Stockholm and Christiania and both Berlin and Hamburg. In accordance
with an arrangement entered into between the respective countries, Swedish
and German vessels run alternately on the route, which has become
more and more frequented on account of its convenience, as the crossing
occupies a short 4 hours, and the whole journey from Stockholm to Berlin
takes only 22 hours.
The lines running to Russia, Germany, England, Erance, and other
European countries, organized by Swedish shipping companies, have also
developed in extension and importance. Since 1908, the state has subsidised
a steam-boat line running between Stockholm and Riga, and at the same
time arrangements have been made for connected and co-operative traffic
on the Russian and Swedish Railways.
But of far greater importance, especially for Swedish export communications,
are assuredly, the trans-atlantic steam-boat lines (cf. the accompanying
map).
In 1903. the South Africa Trading Company of Stockholm, in connection
with a Danish line, inaugurated a traffic with South Africa and
East India. In the next year, facilities were arranged for traffic with
S. Africa by a Gothenburg firm, too, ■—-the so-called Swedish South Africa
Line — which has since extended operations to Australia.
In 1904, the so-called Johnson Line (Rederiaktiebolaget Nordstjern'an),
of Stockholm began its services to La Plata; and since it began to receive
state assistance in 1906, it has considerably developed (cf. map).
In 1907 was founded the Swedish East Asia Company of Gothenburg.
This company maintains a traffic with East Asia in combination with
foreign lines, and has, since 1907, been in receipt of state assistance.
There are, besides, similar lines to the Levant and Mexico, and in 1912
was opened a Scandinavian line to North America.
Swedish Vessels engaged in Foreign Shipping.
In the foregoing paragraphs it has been mentioned that, of the total
tonnage of vessels entered and cleared in 1912 which maintained the traffic
between Sweden and other countries — which amounted to 25 511 890
tons — altogether 12 370 227 tons was carried in Swedish bottoms.
That is one side of the activity of the vessels of the Swedish mercantile
marine engaged in foreign shipping. The other side consists naturally
of the voyages which Swedish vessels made between foreign country and
foreign country — which voyages thus do not touch Sweden, and which
are therefore not reckoned in under “The Foreign Shipping of Sweden”.
As regards the part Swedish vessels play in Shipping on Sweden, this has
' already been dealt with in the foregoing section, both as regards the vessels’
number and burthen, and as regards their most important countries of departure
and destination. The above-cited information, gathered through the customhouses,
practically agrees with certain information returned from the shipping
companies in the matter of their respective vessels’ foreign voyages, in that,
T able 119. Swedish Vessels employed in Foreign Shipping.
To ta l
en te red
of vessels
and cleared
T o ta l to n n ag e in
th o u san d to n s
Gross f re ig h ta g e earned
in th o u sa n d k ro n o r
Annually,.
Number Tonnage Laden
I n b a llast
Steam
ships
Sailing
vessels
To ta l
amo u n t
Between
Sweden
and
abroad
Between
foreign
co u n tries
1876^80 .
1881—85 .
1 1886—90 .
1891—95 .
1896—00 .
1901—05 .
I 1906§-10 .
22 256
25 917
28 942
30 786
36 385
40 086
44 827
4 472 951
5 242 730
6 701704
7 779 571
10 635 624
16 005 855
24 407 033
3 238
3 928
4 864
5 473
7 293
10 871
16 876
1235
1315
1838
2 307
3 342
5135
7 531
1997
2778
4393
5 546
8529
14 068
22 807
2 476
2 465
2 309
2 234
2106
1938
1600
35 514
33 916
33 428
32 520
47 321
54550
75383
18 965
19 652
20 877
21993
34180
37 421
46 403
16 549
14264
12551
10 527
13141
17 129
28 980
1911 . ( .
i 1912 . . .
48 815
48 505
28 613 564
29 436 116
20 091
20 986
8 523
8 450
27 215
28 052
1399
1384
94973
106 285
55 242
65878
39 731
40 407
according to the companies’ returns, the voyages of Swedish vessels between
Sweden and foreign countries in 1912,-should have given a total of 11 952 663
tons. I t is of further interest to calculate the amount of the gross freightage
earned on such voyages According to the shipping companies’ returns, the
gross ¿freightage earned by their vessels; (calculated on arrival) amounted to
65 8;78 000 kronor in 1912. Of this total 29 335 000 kronor was derived from
voyages to and- from Great Britain and Ireland, 9 959 000 kronor from voyages
to and from Germany, 4 813 000 kronor from the intercourse with France,
2 9 5 6 000 from that with Denmark, 4 945 000 from th a t with Holland, 2 438 000
from th a t with Belgium, and so on. Voyages to other continents than Europe
produced only 6: 333 000 kronor altogether.
The shipping companies also render returns of the freights carried by Swedish
ships between foreign country and foreign country, and, according to these
returns for the. year 1912, the number of Swedish vessels arriving at one foreign
port; from another amounted to 10 758, with a tonnage of 8 773 575 tons, and
there were about the same number of sailings. The total of the gross freightages
teamed on voyages between foreign ports amounted to 40 407 000 kronor.
A survey of the Swedish mercantile marines’ employment on foreign
shipping during a succession of years is given in Table 119, but in this
connection it is to be noticed that the returns for different periods are not
fully comparable, as they emanate from various sources, the data during
earlier periods having been supplied by the consuls. However, the table
indicates a gradual increase, especially during recent years.
Home Shipping.
Even if, during a succession of years, the foreign shipping of Sweden
has exhibited weak points, to eradicate which serious attempts have been
made only during the last decade, yet it can be said that the home shipping
has long been organized to absolute perfection. The extremely lively communications
between the different parts of the country have been maintained
by several hundreds of steamers, and, for the local traffic between
the numerous islands of our extensive archipelago, -— as also for the