the strength of the parties of the Left. The Liberals elected numbered 101, the members of the Right numbering 65 and the Social Democrats 64. Admiral Lindman's Ministry resigned, and in Oct. the King entrusted Karl Staaff, who had been prime minister in 1905-6, with the task of forming a new Government. This Ministry remained in office until Feb. 1914. Count Albert Ehrensvard, previously Swedish minister at Washington, became Minister of Foreign Affairs, and both of the departments of national defence were placed under civilians, in accordance with the Liberal view that there should be greater civil control. Alfred Petersson, who had gone over to the Liberals, became once more Minister of Agriculture. The question of national defence again came up for treatment, but upon different lines and almost exclusively at the hands of the members of the Left. It had not been possible to proceed further with the projected new ironclad than the making out of the designs. The Government proposed to the Riksdag of 1912 that the project should be abandoned and the Riksdag agreed. This cancelling of a previous decision of the Riksdag, on account of the new elections having altered the composition of the Second Chamber, evoked strong dissatisfac- tion. Within a brief space of time a sum of 17,000,000 kr. was raised by voluntary subscription for the building of the ship, and since the Government was unable to decline to use this fund the keel was laid down on Dec. i. The whole country was now stirred up, and further sums were subscribed in the same way to furnish machine-guns for the Landsturm and to provide aircraft. Towards the end of 1913 things had come to such a point that the prime minister was able in the course of a speech to advance arguments in favour of a forthcoming proposal for a winter training for the army, the establishment of reserve forces, the levying of a higher war-tax on the more well-to-do, the ameliora- tion of the laws governing war, etc. But in view of the election promises to which the Liberal leaders had committed themselves during the contest of 1911 this programme was not to be submitted all at once; its most important item alone, that of the training of the infantry, would in the first place be submitted by itself on the occasion of the Second Chamber elections of 1914 before being proposed to the Riksdag. The public discussion of the matter became very lively, and although no thoroughgoing defence programme was in fact submitted to the Riksdag of 1914, violent feelings were aroused and expressed.
At last even the small farmers and peasantry, usually anything but enthusiasts for defence measures owing to the heavy personal taxation entailed, were drawn into the movement. On Feb. 6 1914 there was a great meeting in Stockholm of more than 30,000 representatives of this class from all parts of the country, assem- bled for the purpose of bringing home to King Gustav their anxiety at not seeing the question handled promptly and in its entirety. They were received by the King in the great courtyard of the Royal Palace, and their spokesman declared that the Swedish people were willing to bear the burden of whatever measures of defence were necessitated by the gravity of the time. The King answered that he, too, was of opinion that the problem called for treatment in its entirety and without delay.
This demonstration had important consequences at once. The Ministry had had no previous intimation of what the King was going to say, and matters were brought to a head by the resignation of Staaff and his colleagues. On Feb. 17 a new Ministry was formed, with Hjalmar Hammarskjiold as its head.
Policy of Reform. In connexion with foreign affairs during this period it may be added that, by arbitration at The Hague, the sea boundary between Sweden and Norway was fixed in accordance with Sweden's claim, and Sweden became a party to the North Sea and Baltic Agreement of 1908. By dint of close cooperation between the Government and the Riksdag a large number of important reforms were instituted. Among those carried through during Adml. Lindman's administration may be mentioned (in addition to the franchise measures above noted) the creation of a supreme administrative Court of Justice (Regerings ratten), together with a legal council, formed of some members of the Supreme Court, as advisers to the Government in legislative matters. Civil marriages were made permissible
for all members of the State church. New laws were introduced as to farmers' tenancies and the leasing and letting of houses, flats, etc., and the speculative operations of the big companies dealing in land in Norrland were restricted and placed under control. A new company law was passed by the Riksdag and also a new banking law. A progressive income and property tax, based on the taxpayer's own statements as to both, was also introduced, together with a progressive inheritance tax. Custom- house duties were remodelled and the sugar-tax modified. An arrangement was come to with the Grangesberg Co. in regard to its iron-ore business in Lapland, by which the complicated question of proprietorial rights was so settled that the State joined in as part owner, receiving preference shares to the value of 40,000,000 kr., a specified royalty on the proceeds of the mining at Gellivara and Kirunavara and the right of redemption after a specified period. Large grants were made to the electric power stations at Trollhattan and Alvkarleby in central Sweden, as well as to that at Porjus in an uninhabited region of Lapland, and a widening of the Trollhatte canal was put in hand. A new law regarding insurance against illness was passed. Night work in certain occupations was forbidden for women. Improvements were made in higher technical education. In 1909 a sharp conflict arose between employers and workmen, and the latter organized a general strike in which nearly 300,000 took part. There were, however, no disturbances, thanks both to the disci- pline maintained and to the wise measures adopted by the Government. Social life was not brought to a standstill, as the workmen expected, and after a lapse of two months the conflict was brought to an end.
While the reforms introduced by Adml. Lindman's Ministry lay mainly in the sphere of economics and industry, the Staaff Ministry devoted its energies more especially towards social questions. A new social department was instituted, as a centre for the State's activities in this direction. The law bearing on the protection of workmen was extended, and various forms of workmen's unions were placed under control. A law was passed regulating the methods of dealing with alcoholists. The profits of the sale of spirits by the communes were allocated to the State, compensation being allowed therefor, the object of this being to free the communes from all economic interest in the liquor trade. After long preliminary planning, an illness and old-age pensions insurance law was passed, enacting obligatory insurance, with payments in three degrees, for all, except pensioners of the State, between the ages of 16 and 66, the pensions to be given in case of illness, or on the completion of the 67th year.
The War Years, 1914-8. In the ministry which Herr Ham- marskjiold formed in Feb. 1914 Herr K. A. Wallenberg, the banker, was Minister of Foreign Affairs; Herr Dan Brostrom, shipowner, Minister for Naval Defence, and Herr Oscar von Sydow was Minister of the Interior. The Second Chamber was dissolved, and after a very sharp contest the advocates of active defence measures were returned in increased numbers, but with- out having secured a majority, polling 86 seats out of 230, while the Liberals numbered 71 and the Social Democrats 73.
The Riksdag met again in May, and the outbreak of the war brought with it a solution of difficulties, inasmuch as all parties recognized that there must be no disputing as to details of defence at a moment when the whole surrounding world was aflame. Universal military service had already been introduced, but now the training time for infantry was increased to 340 days, of which 250 were to be spent in recruit classes beginning in the autumn and continuing throughout the winter, followed by the usual training courses during three years. In order to secure non- commissioned officers of the right kind it was judged well to impose a longer training time, extending to 485 days, on students and other young men of similar standing, while for cavalry and artillery the period was fixed at 365 days. Large sums were allotted for the provision of war materials and for the strengthen- ing of the coast defences. A programme was drawn up for adding new vessels to the fleet. Simultaneously with these steps towards increasing the defences of the country, measures were introduced for modernizing the existing code of punishments for military
