be found almost everywhere, the good lighting of the coast, and
the numerous good pilots. .According to the somewhat incomplete
statistics obtainable with reference to stranding and shipwrecks on
the Norwegian coast in the year 1898, 25 vessels, 19 of them
Norwegian, were wrecked. In 21 cases all on board were saved,
while in the remaining cases, 15 men in all are supposed to have
been lost.
A much darker picture is presented by the statistics relating
to Norwegian shipwrecks, which, for steam and sail separately,
give the following annual figures :
Sailing-vessel s Steam-vessels
Year Number
Tonnage
Percentage
of,
total
sailing
tonnage
Number
Tonnage
Percentage
of
total
steam
tonnage
1886—9D, average . 209
Reg. Tons
68,522 4.6
Reg.. Tons
2,781 2.0
1891—95, 223 .. 90,502 6.2 12 - 6,603 2.6
1896 .......................... 197 88,184 7.1 13 6,958 2*.l
1897 . ' ..................... 191 74,401 6.2 26 16,251 4.4
1898 .......................... 191 78,034 6.8 20 10,016 2.4
In these shipwrecks, many sailors have , met their death (in
1898 at least 272), and the matter has attracted considerable
attention. In 1894 a parliamentary commission was appointed for
the purpose of dealing with the question of the government control
of the seaworthiness of vessels, etc., and this commission has drafted
a bill which is now being considered by the-special department.
XIV. LIFE-SAVING STATIONS AND BOATS.
O d two of the most dangerous stretches of the Norwegian
coast, namely Lister and Jsederen (in the south-western part of
the country), where the coast is not protected by any belt of rocks,
life-saving stations with rocket apparatus were established in 1855.
In 1899, we had 9 such stations, 6 of which were in Jsederen and
3 in Lister, a life-boat station being connected with one of the
latter. In the year 1898—99, the Treasury contributed a total of
kr. 15,103 to life-saving purpo'ses, of which kr, 10,000 were granted
as a contribution to the private company «Norsk Selskab for
Skibbrudnes Kedning», which was formed in 1891 with a capital
of kr. 100,000, contributed by private subscription, from the whole
country. The society has gradually procured 13 life-boats. These
boats, which have been stationed at various places along the coast,
have already saved a considerable number of human lives (up to
June, 1899, 498 men) and vessels. The society has estimated as
its expenditure during the year 1900, the sum of kr. 78,500,
whereof kr. 50,000 will, according to estimate, be covered by subscriptions
and donations through the .different committees distributed
all over the country.
XV. CURRENCY, WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
The currency act of June 4th, 1873, which took effect, on
Jan. 1st, -1874, established the gold standard in Norway. The
coin unit, according to the act of April 17th, 1875, is the
krone of 100 ore, 1 kr, = 1.1013 sh. = lfyis fr a n c .- , ll/s '
: reichsmark. This monetary system was introduced according to
the Scandinavian Coinage Union concluded between Sweden and
Denmark, in 1873, and acceded to by Norway in 1875.
By an act of May 22nd, 1875, metric weights and measures
were introduced.
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