the realm had been accepted.
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Speaker 1: Vigorous objection also raised because the Danish authorities had signed
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Speaker 1: the appointment of Afstein as Icelandic Minister, as this indicated
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Speaker 1: that they still wished to exert influence on purely Icelandic affairs.
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Speaker 1: With regard to the provision and the Constitution that bills
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Speaker 1: passed by the off things should be submitted to the
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Speaker 1: King in cabinet meeting, it was demanded that Icelandic affairs
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Speaker 1: should be separated from those of Denmark and should not
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Speaker 1: be laid before the King and the meeting of the
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Speaker 1: whole cabinet, as this would give his Danish advisers the
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Speaker 1: right to deliberate and decide on purely Icelandic matters and
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Speaker 1: would still make the Icelandic government subservient to the Danish authorities.
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Speaker 1: Up till nineteen o four, the Danes had always taken
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Speaker 1: for granted that Iceland was an integral part of the
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Speaker 1: Danish Kingdom, even when important concessions were made to the
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Speaker 1: Icelanders in their struggle for national autonomy. It had been
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Speaker 1: assumed that no other relation could exist between the two countries.
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Speaker 1: To this view, the Icelanders had never exceeded. As a rule.
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Speaker 1: They held the view of their great leader Jan sigurd Sin,
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Speaker 1: who had made it clear that after the king had
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Speaker 1: renounced his absolute power, the Gamli set Mali was the
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Speaker 1: sole remaining union agreement. According to this view, the more
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Speaker 1: aggressive leaders claimed that only a confederate union existed between
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Speaker 1: Denmark and Iceland, as had been established between Norway and
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Speaker 1: Iceland in twelve sixty two. We have seen that according
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Speaker 1: to the gam Mali, the Icelanders were to retain their
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Speaker 1: own laws and institutions, their national Assembly, and full control
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Speaker 1: of their own affairs, but they promised to receive a
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Speaker 1: yuro or governor general appointed by the king to act
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Speaker 1: as his deputy. It was unfortunate that the Danish statesmen
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Speaker 1: should have become so attached to the idea of the
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Speaker 1: unity of the realm as to insist that under all
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Speaker 1: circumstances Iceland must be considered an integral part of the
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Speaker 1: Danish Kingdom. They had already made great concessions to the
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Speaker 1: national aspiration of the Icelanders, but their theory gave offense.
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Speaker 1: The struggle was carried into the realm of principle, like
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Speaker 1: the taxation controversy between the American colonies and King George
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Speaker 1: the Third, rendering practical adjustments difficult. In the light of
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Speaker 1: such a theory, the Icelanders could only view all bonds
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Speaker 1: which united them with Denmark as fetters designed to keep
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Speaker 1: them in a state of inferiority and subjugation. Questions were
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Speaker 1: sure to arise about Icelandic commerce, flag and other important matters,
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Speaker 1: as they had done in Norway and Sweden under similar circumstances.
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Speaker 1: Political peace and mutual goodwill between the two partners in
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Speaker 1: the Union could be established only by recognizing their essential equality.
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Speaker 1: No one could doubt that the struggle would continue until
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Speaker 1: Iceland's complete independence as a sovereign nation should be definitely acknowledged.
13:45
Speaker 1: When the Old Thing assembled in nineteen o five, the
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Speaker 1: chief measure under consideration was their proposals submitted by the
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Speaker 1: Minister Hall Halfstein regarding a projected plan for telegraphic and
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Speaker 1: telephone service in Iceland. The Great Northern teles Graph Company
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Speaker 1: had agreed to delay a telegraphic cable to the Pharaoh
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Speaker 1: Islands and Iceland if subsidies were granted by the Icelandic government.
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Speaker 1: In the plan submitted, it was provided that such a
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Speaker 1: subsidy should be granted together with funds for their construction
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Speaker 1: of the telegraph and telephone lines between southern and northern Iceland.
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Speaker 1: Since eighteen ninety one, this project has been discussed and
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Speaker 1: a strong sentiment had been created in its favor, but
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Speaker 1: the opposition, backed by the Paper Isofold, began a determined
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Speaker 1: fight against it. In an effort to defeat the minister,
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Speaker 1: securing an offer from the Maconi Company of wireless telegraphic
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Speaker 1: service to Iceland. They held that this would be cheaper
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Speaker 1: and argued that the subsidies necessary to secure the projected
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Speaker 1: cable would drain the treasury. As their investigation finally showed
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Speaker 1: that the cable would be the safest and most advantageous
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Speaker 1: telegraphic connection to be secured, the bill was passed October
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Speaker 1: twenty nineteen o five year, A cable was laid to
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Speaker 1: say Dispeared, and telegraph and telephone lines were soon extended
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Speaker 1: to akur Ri and Reikievik. The political events in Norway
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Speaker 1: in nineteen oh five, which led to the dissolution of
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Speaker 1: the Swedish Norwegian Union, gave at its strength to the
15:16
Speaker 1: demands of the Icelanders for complete independence. When Frederick the
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Speaker 1: Eighth ascended the throne in nineteen oh six, he extended
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Speaker 1: an invitation to the Icelandic golf Thing to visit Denmark.
15:27
Speaker 1: On the voyage from Iceland, to representatives discussed the question
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Speaker 1: of Iceland's position in the Union and agreed on the
15:33
Speaker 1: following points. A joint commission condisting of members of the
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Speaker 1: Danish Riggs Dog and the Icelandic Golfing should be appointed
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Speaker 1: to draft a new law defining Iceland's position in the realm,
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Speaker 1: to take the place of the law of eighteen seventy one.
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Speaker 1: The annuity paid by Denmark to Iceland should be converted
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Speaker 1: into a fixed sum to be paid to the Icelandic Treasury.
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Speaker 1: The name Iceland should be added to the King's title
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Speaker 1: so that it should henceforth free King of Denmark and Iceland.
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Speaker 1: And the appointment of a Minister for Iceland should be
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Speaker 1: signed either by that minister himself or by his predecessor
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Speaker 1: in office. On July twenty nine, the all Thing representatives
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Speaker 1: were received in the Riggsdog building by a large Danish delegation.
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Speaker 1: During their visit, they set forth the plan agreed upon
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Speaker 1: on the voyage. This was courteously received King, expressing the
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Speaker 1: hook that he would be able to visit Iceland the
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Speaker 1: following summer. On behalf of Iceland, the All Thing representatives
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Speaker 1: extended a formal invitation to the King and forty members
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Speaker 1: of the Riggsdog, and in the summer of nineteen oh seven,
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Speaker 1: King Frederick the Eighth visited Iceland accompanied by the Riggsdog delegation.
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Speaker 1: Shortly after his arrival, a commission was appointed, consisting of
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Speaker 1: thirteen Danes and seven Icelanders to draft a new law
16:48
Speaker 1: defining Iceland's position in the Union. But elections had not
16:52
Speaker 1: been held for some time, and the members of the
16:54
Speaker 1: All Thing were no longer in sympathy with the prevailing
16:57
Speaker 1: political sentiment. For this reason, the liberal party groups demanded
17:02
Speaker 1: an election before the appointment of the commission in order
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Speaker 1: that the members, when appointed, might represent the prevailing public opinion.
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Speaker 1: The Minister Hafstein, supported by the iim asked urn Norman
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Speaker 1: or Home Rule party, which favored a strong union with Denmark,
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Speaker 1: disregarded this demand, and the Icelanding members were chosen from
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Speaker 1: the old all Thing representation. The Commission assembled in Copenhagen
17:28
Speaker 1: February twenty eight, nineteen o eight. In May of the
17:31
Speaker 1: same year, it submitted a draft of a new law
17:34
Speaker 1: defining Iceland's position in the realm. According to his provisions,
17:38
Speaker 1: Iceland should be a free autonomous country united with Denmark
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Speaker 1: under a common king and through such joint matters as
17:44
Speaker 1: should be specified in the proposed law. The name Iceland
17:47
Speaker 1: should be inserted in the King's title as the Icelanders desired.
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Speaker 1: The Royal Treasury should pay to the Treasury of Iceland
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Speaker 1: once for all the sum of one million, five hundred
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Speaker 1: thousand kroner, and thereby the financial question between the two
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Speaker 1: countries should be settled. The joint matters were to be
18:04
Speaker 1: a common king, foreign affairs and defense on land and sea,
18:07
Speaker 1: together with the same flag, protection of the fisheries, common
18:10
Speaker 1: right of citizenship in a common Supreme court. Note readers
18:14
Speaker 1: should be made regarding affairs in which Icelanders was interested,
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Speaker 1: unless the Icelandic government was consulted. The Icelanders should have
18:22
Speaker 1: the right, with the consent of Denmark, to increase their
18:25
Speaker 1: supervision of the fisheries and territorial waters. They might also
18:29
Speaker 1: grant a citizenship which should be in force in Denmark,
18:32
Speaker 1: and they might establish a Supreme tribune or for Icelandic cases,
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Speaker 1: if the constitutions of both countries were amended to this effect.
18:40
Speaker 1: It was also provided that a judge should be appointed
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Speaker 1: to the Danish Supreme Court who possessed knowledge of the
18:46
Speaker 1: Icelandic language and government affairs. Danes and Icelanders should enjoy
18:51
Speaker 1: the same right respectively in Denmark and Iceland. They should
18:54
Speaker 1: also have the same right to participate in the fisheries
18:57
Speaker 1: and territory waters of the two countries, but Denmark should
19:01
Speaker 1: exercise protective control. Icelandic students should be granted stipends by preference,
19:06
Speaker 1: and the Icelanders in Iceland should be exempt from military
19:10
Speaker 1: service when twenty five years had elapsed after the passage
19:13
Speaker 1: of the law, it should be revised if either the
19:16
Speaker 1: Danish Rigsdog or the Icelandic all Things should demand it.
19:20
Speaker 1: After thirty seven years, either Denmark or Iceland might demand
19:23
Speaker 1: a complete separation in all matters except those of a
19:27
Speaker 1: common king, foreign affairs and defense. All the Icelandic members
19:31
Speaker 1: of the Commission with the exception of Schooli Thoratzen signed
19:35
Speaker 1: the draft of the proposed law. Schooley refused to sign
19:38
Speaker 1: and submitted a report of his own, in which he said,
19:41
Speaker 1: the Icelanders will not be satisfied excepted be clearly stated
19:45
Speaker 1: that Iceland is a sovereign state, that it controls all
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Speaker 1: its affairs and stands on an equal footing with Denmark
19:51
Speaker 1: only with the Common King temporarily. But this, according to
19:55
Speaker 1: my opinion, is not possible since certain affairs, foreign affairs
19:58
Speaker 1: in national defense are exempted from revocation and given into
20:02
Speaker 1: the hands of the Danish government, so that Iceland can
20:05
Speaker 1: have no part in their control or can assume management
20:08
Speaker 1: of them without asking the consent of the Danish lawmaking Assembly.
20:12
Speaker 1: Minister Hafstein had been one of the most active members
20:15
Speaker 1: of the commission, but the opposition to the law, which
20:18
Speaker 1: he had helped to frame, was very determined. Schooley Thordson's party,
20:24
Speaker 1: the from so Gnar Floker or Progressive Party, which after
20:28
Speaker 1: nineteen oh five called itself the b uthur this Floker
20:35
Speaker 1: or Popular Government Party, opposed it. So did also the
20:39
Speaker 1: land Nar Floker or National Defense Party led by Judge
20:44
Speaker 1: Jan Jensen and Barney Johnson. These parties feared that the
20:48
Speaker 1: new law, according to which Iceland should still be a
20:50
Speaker 1: part of the Danish Kingdom, we'd only rivet more firmly
20:53
Speaker 1: the chains which bound them to Denmark. Iceland was not
20:57
Speaker 1: to have her own flag, and the request that Iceland
21:00
Speaker 1: should not be considered the meetings of the Danish Cabinet
21:03
Speaker 1: had not been granted. In their opinion, the new law
21:06
Speaker 1: would only be a covenant giving sanction and permanence to
21:09
Speaker 1: existing conditions, only a compromise which would be sure to
21:13
Speaker 1: retard the work for national independence. Together, the two parties
21:17
Speaker 1: had called a convention at thing Beller June twenty nine,
21:20
Speaker 1: nineteen oh seven. This assembly passed resolutions demanding that the
21:23
Speaker 1: covenant to be established between Denmark and Iceland regarding the
21:27
Speaker 1: relation of the two countries, should expressing acknowledge the Iceland
21:31
Speaker 1: to be a free country united with Denmark under a
21:33
Speaker 1: joint king in possessing full equality with the Danish Kingdom
21:36
Speaker 1: and full sovereign control over its own affairs. It was
21:41
Speaker 1: further to be understood that this governant could be abrogated
21:44
Speaker 1: by either party to the compact. A proposer was also
21:47
Speaker 1: adopted that Ice then should have its own flag consisting
21:50
Speaker 1: of a white cross on a blue field. Resolutions were
21:53
Speaker 1: passed protesting against any covenant falling short of these demands,
21:57
Speaker 1: stating that nothing but complete separation of the two countries
22:00
Speaker 1: was possible if such conditions were not granted. After this meeting,
22:03
Speaker 1: the Popular Government party, still led by Scully Thordsen, called
22:08
Speaker 1: itself the svalve Stead the Floker or Independence Party, and
22:13
Speaker 1: its political program became complete separation from Denmark. Jan Jensen,
22:18
Speaker 1: one of the leaders of the land or Norfloker or
22:21
Speaker 1: Party of National Defense, now left his party and gave
22:25
Speaker 1: his support to Minister Halfstein and the i'm maasked your
22:29
Speaker 1: Narman or home rule party. But the land nor Floker
22:34
Speaker 1: led by Bijornie Johnson, continued to oppose Halfstime. A violent
22:38
Speaker 1: agitation against the proposed law was begun, supported by the
22:41
Speaker 1: paper Isopold and its able editor Bjorn Johnson. In the
22:46
Speaker 1: elections Hell September ten, nineteen oh eight, the first in
22:49
Speaker 1: Iceland in which the Australian system of secret ballot was used.
22:52
Speaker 1: The opponents of the proposed measure were victorious. Of the
22:57
Speaker 1: one hundred and forty six votes cast, three thousand and
22:59
Speaker 1: forty and seventy five votes were registered for the measure
23:03
Speaker 1: in four thousand, six hundred and seventy one against it.
23:06
Speaker 1: The Opposition had elected twenty four members to the All Thing,
23:09
Speaker 1: its supporters only ten. When the new All Thing assembled,
23:12
Speaker 1: it passed a vote of lack of confidence in the
23:15
Speaker 1: ministry and Epstein resigned in April nineteen oh nine. He
23:18
Speaker 1: was succeeded by Bjorn Johnson, editor of the Ifold, one
23:22
Speaker 1: of the leaders of the Opposition, who had been chosen
23:24
Speaker 1: president of the All Thing. The new minister promised to
23:28
Speaker 1: work for a better understanding between Iceland and Denmark, and
23:31
Speaker 1: it was agreed that the measure regarding Iceland's position in
23:34
Speaker 1: the realm should not be submitted to the All Thing. Instead,
23:37
Speaker 1: the all Thing majority passed a new measure declaring Iceland
23:40
Speaker 1: to be a free and sovereign kingdom united with Denmark
23:43
Speaker 1: under a joint king and through such common affairs as
23:46
Speaker 1: might be agreed upon. While remaining in office, Bejorn Johnson
23:51
Speaker 1: was especially occupied with the question regarding the management of
23:55
Speaker 1: the Bank of Iceland. Even before his appointment, rumors had
23:58
Speaker 1: been abroad that the bank management had been lax, with
24:01
Speaker 1: regard to loans on real estate and to the fisheries.
24:05
Speaker 1: Charges were also made against the cashier of the bank,
24:08
Speaker 1: Alder Johnson. The new minister appointed a committee to examine
24:11
Speaker 1: the status of the bank. It was found that it
24:14
Speaker 1: had suffered heavy losses, but that these were covered by
24:17
Speaker 1: a reserve fund, which would show a credit balance of
24:20
Speaker 1: two hundred and fifty thousand kroner after all losses were paid.
24:24
Speaker 1: As to the officials of the bank, the committee found
24:26
Speaker 1: that no blame could attach to them. The Minister, however,
24:30
Speaker 1: did not feel wholly reassured. Having lost confidence in the
24:33
Speaker 1: bank officials, he removed the cash here Alder Johnson, the
24:36
Speaker 1: two controlling directors K. R. Johnson and Iraqer Briham, and
24:42
Speaker 1: the general manager drig V Goonerson, a man of great
24:46
Speaker 1: business ability a member of the All Thing for many years.
24:49
Speaker 1: This aroused general resentment as the people felt that the
24:53
Speaker 1: removed bank officials had been unjustly treated. At a big
24:56
Speaker 1: mass meeting in Rikieviki, in which to seven thousand people
24:59
Speaker 1: said to have participated, the following resolution was drafted. The
25:03
Speaker 1: people assembled protest against Minister Bjorn Johnston's treatment of the
25:07
Speaker 1: bank officials and regard his action to be an arbitrary
25:10
Speaker 1: use of official power, as well as a flagrant disregard
25:13
Speaker 1: of the true interests and honor of Iceland. Since the
25:17
Speaker 1: people assembled find his action to be a positive proof
25:20
Speaker 1: that he can no longer be tolerated in the high
25:22
Speaker 1: office which he now holds, they demand his immediate resignation.
25:26
Speaker 1: The leading merchants of Reykievic also addressed to him sharp
25:30
Speaker 1: letters of protest when he refused to reinstate the bank
25:33
Speaker 1: officials after they had been declared blameless by the investigation committee.
25:37
Speaker 1: His former friend, Judge k Or Johnson, one of the
25:40
Speaker 1: removed directors, brought suit against him for personal injury and
25:44
Speaker 1: defamation of character, pleading that since he had not been
25:47
Speaker 1: appointed by the government but had been elected by the
25:49
Speaker 1: all Thing, the government had no jurisdiction in the matter
25:52
Speaker 1: and could not remove him. The case was decided in
25:56
Speaker 1: his favor. The minister appealed to the Landsithe for Rutter,
26:00
Speaker 1: but the decision of the lower court was sustained. Even then,
26:04
Speaker 1: the minister would not yield his paper. Iofold announced that
26:07
Speaker 1: a new appeal would be taken to the Danish Hearst
26:11
Speaker 1: derret Or Supreme Court. But the case was never brought
26:14
Speaker 1: before that tribunal. Judge Kayard Johnson was satisfied with his
26:18
Speaker 1: legal victory and did not resume his office as bank director.
26:23
Speaker 1: The all Thing representatives also mixed in the fight, many
26:25
Speaker 1: of them demanding a special session of the All Thing
26:28
Speaker 1: in order that the bank question might be considered by
26:31
Speaker 1: the people's chosen representatives. Party feeling ran high both in
26:35
Speaker 1: Iceland and in Denmark. In Copenhagen, many leaders assembled to
26:39
Speaker 1: protest against the separation movement, which it was claimed was
26:42
Speaker 1: headed by Minister Bjorn Johnson himself. Even many Icelanders to
26:46
Speaker 1: part in this meeting to deprecate this movement. A personal
26:50
Speaker 1: union would be equivalent to separation, they claimed, and separation
26:53
Speaker 1: would mean the ruin of Iceland. No one spoke more
26:56
Speaker 1: vehemently than the young Icelandic lawyer spine Bjorn. I see
27:01
Speaker 1: the danger to the union between Denmark and Iceland, he said,
27:04
Speaker 1: in the fact that Minister Biorn Johnson stands at the
27:07
Speaker 1: head of a party which openly works for a separation
27:10
Speaker 1: of the two countries. When he comes to Denmark, he
27:12
Speaker 1: talks in another tone. But he cannot be trusted. This
27:16
Speaker 1: I tell you, Members of the government who are here present.
27:18
Speaker 1: He is a man who either lacks reason or suffers
27:21
Speaker 1: himself to be controlled by unscrupulous men. A Danish journalist
27:25
Speaker 1: proposed to send a warship to Iceland to arrest the
27:28
Speaker 1: leaders of the Independence Party. Such hysterical outbursts found little
27:32
Speaker 1: favor with the people of Denmark, but the secession movement,
27:36
Speaker 1: supported by a radical group in Iceland, which in nineteen
27:39
Speaker 1: ten passed a resolution declaring that absolute separation was the
27:42
Speaker 1: only proper solution of the union question, created genuine alarm.
27:47
Speaker 1: Minister Bjorn Johnson was a strong and upright man, an
27:50
Speaker 1: energetic worker, ever ready to aid anyone in need or
27:54
Speaker 1: in distress. He always remained faithful to his purpose of
27:57
Speaker 1: rendering efficient and unselfish public service in the High Office
28:01
Speaker 1: to which he had been appointed as leader of the
28:03
Speaker 1: Prohibition Forces. He succeeded in passing the Prohibition Law, which
28:07
Speaker 1: received a majority vote in both branches of the All
28:10
Speaker 1: Thing in nineteen o nine and was signed by the
28:12
Speaker 1: King in June the same year, in spite of the
28:14
Speaker 1: opposition of several European nations, including Spain. But his stand
28:20
Speaker 1: on the bank question and his views regarding Iceland's relation
28:23
Speaker 1: to Denmark aroused a strong opposition which constantly grew more
28:26
Speaker 1: hostile and determined. In nineteen eleven, SCHOOLLYE. Rodson, the leader
28:31
Speaker 1: of the Independence Party, and others introduced in the emotion
28:36
Speaker 1: of lack of confidence in the minister. The motion was
28:39
Speaker 1: passed with a small majority. Ambiorn Johnson resigned. While he
28:43
Speaker 1: remained in office, his paper Iophobe was edited by his son,
28:46
Speaker 1: Olaf Bjornsen. Through the father's political defeat, the paper lass
28:50
Speaker 1: prestige and support to such an extent that Olaf no
28:53
Speaker 1: longer dared to accept articles written by him. For this reason,
28:57
Speaker 1: Bjorn Johnson founded a new paper Magne, in which he
29:01
Speaker 1: defended his position in the bank question, as well as
29:03
Speaker 1: on the very important question touching Iceland's relation to Denmark,
29:08
Speaker 1: the say yaal Stead dis Flocker hoped that the King
29:14
Speaker 1: would now appoint the leader of their party, Schooley Thwardson,
29:18
Speaker 1: to succeed Bjorn Johnson as Minister. As twenty one members
29:21
Speaker 1: of the all Things gave him their enthusiastic support, but
29:25
Speaker 1: the King selected instead ka Or Johnson, Chief Justice of
29:29
Speaker 1: the Lands Sufferer Rector, who was a member of Schooley's party,
29:34
Speaker 1: Johnson accepted the office, incurring the bitter enmity of all
29:38
Speaker 1: his former political friends. A large mass meeting was assembled
29:42
Speaker 1: in Reykievic to protest against his course of action in
29:45
Speaker 1: accepting the office, as he was not supported by a
29:48
Speaker 1: majority of the popularly chosen representatives in the All Thing,
29:52
Speaker 1: so bitter was the feeling that he was formerly ousted
29:54
Speaker 1: from the party. The same day, emotion for a vote
29:57
Speaker 1: of lack of confidence in the new minister was in
30:00
Speaker 1: produced in the All Thing. He was passed in the
30:02
Speaker 1: lower branch, who was not put to a vote in
30:05
Speaker 1: the upper branch. Johnsen therefore continued to hold his office,
30:08
Speaker 1: though he was no longer regarded as the leader of
30:11
Speaker 1: any party group. In the press, he was violently assailed
30:14
Speaker 1: to the Liberal leader's claiming that he a violated the
30:17
Speaker 1: principle of parliamentary government to satisfy his own personal vanity.
30:21
Speaker 1: The new Minister was born at gout London in thing
30:25
Speaker 1: gay Yorslah in eighteen fifty two. He had been Cis
30:30
Speaker 1: lou Mather in go bring us Lah, later judge in
30:35
Speaker 1: the land Zie for Retta and since nineteen eight chief
30:40
Speaker 1: Justice for many years He had been Controlling Director in
30:43
Speaker 1: the Bank of Iceland and royally appointed representative to the
30:46
Speaker 1: All Thing when he assumed the office of Minister. He
30:49
Speaker 1: emphasized in a speech to the All Thing that his
30:52
Speaker 1: policy was to create peace and good understanding and to
30:55
Speaker 1: secure the passage of a much needed finance law. In
31:00
Speaker 1: April nineteen eleven, the Hindmast or Norman or Home Rule party,
31:05
Speaker 1: which supported him, introduced a bill for amending the Constitution,
31:09
Speaker 1: stipulating that the All Thing henceforth should consist of forty members,
31:13
Speaker 1: all of whom should be elected by the people. All
31:16
Speaker 1: men and women twenty one years of age should have
31:18
Speaker 1: the right to vote for All Things representatives. The executive
31:21
Speaker 1: branch of the government should consist of three ministers responsible
31:25
Speaker 1: to the All Things. Proportional party representation was also provided for.
31:29
Speaker 1: The measure was passed by the All Thing, but since
31:32
Speaker 1: it was a constitutional amendment, it would have to be
31:35
Speaker 1: passed after another general election before it could be submitted
31:39
Speaker 1: to the King for his signature. In the summer of
31:41
Speaker 1: nineteen eleven, a bill was also introduced in the All
31:44
Speaker 1: Thing providing for a separate flag for Iceland to consist
31:48
Speaker 1: of a white cross on a blue field. This raised
31:51
Speaker 1: another important issue, as Denmark regarded it as another step
31:54
Speaker 1: in the direction of complete separation of the two countries.
31:57
Speaker 1: The Icelanders sild that without a flag of their own,
32:00
Speaker 1: they have no national emblem expressive of their nationality, that
32:03
Speaker 1: the Danish flag flying on their ships and public buildings
32:07
Speaker 1: was only a token of Danish overlordship. The old Thing, however,
32:10
Speaker 1: failed to pass the bill Kork Johnson and his supporters
32:14
Speaker 1: did not secure a majority in the next general election.
32:17
Speaker 1: He therefore tendered his resignation and was again appointed Chief
32:21
Speaker 1: Justice in the landsfur Utter in July nineteen twelve. Honus
32:26
Speaker 1: Hofstein succeeded him as Minister. The same year, the General
32:29
Speaker 1: Prohibition Law for Iceland, past three years before during the
32:33
Speaker 1: ministry of Jorn Johnson, took effect in so far the
32:37
Speaker 1: affected importation of liquors. According to this law, no liquors
32:41
Speaker 1: containing more than two and one half percent of alcohol
32:44
Speaker 1: can be imported, except for medical, industrial and chemical use.
32:48
Speaker 1: It is noteworthy that in passing this great social reform,
32:51
Speaker 1: Iceland was several years in advance of other nations. When
32:55
Speaker 1: Apstein for the second time entered upon his duties as Minister,
32:59
Speaker 1: thirty one and members of the All Thing declared that
33:01
Speaker 1: they would unite in bringing about a solution of the
33:04
Speaker 1: union question by making such changes in the Plan of
33:07
Speaker 1: nineteen oh eight as would meet with the approval of
33:10
Speaker 1: the majority of the voters and would lead to a
33:12
Speaker 1: final agreement with Denmark. In his speech to the All Thing,
33:15
Speaker 1: Hastein had called attention to the unfavorable economic condition of
33:19
Speaker 1: the country, saying money is wanting, credit is lacking Icelandic
33:23
Speaker 1: bonds cannot be sold in foreign markets, and sympathy with
33:27
Speaker 1: civilization and desire for progress are decreasing. Why is this?
33:31
Speaker 1: I'm convinced that it is no exaggeration to state that
33:34
Speaker 1: one of the chief causes is dissension. Quarrels and parties
33:38
Speaker 1: strive at home, together with unsettled disputes abroad this weekends.
33:42
Speaker 1: Confidence creates gloom and increases all that which is inimical
33:46
Speaker 1: to cultural endeavor, hindering the increase of the true capital
33:51
Speaker 1: of culture, which is required in order to turn credit
33:54
Speaker 1: to profitable account. It is my conviction that one of
33:57
Speaker 1: the first steps to be taken in order to remedy
33:59
Speaker 1: this trouble is to bring about a satisfactory settlement of
34:02
Speaker 1: the disputes with our sister nation, the Danes, regarding the
34:06
Speaker 1: union question, which so long has diverted the attention from
34:10
Speaker 1: other important matters, and in later years has added fuel
34:13
Speaker 1: to strife and disunion in our own country. In the
34:17
Speaker 1: fall of nineteen twelve, Minister Hafstein went to Copenhagen to
34:21
Speaker 1: confer with the Danish government about the resumption of negotiations
34:25
Speaker 1: on the union question. In these preliminary conferences, it was
34:28
Speaker 1: pointed out by the Danish leaders that, since the plan
34:31
Speaker 1: of nineteen o eight had been rejected by the All
34:34
Speaker 1: Things the Icelanders would have to submit new proposals before
34:38
Speaker 1: the negotiations could be resumed. Upon his return to Iceland,
34:42
Speaker 1: Hastein sought the advice of a number of All Things representatives.
34:46
Speaker 1: A new plan was outlined, which the Minister said was
34:49
Speaker 1: neither his own nor one proposed by the Danish government,
34:53
Speaker 1: by which it was hoped would gain the sanction of
34:55
Speaker 1: the Danish authorities. When he was published, it met the
34:58
Speaker 1: determined opposition. The paper Isofhoe considered it wholly undesirable, and
35:03
Speaker 1: the whole liberal Icelandic press rejected it. In the fall
35:07
Speaker 1: of nineteen thirteen, a new revision of the constitution was
35:10
Speaker 1: submitted to the All Thing, based on the plan of
35:12
Speaker 1: nineteen eleven, but differing from it on many points. This
35:15
Speaker 1: measure was finally passed in both branches of the Assembly.
35:19
Speaker 1: It provided for an Icelandic minister, popular election of all
35:22
Speaker 1: representatives to the All Things, proportional party representation, women's suffraging
35:27
Speaker 1: general elections, and eligibility to all offices. The question of
35:32
Speaker 1: a separate flag for Iceland had also been debated repeatedly
35:36
Speaker 1: in the all Thing, but the measure had met with
35:38
Speaker 1: defeat in the upper branch of the Assembly. Finally, on
35:41
Speaker 1: November twenty two, nineteen thirteen, the King's sanctioned and Icelandic
35:45
Speaker 1: proposal for a separate flag, with the understanding that it
35:48
Speaker 1: should be so designed as not to resemble too closely
35:51
Speaker 1: the flags of other nations, and that the Daintish flag
35:55
Speaker 1: should always be hoisted with it on government buildings. In
35:59
Speaker 1: the next general elections, the opponents of Minister Hastein secured
36:02
Speaker 1: a majority of the All Thing representatives. He accordingly tendered
36:06
Speaker 1: his resignation and was succeeded by Sigurdur Eggers, who was
36:10
Speaker 1: appointed Minister for Iceland. July five, nineteen fourteen, shortly after
36:15
Speaker 1: Egger's appointment, followed the outbreak of the World War and
36:19
Speaker 1: serious problems confronted the Icelanders. The All Thing took steps
36:22
Speaker 1: to safeguard the country as far as possible. Laws were
36:25
Speaker 1: passed providing that necessaries of life such as grain, cold salt,
36:29
Speaker 1: petroleum machine, oil, fishing gear, and medical supplies should be
36:33
Speaker 1: bought by the government, that the ready money in the
36:36
Speaker 1: treasure should be used for this purpose so far as
36:38
Speaker 1: it could be spared, that alone a five hundred thousand
36:41
Speaker 1: kroner should be negotiated for such purchases, and that public
36:45
Speaker 1: expenses should be curtailed. The export of necessaries of life
36:49
Speaker 1: was prohibited, and a commission was appointed to assist the
36:52
Speaker 1: government in taking the necessary steps to safeguard the country.
36:56
Speaker 1: In an address to the All Things August three, nineteen fourteen,
36:59
Speaker 1: Minister Egger called attention to the problems confronting the government.
37:03
Speaker 1: The proposed revision of the constitution was still pending, so
37:06
Speaker 1: also the question of a separate flag for Iceland. He
37:09
Speaker 1: expressed the hope that the King would sanction these measures
37:13
Speaker 1: and that the people would then turn their minds to
37:15
Speaker 1: internal affairs. We ought to devote more attention to our
37:19
Speaker 1: farming and husbandry than heretofore, he continued, The fisheries must
37:23
Speaker 1: be developed, the means of communication on land and seed
37:26
Speaker 1: must be improved. The Icelandic Steamship Company especially should be encouraged.
37:31
Speaker 1: He expressed the hope that in those perilous times, the
37:33
Speaker 1: government and the legislature would cooperate in every way in
37:37
Speaker 1: the protection of the country, so that no apprehension of
37:40
Speaker 1: danger would need to be entertained. A commission appointed to
37:45
Speaker 1: consider the eventual design of the Icelandic flag found that
37:48
Speaker 1: the one hitherto used, consisting of a white cross in
37:51
Speaker 1: a blue shield, could not be adopted as it resembled
37:54
Speaker 1: too closely the flags of Swedeninger of Greece. A new
37:57
Speaker 1: design would have to be submitted. The revision of the Constitution,
38:00
Speaker 1: passed in nineteen thirteen, was again brought before the All
38:04
Speaker 1: Thing in nineteen fourteen, and was passed a second time
38:07
Speaker 1: by both branches of the Assembly without change. The King
38:10
Speaker 1: had promised that if the amendments passed in nineteen thirteen
38:13
Speaker 1: should again be passed unchained by a new all Thing,
38:16
Speaker 1: he would sanction the measure with the understanding, however, that
38:19
Speaker 1: no change could be made in the practice which had
38:21
Speaker 1: hitherto obtained, that all measures should be submitted to the
38:24
Speaker 1: King in cabinet meeting. To this practice, the King stated
38:28
Speaker 1: he would adhere until he had sanctioned a law regarding
38:31
Speaker 1: the relation between Denmark and Iceland, agreed to by both
38:35
Speaker 1: the Rigsdog and the All Thing, which should establish a
38:38
Speaker 1: different regulation. The commission appointed to consider the design of
38:42
Speaker 1: the Icelandic flag submitted a report commanding that the flag
38:45
Speaker 1: should consist of a red cross with white borders on
38:48
Speaker 1: a blue field. It was hoped that Minister Eggerson, going
38:51
Speaker 1: to Copenhagen, would secure the King's signature to both measures,
38:55
Speaker 1: but word was soon received that he had failed in
38:57
Speaker 1: his mission. In the negotiations the minister, the King reiterated
39:02
Speaker 1: his promise to sign the measures, but with the proviser
39:05
Speaker 1: that they should be presented in cabinet meeting. This, in
39:08
Speaker 1: the opinion of the Minister, raised the issue whether Icelandic
39:11
Speaker 1: measures were to be regarded as joint matters to be
39:14
Speaker 1: considered by the whole Cabinet or as separate Icelandic affairs.
39:19
Speaker 1: He refused to yield on this point. Which he regarded
39:21
Speaker 1: as a vital issue, and tendered his resignation December nineteen fourteen.
39:26
Speaker 1: Early in nineteen fifteen, the King invited three members of
39:29
Speaker 1: the Independence Party to Denmark for consultation on the union question.
39:33
Speaker 1: One of these was Einar Arnerson, who was soon appointed
39:37
Speaker 1: to succeed Eggers as Minister for Iceland. Arnerson, born in
39:42
Speaker 1: eighteen eighty, was still very young, but he was already
39:45
Speaker 1: a prominent jurist. In nineteen oh eight he became instructor
39:49
Speaker 1: in law in the University of kievic In nineteen eleven
39:52
Speaker 1: he was made professor of jurisprudence. In nineteen fourteen he
39:56
Speaker 1: was elected member of the All Things, where he quickly
39:58
Speaker 1: rose into prominence. Leader of the Independence Party. He had
40:02
Speaker 1: written several works dealing with the relation of Iceland to
40:05
Speaker 1: Norway and Denmark, Opposing the views of the Danish professor
40:08
Speaker 1: Kanude Berlin. He maintained that Danish authorities had no right
40:12
Speaker 1: whatever to meddle with Icelandic affairs. In Icelanda movement was
40:17
Speaker 1: developed in opposition to what was regarded as to supine
40:20
Speaker 1: an attitude on the part of the All Things in
40:23
Speaker 1: the Union question, complaint was made that important decisions on
40:26
Speaker 1: vital Icelandic questions had been left to the king. The
40:30
Speaker 1: supporters of this movement, which finally led to the organization
40:33
Speaker 1: of a new progressive group, were found, especially among the
40:36
Speaker 1: adherents of the Independence Party. They demanded a vigorous national
40:40
Speaker 1: policy and active efforts in promoting Icelandic enterprises. Arneson's visit
40:45
Speaker 1: in Copenhagen to carry on private negotiations with the King
40:49
Speaker 1: regarding the union question had aroused suspicion and their will
40:52
Speaker 1: among the members of this group, would he too suffer
40:55
Speaker 1: the King to exert a controlling influence over Icelandic affairs
40:59
Speaker 1: when entered upon the duties of his office. They convoked
41:04
Speaker 1: large public meetings in Reykievik, demanding that he should cause
41:07
Speaker 1: the all Thing to be dissolved in order that new
41:10
Speaker 1: elections might be held. But the Minister had sufficient support
41:13
Speaker 1: in the all Thing to remain in office. The negotiations
41:17
Speaker 1: regarding the Icelandic flag and union question were renewed, and
41:20
Speaker 1: since the new minister did not urge the question regarding
41:23
Speaker 1: the submitting of Icelandic matters in cabinet meetings as his
41:26
Speaker 1: predecessor had done, the King sanctioned both measures June nineteen,
41:31
Speaker 1: nineteen fifteen, in accordance with the report of the committee
41:35
Speaker 1: appointed to consider the design of the flag, it was
41:38
Speaker 1: to consist of a red cross with white borders on
41:40
Speaker 1: a blue field. It should be used within the country
41:43
Speaker 1: and in Icelandic territorial waters, but the Daintish flag should
41:47
Speaker 1: be hoisted with it on government buildings. The design of
41:50
Speaker 1: the Icelandic coat of arms was also changed by royal
41:54
Speaker 1: Order of nineteen oh three. Was degreed that it should
41:56
Speaker 1: be a silver falcon on a blue field. Still earlier
41:59
Speaker 1: it had consists of device in which a split codfish
42:03
Speaker 1: was the principal feature. In nineteen fifteen it received its
42:06
Speaker 1: present symbolic and attractive design. According to the constitutional amendments
42:11
Speaker 1: passed by the All Thing in nineteen thirteen and nineteen fourteen,
42:14
Speaker 1: and sanctioned by the King in nineteen fifteen, there should
42:17
Speaker 1: be an Icelandic Ministry in Reykievik, responsible to the All
42:21
Speaker 1: Thing and taking part in its deliberations. The number of
42:24
Speaker 1: Cabinet members to be fixed by law. The Icelandic Prime
42:27
Speaker 1: Minister should hold no other office. He should be able
42:30
Speaker 1: to speak and write Icelandic, and should go to Copenhagen
42:33
Speaker 1: to present bills and other important matters to the King
42:36
Speaker 1: for his signature. The all Thing has forty members, but
42:39
Speaker 1: this number can be changed by law. It is divided
42:42
Speaker 1: into two branches, the free dealed or upper branch, consisting
42:45
Speaker 1: of fourteen members, and the nethree deal or lower branch,
42:49
Speaker 1: or of twenty six members. The number of members in
42:51
Speaker 1: both branches can be changed by law. Thirty four of
42:54
Speaker 1: the all Thing representatives are elected directly by their constituencies
42:59
Speaker 1: within their respective districts for a period of six years.
43:02
Speaker 1: Six representatives are chosen at large and according to proportional
43:06
Speaker 1: party representation for the period of twelve years. These six
43:10
Speaker 1: members have seats in the upper branch of the Assembly.
43:13
Speaker 1: The other eight members constituting it are chosen by the
43:16
Speaker 1: thirty four representatives elected in the districts from their own
43:19
Speaker 1: number at the assembling of the All Things. Only one
43:22
Speaker 1: half of the total number of representatives are chosen at
43:25
Speaker 1: each election. Men and women twenty five years of age
43:28
Speaker 1: who have resided in the country five years immediately preceding
43:32
Speaker 1: the election can vote for the district representatives. Men and
43:35
Speaker 1: women thirty five years of age can vote for the
43:37
Speaker 1: representatives elected at large. The All Thing meets July first
43:41
Speaker 1: every other year, but extra sessions must be called by
43:44
Speaker 1: the King when a majority of both branches demand it.
43:47
Speaker 1: Such sessions last only four weeks unless the time is
43:50
Speaker 1: prolonged by the King. By law of nineteen sixteen, the
43:54
Speaker 1: number of members of the Icelandic Cabinet was fixed at three.
43:57
Speaker 1: Minister A Arnison now resigned. The King invited Jon Magnuson
44:02
Speaker 1: to form a cabinet according to the new provision. The
44:05
Speaker 1: members of this cabinet were Yng Magnuson, leader of the
44:08
Speaker 1: hinmast Jorn arm Men or Home Rule Party, Bjorn christ Johansen,
44:14
Speaker 1: leader of the majority faction of the Shall Faust State
44:20
Speaker 1: biz Flocker or Independent Party, and Segurdar Johnson of the
44:24
Speaker 1: newly organized Benda blocker Ore Agrarian Party. This coalition was
44:30
Speaker 1: created at the request of the party leaders to secure
44:32
Speaker 1: the greatest possible cooperation in view of the difficult situation
44:36
Speaker 1: caused by the World War. The three parties represented in
44:39
Speaker 1: the ministry control thirty six out of the twenty total
44:43
Speaker 1: forty votes in the All Things in nineteen seventeen. Bejord Christiansen,
44:47
Speaker 1: Minister of Finance and the new ministry resigned and former
44:50
Speaker 1: Minister for Iceland's Sigator Eggers, was appointed to succeed him.
44:54
Speaker 1: Through their constitution, as finally amended, the Icelanders had established
44:58
Speaker 1: complete democracy in their political institutions, parliamentary government, unrestricted suffrage
45:03
Speaker 1: for men and women, and a legislative assembly elected by
45:06
Speaker 1: the people. They had gained control of their finances, and
45:10
Speaker 1: the executive branch of their government had been located in Rekuvic,
45:13
Speaker 1: But difficult problems still remained unsolved. The all important controversy
45:18
Speaker 1: regarding Iceland's relations to Denmark had not been settled, and
45:21
Speaker 1: the question of a separate Icelandic flag had so far
45:24
Speaker 1: found only a preliminary solution. The flag, already granted was
45:28
Speaker 1: little more than a decoration restricted to local use in
45:31
Speaker 1: connection with the flag of Denmark. As Icelandic commerce was expanding,
45:35
Speaker 1: the flag question was revived. It was evident that this
45:38
Speaker 1: was no longer a matter only of national sentiment, but
45:41
Speaker 1: of growing practical importance. In nineteen fourteen, the Icelandic Steamship
45:46
Speaker 1: Company was organized with the capital stock of one million,
45:50
Speaker 1: two hundred thousand kroner. The Icelanders in the United States
45:53
Speaker 1: and Canada subscribing a large part of the stock and
45:56
Speaker 1: the Icelandic government contributing four hundred thousand kroner were to
46:00
Speaker 1: be built. The first of these, the Gull False, was
46:03
Speaker 1: launched at Copenhagen in nineteen fifteen. The question would naturally
46:07
Speaker 1: arise whether Icelandic ships and foreign waters should continue to
46:10
Speaker 1: sail under the Danish flag. In August nineteen seventeen, a
46:13
Speaker 1: measure was introduced to the All Things requesting the Assembly
46:16
Speaker 1: to demand an Icelandic merchant flag. The proposal was adopted
46:21
Speaker 1: and the Icelandic Prime Minister Jan Magnusen went to Copenhagen
46:24
Speaker 1: to lay it before the King. In a meeting of
46:27
Speaker 1: his cabinet November twenty two, nineteen seventeen, the King refused
46:30
Speaker 1: to sanction the measure. In stating the reasons for his refusal,
46:34
Speaker 1: he said, I cannot sanction the proposals submitted by the
46:37
Speaker 1: Icelanding Minister, but I wish to add that when and
46:40
Speaker 1: Icelandic views do not coincide, negotiation, no matter how they
46:44
Speaker 1: may be inaugurated, will do more than direct action on
46:47
Speaker 1: a single question to create that good understanding which ought
46:51
Speaker 1: to form the basis for the relations between the two countries.
46:54
Speaker 1: After considering carefully the King's words, all political parties in
46:58
Speaker 1: Iceland agreed to try negotiations. The Danish Riggsdog appointed a
47:02
Speaker 1: commission to meet a similar body of Icelandic representatives in Reykiavik.
47:07
Speaker 1: The Danish members arrived in Iceland June twenty nine, nineteen eighteen.
47:11
Speaker 1: The negotiations were begun at once, and on July nineteen,
47:14
Speaker 1: the Icelandic Telegraphic Bureau wired a message that full agreement
47:18
Speaker 1: had been reached regarding the flag question and the relations
47:21
Speaker 1: between Iceland and Denmark. An active union defining Iceland's position
47:26
Speaker 1: was signed by all the delegates and submitted to the
47:28
Speaker 1: Danish Riggsdog and the Icelandic All Thing. After these assemblies
47:32
Speaker 1: had approved the measure, it was finally ratified in Iceland
47:35
Speaker 1: by a general plebiscite. In the all Thing, the measure
47:38
Speaker 1: was carried by thirty eight against two votes. In the plebiscite,
47:42
Speaker 1: twelve thousand forty votes were cast in its favor and
47:45
Speaker 1: only eight hundred and ninety seven against it. On November thirty,
47:48
Speaker 1: nineteen eighteen, it was signed by the King. The following day, Sunday,
47:51
Speaker 1: December one, Iceland was proclaimed a Sovereign Kingdom in union
47:55
Speaker 1: with Denmark. According to provisions in the active Union, the
47:58
Speaker 1: Danish flag Dane brought was lowered and the new national
48:01
Speaker 1: flag was hoisted over Iceland. The city of Reykuevik was
48:05
Speaker 1: decorated for the occasion. Shortly before twelve o'clock, the orchestra
48:09
Speaker 1: opened the program for the occasion by playing the Icelandic
48:12
Speaker 1: national athen held gamula Ifold. Minister Eggers then spoke, saying,
48:19
Speaker 1: in closing, by sanctioning the Act of Union, the King
48:22
Speaker 1: has carried out the thoughts of Frederic the Eighth, who
48:24
Speaker 1: possessed the most intimate understanding of our affairs. Today, the
48:28
Speaker 1: King has decided to grant Iceland its own flag, which
48:30
Speaker 1: is now raised over the Icelandic state. Our sovereign has
48:34
Speaker 1: won the sympathy of every Icelander. The flag is the
48:36
Speaker 1: symbol of our sovereignty, of the most resplendent thoughts of
48:40
Speaker 1: our nation. The honor of our flag is our national honor.
48:42
Speaker 1: We prague out the almony to preserve our state and
48:45
Speaker 1: our King. We pray God to help us to carry
48:47
Speaker 1: our flag to honor. May the good fortune of king
48:50
Speaker 1: and people follow it. So let us hoist this flag.
48:53
Speaker 1: As the flag rose to the top of the staff,
48:55
Speaker 1: the orchestra played the Icelanding Flag song, and the Danish
48:58
Speaker 1: man of war Islands Falk, lying in the harbor, fired
49:01
Speaker 1: a salute of twenty one shots. Captain Lork of the
49:05
Speaker 1: Islands Folk spoke for Denmark. The orchestra played the Danish
49:09
Speaker 1: national song King Christian, and a law Live the King
49:12
Speaker 1: echoed through the city. A speech of a speech by
49:15
Speaker 1: city Judge Joe Hannissan, President of the All Thing, was
49:18
Speaker 1: followed by three times three cheers for the King from Copenhagen.
49:22
Speaker 1: The following telegram was received from King Christian the tenth
49:26
Speaker 1: after signing and meeting of my Cabinet the Danish Icelandic
49:30
Speaker 1: Act of Union, which upon preliminary negotiations between Danish and
49:34
Speaker 1: Icelandic delegates, has been passed by the legislative assemblies of
49:38
Speaker 1: the two countries and ratified in Iceland by a general vote.
49:41
Speaker 1: And after having determined the appearance and use of the
49:44
Speaker 1: Icelandic flag, I wish to express the hope that this
49:47
Speaker 1: new arrangement may form the basis for happy national development
49:51
Speaker 1: and cordial relations between the two peoples. I also send
49:54
Speaker 1: my dear and faithful Icelanders. My royal greetings and best
49:57
Speaker 1: wishes for Iceland's future of success and happiness. Danish Icelandic
50:02
Speaker 1: active Union. Denmark and Iceland are free and sovereign states
50:06
Speaker 1: united by a common King. Danish citizens in Iceland are
50:10
Speaker 1: to enjoy equal rights and privileges with the citizens of Iceland,
50:14
Speaker 1: and vice aversave. The citizens of each country are exempt
50:18
Speaker 1: from military service in the other country. Access to fishing
50:21
Speaker 1: within the maritime jurisdiction of both countries is equally free
50:25
Speaker 1: to Danish and Icelandic citizens, regardless of residents. Danish ships
50:29
Speaker 1: in Icelandic harbors have the same rights as Icelandic ships,
50:33
Speaker 1: and vice versa. Denmark will act in Iceland's behalf in
50:37
Speaker 1: foreign affairs. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there will
50:40
Speaker 1: be a representative appointed in consultation with the Government of
50:44
Speaker 1: Iceland and familiar with Icelandic conditions. Attesches who are well
50:49
Speaker 1: informed on Icelandic affairs shall be appointed to the already
50:52
Speaker 1: existing consulates and allegations. All agreement centered into by Denmark
50:57
Speaker 1: with foreign countries and already published shell in so far
51:00
Speaker 1: as they concern Iceland, be in force for that country.
51:04
Speaker 1: Also agreements ratified by Denmark after the proposed Law of
51:07
Speaker 1: Confederation has gone into effect, shall not be binding upon
51:11
Speaker 1: Iceland without the express consent of the Icelandic authorities concerned.
51:15
Speaker 1: Until such time as Iceland shall decide to take charge
51:18
Speaker 1: of the inspection of fisheries and whole or in part,
51:21
Speaker 1: this duty will be performed by Denmark under the Danish flag.
51:24
Speaker 1: The monetary system shall continue to be the same for
51:27
Speaker 1: both countries as at present, so long as the Scandinavian
51:30
Speaker 1: monetary system exists. Should Iceland desire to establish her own coinage,
51:35
Speaker 1: the question of acknowledgment by Sweden and Norway of the
51:38
Speaker 1: coins and notes stamped in Iceland will have to be
51:41
Speaker 1: settled by negotiation with those countries. Denmark's Supreme Court has
51:45
Speaker 1: jurisdiction in Icelandic cases until Iceland shall decide to institute
51:51
Speaker 1: a Supreme Tribunal of her own. Until then, one member
51:55
Speaker 1: of the Supreme Court shall be an Icelander. Matters of
51:58
Speaker 1: importance to both countries, such as coin each trade, customs, navigation, mails,
52:03
Speaker 1: telegraphs and radio telegraphs, administration of justice, weights and measures,
52:07
Speaker 1: as well as financial arrangements, shall be regulated by agreements
52:11
Speaker 1: of the authorities of both countries. The sum of sixty
52:15
Speaker 1: thousand kroner contributed annually by Denmark to Iceland shall be discontinued,
52:19
Speaker 1: and instead Denmark shall establish two funds of one million
52:23
Speaker 1: kroner each, one at the University of Copenhagen and one
52:26
Speaker 1: at the University of Reikievik, for the promotion of intellectual
52:30
Speaker 1: intercourse between the two countries. There shall be established an
52:33
Speaker 1: advisory body of at least six members, one half from
52:36
Speaker 1: Iceland and the other half from Denmark, to be appointed
52:39
Speaker 1: by the Offering and the Rigsdock, respectively, to deal with
52:43
Speaker 1: any bills brought forward in the Parliament of one country
52:46
Speaker 1: which also touch the interests of the other. If differences
52:49
Speaker 1: of opinion should arise concerning the provisions of this Law
52:53
Speaker 1: of Confederation, which cannot be adjusted by the governments, they
52:57
Speaker 1: shall be laid before a court of arbitration consists of
53:00
Speaker 1: four members, two to be appointed by each country. This
53:03
Speaker 1: Court of arbitration shall settle differences by a plurality of votes.
53:07
Speaker 1: In any case of a type, the matter shall be
53:09
Speaker 1: submitted to an arbitrator appointed alternately by the Swedish and
53:13
Speaker 1: the Norwegian governments. This Law of Confederation may be revised
53:18
Speaker 1: until the year nineteen forty upon the request of either
53:21
Speaker 1: the Rigsdag or the all Thing. The agreement may be
53:24
Speaker 1: abrogated only by a two thirds vote of each Parliament,
53:27
Speaker 1: which must afterwards be confirmed by a plebiscite. Denmark will
53:32
Speaker 1: communicate to foreign powers its acknowledgment of Iceland as a
53:36
Speaker 1: sovereign power in accordance with the provisions of this Law
53:39
Speaker 1: of Confederation. At the same time, Denmark will announce that
53:43
Speaker 1: Iceland declares itself to be perpetually neutral and has no
53:46
Speaker 1: naval flag of its own, in accordance with the provisions
53:50
Speaker 1: in the Act of Union. A Danish minister stationed in
53:53
Speaker 1: Riekievik as Denmark's official representative in Iceland. The Icelanders are
53:58
Speaker 1: similarly represented in Denmark through their own minister. In the
54:02
Speaker 1: summer of nineteen twenty one, elaborate preparations were made in
54:06
Speaker 1: Reykievic to receive the royal family, who were to visit
54:09
Speaker 1: Iceland for the first time in their history. The Icelanders
54:12
Speaker 1: were to greet a king and Queen of their own.
54:15
Speaker 1: During the last two weeks, Reykievic has been the busiest
54:18
Speaker 1: city in the world says a report from Iceland of
54:21
Speaker 1: June twenty seven, nineteen twenty one. Houses have been painted,
54:25
Speaker 1: streets repaired, and many one hundred people have been busy
54:28
Speaker 1: decorating the city for months. The Committee on Arrangements as
54:32
Speaker 1: labored to make the reception an honor to Iceland. In
54:35
Speaker 1: the forenoon of June twenty sixth, the Danish men of
54:38
Speaker 1: war Balkyrie carrying the royal visitors, enter the harbor of
54:42
Speaker 1: Reykievic a triumphal arch had been erected, where the King
54:45
Speaker 1: and Queen were received by the city authorities and greeted
54:48
Speaker 1: by the huses of the populace. At twelve o'clock, the
54:51
Speaker 1: Bishop of Iceland conducted religious services in the Cathedral church,
54:55
Speaker 1: then followed a royal reception in the all Thing Building,
54:58
Speaker 1: where the King spoke in landing to the assembled people
55:02
Speaker 1: in response to an address of welcome by the all
55:04
Speaker 1: Thing President. Gifts from the people of Iceland were presented
55:08
Speaker 1: to all the members of the royal family, the Queen
55:10
Speaker 1: receiving a beautiful national costume. In describing the festival, Editorsten
55:15
Speaker 1: Paulson wrote in the Berlin sik Tinda. At seven o'clock
55:20
Speaker 1: in the evening, the streets of Kuevik resounded with huzzes
55:23
Speaker 1: and orchestral music. The royal pair were coming the king
55:26
Speaker 1: war General's uniform. The Queen was attired in Icelandic festival costume,
55:31
Speaker 1: wearing a golden diadem with white veil flowing over a
55:34
Speaker 1: black silk dress ornamented with gold embroidery and fastened about
55:38
Speaker 1: the waist with a belt of pure gold. The costume
55:41
Speaker 1: a present from the women of Iceland to their first queen,
55:45
Speaker 1: cost seventy thousand kroner. Queen Alexandra looked very beautiful in it,
55:49
Speaker 1: and the people were highly elated. At the royal dinner,
55:52
Speaker 1: Icelanding girls in national costume waited on the guests. The
55:56
Speaker 1: royal family also visited thing Vella, where they were received
55:59
Speaker 1: by a law large number of people in national attire,
56:02
Speaker 1: many of whom had come from a great distance to
56:04
Speaker 1: greet the King and Queen of Iceland. When the King
56:07
Speaker 1: ascended the Mount of Laws, a body of Icelandic trumpeters
56:11
Speaker 1: struck up their solemn measures as a welcome to the
56:14
Speaker 1: distinguished guests from this center of Icelandic national life. On
56:18
Speaker 1: July one, the royal family visited the Great Waterfall Gaul False,
56:23
Speaker 1: stopping on the way in a typical icelanding farmhouse, which
56:26
Speaker 1: the King examined early with great interest. After a trip
56:29
Speaker 1: to Geyser, they proceeded to o Fusa to view the
56:33
Speaker 1: great suspension bridge spanning that stream. On Saturday, July two,
56:38
Speaker 1: the royal visitors were brought in automobiles to the waterfall
56:42
Speaker 1: Ira False, whence they returned to Reikievik. On Sunday, the
56:46
Speaker 1: royal family attended religious services in the cathedral church. At
56:50
Speaker 1: one o'clock, the King gave a luncheon at the Royal
56:53
Speaker 1: residence for the Icelandic officials and the officers of the
56:56
Speaker 1: Men of War Valkyrie, Heimdahl and best Qui turin forming
57:03
Speaker 1: the Royal Escort Squadron. The afternoon was spent in doing
57:07
Speaker 1: men's and women's gymnastic exhibitions and national sports. Monday, July fourth,
57:11
Speaker 1: the royal family left Reikievik on the Man of War Valkyrie,
57:15
Speaker 1: sailing to Halfnarfjord, where they embarked on the Steamer island
57:20
Speaker 1: for a trip to Greenland before returning to Denmark. Before departing,
57:24
Speaker 1: King Christian the tenth created an Icelandic Order of Knighthood,
57:28
Speaker 1: the Order of the falcon with the three glasses Grand Cross,
57:31
Speaker 1: Commanders and Knights. The insignia of the Order is a
57:34
Speaker 1: white enamel star shaped cross with gilt edges. In the
57:38
Speaker 1: center of the cross is a blue oval bearing the
57:40
Speaker 1: Icelandic symbol a silver falcon ready for flight. On the
57:44
Speaker 1: reverse side is the name of the founder of the
57:47
Speaker 1: Order in gold on white enamel, surrounded by a blue
57:50
Speaker 1: border with the inscription First Dy December nineteen eighteen. The
57:56
Speaker 1: ribbon of the Order is blue with white borders containing
57:58
Speaker 1: a red stripe colors as the Icelandic flag. The nights
58:02
Speaker 1: of the Grand Cross carry also an eight pointed store
58:07
Speaker 1: bearing the device of the Order. The head of the
58:09
Speaker 1: Order is King Christian tenth. During the last decades, political
58:15
Speaker 1: freedom and economic progress have transformed Iceland into a prosperous
58:19
Speaker 1: and progressive modern state. The old pursuits have become more
58:22
Speaker 1: productive than past generation would have considered possible. Great national
58:27
Speaker 1: resources are being made available which were wholly unknown in
58:30
Speaker 1: the past, and new pursuits are developing which give promise
58:33
Speaker 1: of still greater progress in the future. Of special importance
58:37
Speaker 1: are the fisheries, which of recent years have grown to
58:39
Speaker 1: be the most paying pursuit and chief source of income
58:43
Speaker 1: in the country. In eighteen ninety five, Iceland at only
58:47
Speaker 1: seventy fishing vessels. In nineteen o two the number had
58:50
Speaker 1: increased two one hundred and forty four. Iceland is now
58:53
Speaker 1: over twenty steam trawlers, over one hundred sale and motor cutters,
58:58
Speaker 1: six hundred motor deck boat in about one thousand fishing boats,
59:02
Speaker 1: a fishing fleet which gives employment to nearly eleven thousand people,
59:06
Speaker 1: or about one eighth of the population of the country.
59:10
Speaker 1: In nineteen thirteen, the export of fish products brought a
59:13
Speaker 1: total income of thirteen million, three hundred and twenty seven
59:16
Speaker 1: thousand kroner, or more than twice the amount derived from
59:20
Speaker 1: animal husbandry, which gave a return of five million, one
59:23
Speaker 1: hundred ninety five thousand kroner. And yet the rich fisheries
59:27
Speaker 1: in Icelanding waters have been only partially utilized by the
59:30
Speaker 1: Icelanders themselves. In nineteen thirteen, one thousand, four hundred and
59:34
Speaker 1: thirteen fishing steamers and sales ships entered Icelanding harbors, and
59:38
Speaker 1: there was no sign of any decrease in the vast
59:40
Speaker 1: schools of fish and herring in these waters. Also, in
59:44
Speaker 1: animal husbandry and farming. Considerable progress has been made, though
59:48
Speaker 1: not in the same proportion. In nineteen eighteen, Iceland had
59:51
Speaker 1: twenty four thousand, three hundred and eleven cattle, six hundred
59:55
Speaker 1: forty four thousand, nine hundred seventy one sheep and fifty
59:58
Speaker 1: three thousand, two hundred and eighteen horses. Especially important is
1:00:01
Speaker 1: the development of dairying, a pursuit which has been taught
1:00:04
Speaker 1: to people by the Danes, just as the valuable herring
1:00:07
Speaker 1: fishery has been taught them by the Norwegians. The first
1:00:10
Speaker 1: Icelandic creaming was built in nineteen hundred. In nineteen oh six,
1:00:14
Speaker 1: the number have been risen to thirty four during the
1:00:16
Speaker 1: last few years. The annual export of butter is valued
1:00:19
Speaker 1: at five hundred thousand kroner. It is thought that dairying
1:00:22
Speaker 1: in the rich lowlands of southern Iceland, if properly developed,
1:00:26
Speaker 1: could support the entire present population of the country, but
1:00:29
Speaker 1: because of lack of proper means of transportation, dairying can
1:00:33
Speaker 1: yet be pursued with profit only during the summer months.
1:00:36
Speaker 1: For this reason, the project has been set on foot
1:00:38
Speaker 1: to build a railway about seventy miles in length one
1:00:42
Speaker 1: hundred and eleven kilometers from Reikievik to thingbler self Os
1:00:47
Speaker 1: and Thiorsa, with a short sideline to Aorbaki. This road
1:00:54
Speaker 1: will open this important district to new economic development. Dairying
1:00:57
Speaker 1: is now pursued also in northern Iceland, but lack of
1:01:00
Speaker 1: transportation facilities makes further progress difficult. During the winter of
1:01:05
Speaker 1: the ice bound harbours are closed to traffic. Not till
1:01:08
Speaker 1: the northern districts are connected with break Kivik and southern
1:01:11
Speaker 1: Iceland by railways can their economic possibilities be fully developed.
1:01:16
Speaker 1: In all Iceland there are six thousand, five hundred and
1:01:18
Speaker 1: fifty eight farms. One half of these are owned by
1:01:21
Speaker 1: the farmers who till them. The other half of the
1:01:23
Speaker 1: farming population are renters. About one tenth of the soil
1:01:27
Speaker 1: is owned by the state, but the government estates are
1:01:30
Speaker 1: now being sold as rapidly as possible at low prices
1:01:33
Speaker 1: and on easy terms. Relatively, the farming population is decreasing
1:01:37
Speaker 1: in number. For some time, the number of farms has
1:01:40
Speaker 1: remained stationary. Though large areas could yet be cultivated, the
1:01:44
Speaker 1: work of developing new farmsteads cannot be done as the
1:01:48
Speaker 1: growth of the fisheries and The increase in trade and
1:01:50
Speaker 1: traffic have attracted the young people to the sea coast districts.
1:01:54
Speaker 1: In nineteen hundred, Iceland had a population of seventy nine thousand,
1:01:58
Speaker 1: of which only nand in the towns. In nineteen fifteen,
1:02:01
Speaker 1: the population was eighty nine thousand, fifty nine, of which
1:02:04
Speaker 1: twenty thousand, seven hundred and five lived in the towns.
1:02:07
Speaker 1: The growth of population in the decade nineteen ten to
1:02:11
Speaker 1: nineteen twenty was nine thousand, five hundred and thirteen, from
1:02:14
Speaker 1: eighty five thousand, one hundred and eighty three in nineteen
1:02:17
Speaker 1: ten to ninety four thousand, six hundred ninety six in
1:02:20
Speaker 1: nineteen twenty. During the same decade, the rural population fell
1:02:24
Speaker 1: from sixty five thousand, nine hundred and eighty seven in
1:02:27
Speaker 1: nineteen ten to sixty five thousand, thirty two in nineteen twenty.
1:02:30
Speaker 1: But great progress is being made towards better conditions in
1:02:33
Speaker 1: rural life. The old primitive farmhouses built of sod and
1:02:36
Speaker 1: stone are disappearing in fine Modern homes are built of
1:02:39
Speaker 1: lumber or concrete, usually two stories hid with large windows
1:02:42
Speaker 1: and jutting chimneys. The new houses are built according to
1:02:46
Speaker 1: American Far West models. Says a recent writer. A similar
1:02:50
Speaker 1: transformation is being wrought in the means of communication and travel.
1:02:55
Speaker 1: Fifty years ago there was not a bridge across a
1:02:57
Speaker 1: single river, nor was there a wagon in use in
1:03:00
Speaker 1: all Iceland. Now two fifths of the revenues of the
1:03:03
Speaker 1: country are used for building roads and improving the means
1:03:05
Speaker 1: of communication. Fine roads are being built in all parts
1:03:09
Speaker 1: of the country, so that the old horseback caravans will
1:03:12
Speaker 1: soon be replaced by wagons and automobiles. From Rikievika fine
1:03:16
Speaker 1: road has already been built to Thingbiler, and another almost
1:03:19
Speaker 1: to Hecla. All great rivers have been spanned by costly bridges,
1:03:23
Speaker 1: and fine highways are already in use along the valleys
1:03:26
Speaker 1: and streams in all parts of the country. Fifteen times
1:03:29
Speaker 1: a year, the mail carrier vans go to all parts
1:03:32
Speaker 1: of the island, so that every home receives its mail regularly.
1:03:35
Speaker 1: Houses have been built and equipped at regular intervals along
1:03:39
Speaker 1: the mail routes as places of refuge for the mail
1:03:41
Speaker 1: carriers in stormy weather. In nineteen oh six, a telegraphic
1:03:46
Speaker 1: cable was laid to Iceland, and the first telephone lines
1:03:49
Speaker 1: were constructed in the island. In nineteen fourteen, the Icelanding
1:03:52
Speaker 1: Steamship Company was organized. Regular steamship service is now maintained
1:03:56
Speaker 1: with Denmark and around the whole coast of Iceland. Sixty
1:03:59
Speaker 1: places entered by the steamers on their trip around the island.
1:04:03
Speaker 1: Motor boats are also applying the navigable rivers. Before many
1:04:06
Speaker 1: more years, the tourists may be able to travel on
1:04:09
Speaker 1: electric railway trains from one place to another in the
1:04:13
Speaker 1: Saga Islands. Industry is still of little importance in Iceland,
1:04:16
Speaker 1: but possibilities exist of great future development in this field.
1:04:21
Speaker 1: Lignite coal is found in several places, and beds of
1:04:24
Speaker 1: by two minutes coal have also been discovered. These coal
1:04:27
Speaker 1: deposits will probably be of value only as few for
1:04:30
Speaker 1: private homes. But Iceland possesses a great supply of water
1:04:33
Speaker 1: power which can be made available as motor power in
1:04:36
Speaker 1: industries and on electric railways. Of the countries of Europe,
1:04:40
Speaker 1: France has the greatest amount of water power, amounting to
1:04:43
Speaker 1: ten million horse power. Norway has about seven million, five
1:04:47
Speaker 1: hundred thousand, Sweden about six million, Austria six million, Italy
1:04:50
Speaker 1: six Germany one million, five hundred thousand, Spain one million,
1:04:54
Speaker 1: five hundred thousand, England three hundred and three thirty three thousand,
1:04:58
Speaker 1: Switzerland one hundred and sixty seven thousand. The amount of
1:05:01
Speaker 1: water power in Iceland is not definitely known, but it
1:05:04
Speaker 1: has been estimated to be not less than two million,
1:05:07
Speaker 1: five hundred thousand horsepower, or as much as that of Germany, Switzerland,
1:05:11
Speaker 1: Spain and England combined. Foreign companies have already purchased great
1:05:15
Speaker 1: icelanding waterfalls, and the building of railways and factories already
1:05:19
Speaker 1: planned will undoubtedly be begun in the near future. A
1:05:22
Speaker 1: fair index to the growth of prosperity in Iceland in
1:05:25
Speaker 1: late years is the rapidly increasing volume of trade. In
1:05:28
Speaker 1: the period eighteen eighty to eighteen ninety, the yearly export
1:05:31
Speaker 1: and import together amounted to ten million kroner. In nineteen ten,
1:05:34
Speaker 1: this total had amounted to thirty million kroner in nineteen thirteen,
1:05:38
Speaker 1: before the outbreak of the World War thirty six million kroner,
1:05:41
Speaker 1: the export being sixteen million kroner the import nineteen million kroner.
1:05:46
Speaker 1: In recent years, this rapid growth of commerce has continued.
1:05:49
Speaker 1: The official statistics show the greater share of this trade
1:05:54
Speaker 1: is carried on with Denmark, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, United States,
1:05:58
Speaker 1: Spain and Germany. In the period teen eighty six to
1:06:00
Speaker 1: eighteen ninety, the average number of ships which came to
1:06:02
Speaker 1: Iceland from foreign lands every year was two hundred and
1:06:05
Speaker 1: sixty four. Since that time that average has increased. In
1:06:10
Speaker 1: nineteen twenty the population of Iceland number ninety four thousand,
1:06:14
Speaker 1: six hundred and ninety six. A correspondent from Reykievik to
1:06:18
Speaker 1: the Danish paper bur Lyingska to Dinda Road in nineteen
1:06:22
Speaker 1: twenty one. There is scarcely another Scandinavian city which in
1:06:25
Speaker 1: the last fifty years has experienced such a development as
1:06:28
Speaker 1: the capital of Iceland. When Christian the ninth in eighteen
1:06:32
Speaker 1: seventy four landed in Reykievik, it consisted of a cluster
1:06:35
Speaker 1: of houses around a small church at the upper end
1:06:37
Speaker 1: of Faxi Bay. Many of the houses were built of
1:06:40
Speaker 1: sod and stone. The town gave the general impression of
1:06:43
Speaker 1: a primitive village or a group of fishermen's homes. When
1:06:46
Speaker 1: Frederick the eighth and members of the Danish government and
1:06:49
Speaker 1: Riggsdog landed in Iceland in nineteen oh seven, Reykievik had
1:06:52
Speaker 1: become a city of about ten thousand people, but the
1:06:55
Speaker 1: king and members of the riggs dog had to land
1:06:58
Speaker 1: on a small pier on the open shore, and the town,
1:07:01
Speaker 1: with its unpaved streets and low houses irregularly placed, gave
1:07:05
Speaker 1: the impression of a large country town. Now, at the
1:07:08
Speaker 1: time of the visit of Christian the tenth and Queen Alexandra,
1:07:12
Speaker 1: the town is nearly twenty thousand people and is not
1:07:14
Speaker 1: only a real city, but it deserves to be called
1:07:16
Speaker 1: the capital of Iceland. When the royal squadron entered the harbor,
1:07:21
Speaker 1: a beautiful sea coast town lay stretched before it, with
1:07:24
Speaker 1: an elegantly constructed harbor, ready to receive the King and Queen.
1:07:28
Speaker 1: Stood the population of a well built capital, a city
1:07:31
Speaker 1: with government buildings, churches, colleges, public library, museums, hospitals, in short,
1:07:36
Speaker 1: the whole complex equipment belonging to a European capital. The
1:07:40
Speaker 1: age of the small tripping horses is passed automobiles and
1:07:44
Speaker 1: motor truck speed through the streets of Reyekivic. The old
1:07:47
Speaker 1: general stores, with their collections of all sorts of wares,
1:07:50
Speaker 1: from ship anchors, oil coats and empty herring barrels to
1:07:54
Speaker 1: candy and millinery, have been replaced by stores of the
1:07:57
Speaker 1: latest model carrying only special lines goods, some so large
1:08:01
Speaker 1: and well equipped that they compare favorably with the stores
1:08:04
Speaker 1: in any Scandinavian city. Down by the harbor, the only
1:08:07
Speaker 1: great commercial harbor in the North Atlantic, great steamers are
1:08:11
Speaker 1: loading and unloading at the wharves instead of as formerly
1:08:14
Speaker 1: when the goods had to be brought from the ships
1:08:16
Speaker 1: to the shore and from the shore to the ships
1:08:19
Speaker 1: and barges. Reykievik is also a fleet of modern trawlers
1:08:23
Speaker 1: and large motor fishing boats, not equaled in any Danish city,
1:08:27
Speaker 1: not even in Sberg. The city is a real capital
1:08:31
Speaker 1: where nearly all of what Iceland possesses a political, administrative
1:08:35
Speaker 1: and academic talent and ability is gaveler. And evidence of
1:08:39
Speaker 1: the high moral character of the Icelandic people is the
1:08:42
Speaker 1: almost total absence of crime in their country. In nineteen
1:08:46
Speaker 1: oh four to sixteen persons were convicted of crimes or
1:08:48
Speaker 1: minor offenses, one being a woman. In nineteen oh five
1:08:51
Speaker 1: and nineteen oh six, the number of cases were twenty
1:08:54
Speaker 1: two men and two women and twenty eight men and
1:08:57
Speaker 1: five women, respectively, but only two thirds of the accused
1:09:00
Speaker 1: received a prison sentence. The prisons in Iceland usually stand
1:09:04
Speaker 1: almost empty when we consider that more than one fifth
1:09:07
Speaker 1: of the whole population live in sea coast stones and
1:09:10
Speaker 1: are engaged in trade and the fisheries. This is so
1:09:12
Speaker 1: unique a record that we must give the Icelanders the
1:09:15
Speaker 1: credit of being the most orderly and law abiding people
1:09:18
Speaker 1: in the world. Ind of Chapter eighteen