Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Commerce and Shipping, by A. Th. Klær
<< 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 been proofread at least once.
(diff)
(history)
Denna sida har korrekturlästs minst en gång.
(skillnad)
(historik)
was comparatively important. Our share of the whole world’s
mercantile marine was at that time about 2.7 per cent, in 1879 it
had increased to 5.7 per cent, but after that period it was for
some time relatively reduced, because, as mentioned above, we had
not yet commenced to acquire steamships to any large extent.
Since 1886 we have, in that respect, kept up better with the
development, so that our mercantile marine has maintained itself
at about 5 % of the total fleet of the world.
Among special causes of the advancement, noticeable, as far as
Norway is concerned, during the last two generations, we may
particularly mention the repeal of the British Navigation Act, dating
from 1850, by which our vessels were allowed free carrying trade
between British and other foreign ports, and the liberal customs
policy of Great Britain and Ireland, which has once more made
these countries the chief customer for our export, while an
extreme protectionist policy during the greater part of the first half
of the century had considerably reduced our previously flourishing
trade with Great Britain. The especially favourable conditions
of the market during the years 1850—56 also gave a great
impulse to our commerce and shipping, and something similar can
be said of the commencement of the seventies. Here should also
be mentioned, last but not least, the reputation which the
Norwegian seamen have earned for ability and honesty, inspiring all
commercial nations with the confidence that their goods are
carefully and conscientiously treated in our vessels. Norwegian seamen
are also very much sought after to man foreign vessels, and
now, as in previous times, our seamen bring honour to the
Norwegian flag.
The development of our commerce and shipping has not
progressed evenly from one year to another, but has been rather
fluctuating. Thus the years 1857 and 1858, especially the latter,
show a decrease, the reason whereof must chiefly be sought in
the great European and American commercial crisis which occurred
in 1857. This crisis, however, had rather a favourable than an
unfavourable influence on Norwegian trade, because the result of
it was that the Norwegian commercial life which had previously
been largely dependent on foreign banking houses, now grew more
independent. This greater independence of our commercial life
was also partly brought about by the development of our private
banking-institutions, our wholesale commerce and our shipping.
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
