Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - II. Industries of Sweden. General Survey. By P. Fahlbeck
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
A GENERAL SURVEY. 15-
Table 2. Population of Sweden in Main Groups according to Occupation.
Professions Population Percentage of entire population
1870 1900 1910 1 1870 1900 1910
Agriculture and fishing . Industry2....... Trade and transport . . Public service, etc.3 . . . 2 995 844 613 414 210 940 348 327 2 756 704 1 484 230 544 324 351183 2 663 000 1831 000 670 000 358 000 71-87 14-71 5-06 8-36 53-67 28-90 10-60 6-83 48-23 33-16 12-13 6-48
Total 41(58 525 5136 441 5522000 100-00 -100-00 100-oo
opposite direction, though without prejudice to the "intensity" of the
farming.
The greater part of the soil of Sweden is occupied by forests. It is
thus quiet natural that forestry should constitute one of the principal
occupations of the country. It does not require the employment of so many
hands as does agriculture, and consequently supports only a comparatively
small number of the population. But it is- one of the greatest sources of
wealth in the country. Timber in fact constitutes well-nigh one half of
the total exports of Sweden; and Sweden is one of the greatest seller
of timber in the world’s markets. Thanks to methods of forestry
that are improving in efficiency year by year (since 1903 backed
by an incipient legislation on the subject), the enormous capital
contained in the forests is being better administered, and this source of"
wealth is secured and preserved for all time. Moreover with the increasing
development of paper and pulp mills, furniture factories, and other
industries in which the raw product is manipulated into finished articles
of commerce, the wealth of the forests is being utilized more and more
for the benefit of Sweden herself.
It will be noted in Table 1 that nearly 15 millions of hectares are
entered as other land, that is, land not under cultivation. However, a
considerable portion of this vast area comprises mosses, which are now
being increasingly applied to useful purposes, in the shape of fuel and
moss-litter. A fair amount of this land will doubtless one day be found
fitted to serve for cultivation or growth of timber. The major portion
of it, however, is röck and mountain, and thus "uncultivable" land; but
not worthless. For in these desert regions Nature has buried one of
Sweden’s greatest treasures: the boundless iron ore fields. They form
a belt extending across the central part of the country, and contain the
purest ores in the world. The main mass of ore, however, is to be found
in Lappland, which until quite recently was inaccessible, but which the
railway has now opened up to the world’s markets. Many other mineral
treasures lie buried in the Swedish mountains. Thus, as might have been
expected, Mining has been from time immemorial the leading industry of
the country. Sweden was in fact long the biggest producer of iron in
1 Approximate estimate. — 2 Includes forestry and mining. — 3 Includes the literary,,
artistic, and medical professions, tho administration of charity etc.
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
