Lögberg-Heimskringla - 05.02.1988, Síða 1

SEDÍ.ArAUfíI ISi.ANÐS
ADAL3KRIFST0FA
* AUSTÍJRSTRAETI i 1
REYKJAVIK, ICSLAND
100. ÁRGANGUR
Lögberg
Heimskringla
LÖGBERG Stofnað 14. janúar 1888
HEIMSKRINGLA Stofnað 9. september 1886
LÖGBERG CENTENNIAL YEAR, FÖSTUDAGUR 5. FEBRÚAR 1988 NÚM^Á
One hundred years
Message from Steingrímur Hermannsson
Last September my wife Edda and
I visited Winnipeg along with our
Ambassador to Canada Ingvi Ingvars-
son and his wife Hólmfríður. This
was the first time we had been to
Manitoba and although the visit was
brief it certainly opened for us up a
new horizon. That was very much
thanks to the fine arrangements
made by Birgir Brynjólfsson, our
Icelandic Consul in Winnipeg.
At the new Scandinavian House we
had lunch with a few leading people
of the Icelandic community. We visit-
ed the University where Professor
Haraldur Bessason took us through
the Icelandic library and we had a
long and most cordial meeting with
Lieutenant-Governor Dr. George
Johnson and Mrs. Johnson at the
Lieutenant-Governor's residence.
Steingrímur Hermannsson
Furthermore we travelled to Mikley
where under the fine guidance of
Stefán Stefánsson and his wife we
met several of the Icelandic people
still remaining on the island and were
given a most interesting briefing
about the history of the settlement.
I was pleased and proud to find the
strong ties still remaining between
people of Icelandic descent in Cana-
da and the old country. It is amazing
to find how well many of those peo-
ple speak Icelandic after two or three
generations and often little contact
with Iceland. But in spite of those
strong ties and warm feelings
towards their country of origin the
Icelandic settlers and their descen-
dants have been and are obviously
good citizens of Canada. This was
strongly indicated to me by other
Canadians.
It is in a way remarkable how well
minority groups in Canada have
preserved their heritage and identi-
ties. Furthermore the Canadian
mosaic thus made up of people of
many different nationalities has
formed a strong united nation which
is highly respected all over the world.
The fact that Lögberg and Heim-
skringla have been published over
one hundred years is a most visible
proof of the strong unity and coher-
ence existing between Canadian
citizens of Icelandic origin. This is
fine and sound and I hope it shall
last.
I do aiso hope that the ties between
people of Icelandic descent in Cana-
da and Iceland will remain strong for
years to come. The responsibility for
that does not rest only with those
who have become citizens of Cana-
da. Certainly that duty to cultivate
and strengthen this relationship is no
less ours in Iceland.
Iceland is international news
The international press seems to
have been strongly attracted to
Iceland as a result of the Reagan-
Gorbechev Summit Meeting in
Iceland over a year ago. Internal mat-
ters are now featured in the Interna-
tional news even with the introduc-
tion of such legislation as the authori-
zation of beer with a higher alcohol
content than 2.25 per cent.
In 1912 legislation was passed pro-
Reader survey
Included in this issue is a Reader
Survey which we ask you to kindly
fill in and return to us at Lögberg-
Heimskringla, Rm. 40, 339 Strathmil-
lan Rd., Winnipeg, Canada R3J 2V6.
The last time we requested our
readers to fill in a similar question-
naire was during 1983. The results
were helpful. It is through this type
of survey that we can better serve the
readers of Lögberg-Heimskringla.
A summary of results will be pub-
lished at a later date.
The questionnaire will appear in
three separate issues, this will allow
both subscribers and readers to
respond individually.
hibiting all alcoholic drinks including
beer. In 1933 prohibition was
repealed except that beer containing
more than 2.25 per cent alcohol was
banned and has remained so during
the last 55 years.
The state exercises strict control
over the sale of spirits which can also
be had at bars. The liquor store hours
are open weekends and until 6 p.m.
weekdays. In 1979 a businessman
noted the airline crews were bring-
ing in cases of foreign beer on return-
ing to Iceland from abroad. Return-
ing from abroad he brought a case of
beer and insisted on the same rights
as the air crews. The authorities gave
in to his demands and the result is the
duty free store sells mostly beer to
returning Icelanders.
Icelanders work long hours and
drink more heavily on weekends.
The promoters and supporters of the
legislation argue the beer will sup-
plant hard liquor and lower the alco-
holism rate.
Polls show a strong support for this
change. It has been tried on numer-
ous occasions but always defeated-
Previous arguments against the in-
troduction of stronger beer was the
conviction that youth first begin by
drinking beer and then move into the
consumption of hard liquor.
Once they have legalized stronger
beer, the Icelanders will be in league
with their neighbouring Scandinavi-
an countries.
With those few words I want to
congratulate those who have through
the years put untold hours into the
publication of Heimskringla and ex-
tend my best wishes for the New
Year to Icelandic people in Canada.
Aniversary greetings from
the mayor of Winnipeg
It is a pleasure for me to be able to
take this opportunity to extend my
personal greetings to the readers of
the Lögberg-Heimskringla on the oc-
casion of the lOOth Anniversary of
the newspaper Lögberg.
With the amalgamation of the Lög-
berg and Heimskringla in 1959, this
the lOOth Anniversary of the Lögberg
reaches a milestone in the history of
the two newspapers. This weekly is
a reflection of the Icelandic culture
and heritage and as it has done in the
past, it will continue in the future to
play an important role in our
community.
As Canadians we enjoy the free-
dom of thought and expression. Our
newspapers report objectively and
without fear of repression, a freedom
that we must guard if we are to
William Norrie, Q.C.
Mayor of Winnipeg
preserve our democratic form of
government.
William Norrie, Q.C., Mayor