Commerce, Manufactures, Of all the countries trading with Sweden, Great Britain is the one with which the largest amount of business is done, Germany coming next. The total value of the exports to all countries in 1916 was nearly $206,991,000, of which 5.3 per U cent came from the United States, the exports to Great Britain amounting to half that amount. The total imports amounted to about $194, 811,000 (United States, 27.4 per cent). The principal exports are timber, iron, butter and wood pulp; imports, iron and steel, wrought and unwrought, coal, machinery, woolen and cotton goods. Next to agriculture the most important industry in Sweden is iron-mining. Other industries now of some importance are iron-founding and engineering, the spinning and weaving of cotton and woolen goods, paper making, brewing, sugar-refining, match-making and glass-making. In 1917 there were 9,368 miles of railways, of which 3,268 miles be longed to the state. The public telegraph and telephone lines in 1917, 341,013 miles, belong wholly to the state. A tram ferry service oper ates between Trelleborg and Sasnetch in Prussia.
The mercantile marine in 1917 engaged 2,801 vessels of 1,128,435 tons burden. The tonnage entered and cleared in 1915 was 28,799,114 tons. Goteborg is the principal port and Stockholm comes next.
Weights and The denomina tions of money are the ore and the krona, or crown (silver) ; 100 ore (each=.132d.).= 1 krona= 1s. lid. The greater part of the cur rency, however, is in paper, which is circulating in sums varying from 5 to 1,000 kronor. The metric system of weights and measures was introduced in 1883. Among old measures are the skalpund = .937 lb. avoirdupois; the cen$ner (100 skalpund) =93.7 lbs. avoirdupois; the nylast (100 centner) =83.67 cwts.; the kanna =4.6 pints imperial; the cubic fot (10 kanna) = 5.76 imperial gals.; the cubic aln =46 gals.; the foot (fot) = 11.689 inches imperial; the tunneland or acre =1 acre 35 poles; the mile = 6.64 United States miles, and the square mile =44 United States square miles; 10 tinier 1 tum ; 10 turn = 1 foot; 10 1 slang (=9.74 United States feet) ; 10 stringer= 1 ref; 360 ref = 1 mile.
The crown is hereditary in the male line. The king must be a member of the Lutheran Church, and has to swear fidelity to the laws of the land. His prerogatives con sist of the right to preside in the high court of justice, to grant pardons, to conclude treaties with foreign powers, to declare war and peace, to nominate to all appointments civil and mili tary and to veto absolutely any decree of the Diet or Parliament of the kingdom. He also
possesses a power of administrative legislation. The princes of the blood-royal are excluded from all civil employments. The Diet consists of two chambers, which are both elected. The first or upper chamber consists of 150 mem bers. The members are elected by 25 provincial landstings (or provincial assemblies) and the corporations of Stockholm, Goteborg, Norr koping, Malmo and Gelie. All the members must be above 35 years of age, and a property qualification is required to the taxed value of 50,000 kronor, or $13,885 in real property, or an annual income of 3,000 kronor or $830. They are elected for six years. The second chamber, elected on universal male suffrage for three years, contains 230 members, 150 elected by the rural population, being one for each 40,000 inhabitants; and 80 by the towns, being one for every 10,000 inhabitants. Mem bers of both houses are paid 1,200 kronor or $335 per session of four months, in addition to traveling expenses. The election is by ballot on a basis of proportional representation. The executive power is in the hands of the king, under the advice of a council of state consist ing of 11 members, eight of whom are depart mental heads. The eight departments are: The Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of For eign Affairs, the Ministry of War, the Min istry of Marine, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Edu cation and Ecclesiastical Affairs and the Min istry of Agriculture. All the ministers are re sponsible for the acts of the government. The administration of justice is controlled independ ently of the government by the Justitie Kansler, appointed by the king, who acts for and the Justitie Ombudsman, appointed by the Diet, who exercises a supervision over the law courts.
Finances.—A large part of the revenue is derived from national property, including rail ways; the remainder from customs, excise, in come tax, etc. The total estimated revenue for 1917 amounted to $107,000,000 and the expendi ture was rather more. Part of the expendi ture — civil, military and ecclesiastical — is de frayed from Crown lands and does not appear in the public accounts. The public debt is over $225,000,000. Sinking funds are provided for the payment of the debt.
The Riksbank, or National Bank of Sweden, belongs entirely to the state and is managed by directors elected for three years by the Diet, except one, the president, who is designated by the king.