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INTRODUCTION.
915
emphasized, the committee proposes sundry measures for their
amendment. Several of these, principally concerning shipping, also aim at
the improvement of foreign commerce, thus, for instance, the abolition or
regulation of certain maritime fees, etc. But directly to the
improvement of commerce, several proposals are made besides, of which a short
account properly may find a place here.
Government subventions for regular steam-boat traffic were to be met with
in Sweden in earlier times, and are now-a-days granted on a large scale in nearly
all countries. The committee suggests the establishment of regular traffic on the
following lines by means of government subventions: a) Gefle—Petersburg—
Björneborg—Gefle, and b) Stockholm—Reval (and possibly)—Petersburg; besides
which c) concerning the connection with transatlantic countries subventions are
proposed for those ship-owners who possibly will open traffic on such lines,
either in fixed yearly grants or else in a certain sum per ton and distance
covered.
In appeals to the committee, strong claims for bonded-vrarehouses on a
level with the time have been advanced from various quarters. From several of these,
the attention has directed itself towards the already existing staple-institution,
and a complaint has been heard of the restrictions in the treatment of staple goods,
but also from this side, as in general, a speedy introduction of the freeport and
free-storage systems is insisted upon, and it has been considered deplorable that our
merchants in this concern lack advantages which are granted by the legislation
in other countries. The question about establishing such institutions has already
before been an object of investigation with a Royal Committee, that in a most
convincing manner refuted objections raised, and most heartily recommended the
introduction of bonding, besides which the freeport system was considered
favourable for our country. A Government bill presented to that end was, however,
rejected by the Riksdag of 1900. The Commerce and navigation committee — considering
the free-storage system as a conditio sine qua non for carrying on trade in conformity
with the time — solicits the Governement again to present a bill for bonding and to
take under renewed consideration the question about measures for the introduction
of the freeport system. Especially in Gothenburg, more distinct plans are for
establishing a freeport.
Concerning commercial instruction, the Committee proposes that stipends
should be granted to young men wishing to perfect their education for
international trade at higher instructional establishments abroad, and that it be taken
into consideration whether special instruction in the science of commerce could
not be arranged at the universities of Stockholm and Gothenburg.
About commercial stipends, i. e., traveling studentships for young merchants
and others to attain a higher standard of practical education, as also for the
spreading of our articles of export abroad, the Committee proposes the subvention at
present granted, to be raised from 20,000 to 40,000 kronor, and that to this grant
may be added one of 15,000 kronor, which already exists for the furtherance of
a market for Swedish industrial products in foreign countries. For the new amount
thus arising, an alteration of provisos is demanded, among other things aiming at
making the commercial stipend system more effective and, if possible, also at
furthering the study of a ship-owner’s business, with a special view towards
forwarding the direct maritime communications of Sweden.
As to a reform of the consular system, a more extensive appointment of
iconsules missi> in distant countries is proposed; further the founding of new
consular studentships, and directing the consuls to give more frequent periodical
reports on the state of the market and the chances for a sale of Swedish pro-
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