In 1907 parliamentary suffrage was granted to women with the same limitation as in the municipal suffrage granted to them in 1901, viz., to all unmarried women over 25 years, who pay taxes on an income of 30o kroner (about £16) in the country districts and on 400 kroner (about f 2 2) in the towns, as well as to all married women whose husbands pay taxes on similar incomes. Norway was thus the first sovereign country in Europe where women gained the vote.
The Michelsen Government, which achieved these results, functioned in a storting composed of some 77 Liberals and parties of the Left, 36 Conservatives, and 1 o members of the new Labour Party. In Oct. 1907 the premier was succeeded by his minister of foreign affairs, R. J. Lovland. Most of the Left then reorganized as the Consolidated Left under Gunnar Knud sen, who became premier in March 1908. Knudsen's administra tion carried through the "concession laws," making it impossible to buy waterfalls of more than i,000 h.p., forests, mines and other real property without a concession from the Government.
The Conservative Parties opposed especially the proviso that concessions should not be granted for more than 6o years, and that on their expiration all waterfalls, power stations, etc., should be come national property without compensation. In March 1909 a group of the old Liberals reorganized as the Liberal Left. In the general elections of Oct. 1909 the Conservatives and Liberals secured 63 seats, as against 47 Radicals, II Socialists and two Independents, and on Feb. 1, 1910, formed a Coalition Govern ment under the old Liberal leader Wollert Konow. In 1911 the Government passed a new taxation law introducing compulsory declaration of income and limiting rights of municipal taxation. Owing to persistent friction on the landsmdl question (see NOR WEGIAN LITERATURE) , Konow resigned (Feb. 1912), and was suc ceeded by the Conservative leader Bratlie. But this friction had weakened the coalition; the elections of
returned 76 Radicals against 24 Conservatives and Liberals and 23 Socialists. Knud sen again became premier, with Castberg the leading member of his cabinet. Controversy centred round the so-called "Castberg laws," giving illegitimate children equal rights of inheritance with legitimate, except in the case of peasants' farms, and imposing on the fathers increased obligations to protect their illegitimate children and the mothers of them. The laws were passed in 1915
by the Radical majority, after Castberg had left the cabinet. In 1914 the centenary of the Norwegian constitution was celebrated.
A controversy with Sweden concerning the suzer ainty over a group of submarine skerries, Grisebaaerne, was de cided by The Hague Tribunal in 1908. The World War brought the three Scandinavian countries closer together. In Aug.
they proclaimed strict neutrality and signed an agreement to re move any possibility of either country preparing hostile action against the other. On Dec. 18-19 the three Scandinavian kings with their premiers and foreign ministers met in Malmo to dis cuss joint action regarding questions raised by the war. Similar conferences of the Scandinavian premiers and foreign ministers were held in Copenhagen (March 1916), in Oslo (Sept. 1916), in Stockholm (May 1917), Copenhagen (June 1918), Stockholm (May 1919), Oslo (Feb. 1920) and in Copenhagen (Aug. 1920); After the first panic at the outbreak of war, both public and
enterprises made vast profits and incurred extrava gant expenditure. Wages and salaries rose rapidly; the shipping companies paid huge dividends ; all sorts of new financial and in dustrial enterprises were started; imports reached an enormous height. The elections of 1915 returned the previous Government with an increased majority; 8o Radicals were elected, 20 Conserv atives, 19 Socialists and 4 Independents. The Government re ceived extraordinary powers. A victualling commission controlled prices and imports, and a price directorate controlled retail prices. In 1916 grains and cereals, meat, sugar, coffee and tea were rationed. Temporary Prohibition was initiated in Dec. 1916, and extended in June 1917 to all trade in wines of an alcoholic strength of over 12%. In July 1916, as the result of a violent struggle in the labour market, an emergency measure was passed —under protests from both Labourites and Conservatives—prohib iting strikes and lock-outs and enforcing public arbitration in in dustrial conflicts. In spite of extraordinary revenues, however, the national debt, thanks to the needs of defence and bonuses to officials, rose from 362,300,000 kroner in 1914 to 736,600,00o kroner in 1917 and i ,o08 million at the end of 1918.