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914
XI. COMMERCE! OF SWEDEN.
Swedish trade on foreign countries is at present, in proportion to
the population, quite considerable. From olden times, this trade has,
however, been suffering from certain deficiences, which cannot as yet be
said to have been fully remedied. Thus, for instance, the export
consists chiefly of raw materials, and the import as well as the export still
is carried on to a great extent by intermediate foreign hands.
The external relations also are far from being favourable to Sweden
for trade on foreign countries. The Baltic has in our days become an
out-of-the-way inland sea, and it were undoubtedly to greater advantage
if our trade instead could be concentrated on the West coast,
consequently in the large emporium of Gothenburg. But the greater part
of our country is, however, bordered by the Baltic, and this sea has
the traditions of centuries — not to say of thousands of years —; the
possibilities of future mercantile connections on a large scale with
Russia and the steadily increasing trade with Germany also speak in its
favour. In addition to this, there is finally the attraction of
Stockholm as a capital, and the fact that our largest exports of timber of
necessity are confined to the harbours of the Bothnian Gulf. It is
therefore scarcely possible to avoid continuing to have two commercial centers,
yea, three — for in southern Sweden, the capital of Skåne, Malmö, is a
natural center, the growth of which is, however, rendered more difficult
by the competition from Copenhagen — in many cases more favoured.
In this competition, the province of Skåne stands almost without
support from the rest of Sweden — separated as it is from this by the
great and thinly populated province of Småland. Seen at large, the
economic connections between the different parts of Sweden are still
very weak and leave much to be desired.
National concentration for co-operation outivards is consequently a
great desideratum for our country, in the domain of trade as well as
in most other domains. And although the obstacles for the realization
of this are many, still the future prospects have of later times
increased considerably. As regards this, it is first of all to be noted that
our internal communications of låte havé been extraordinarly enhanced
by means of our excellent railroad system. But it is also very
gratifying that our people is more and more coming to acknowledge that our
foreign commerce really stands in need of reforms, which can be brought
about only by joint powerful exertions, and that at present earnest
endeavours are made to see both where the deficiences lie and to find
out the possibilities of remedying them.
Concerning the work of later times for the improvement of our
foreign commerce, the Commerce and navigation committee ought to be
mentioned foremost — demanded in 1898 by the Riksdag, by force of a
private initiative, and appointed by the Government. After a detailed
examination into the present state of Swedish foreign trade and
shipping, at which the intimate connection between these two is strongly
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