65° - 01.09.1967, Side 8

same time last year. The foreign currency reserve
totalled 2,000 million kronur at the end of last
year.
Dr. Gylfi P. Gislason, minister of commerce,
has predicted a reduction of 4% of the national
income this year. He said there was no question
of devaluation of the kronur.
Foreign currency reserves decreased by 500
million kronur during the first six months of the
year, and on September first the banks announced
a reduction of travelling allowance in foreign
currency from kr. 15,000 to 10,000 per person.
*
Work is progressing on the electrification of
the river Pjorsa (Burfells electrification), which
will sell electricity to the aluminium melting fac-
tory at Straumsvik. The Swiss company, Alu-
suisse, is creating this factory which will start
production in April, 1969. In Straumsvik, work
is also progressing on harbor facilities. A number
of workers are employed at these two big projects.
A plant is also being built at Lake Myvatn for
the production of diatomite.
*
President Asgeir Asgeirsson visited Canada on
an official tour in July on the occasion of the
Canadian Centennial. The president visited the
world’s fair in Montreal, and on July 18th made
an official visit to Washington, D.C. at the invita-
tion of the U.S. President. In a radio speech, the
president said that his reception by the American
president had been heartwarming and agreeable,
and that Lyndon B. Johnson had, among other
things, mentioned with great satisfaction his visit
to Iceland when he was vice-president.
*
Icelandair, which had a business of 275 million
kronur in 1966 got its first passenger jet plane,
a Boeing 727, last June, which started scheduled
trips to other countries at the beginning of July.
LoftleiSir (Icelandic Airlines) has applied for
permission to buy its fifth airplane of the RR-400
type. The total business of LoftleiSir in 1966 was
over 949 million kronur, and its planes moved
165,645 persons. That LoftleiSir still has no land-
ing permission in the other Scandinavian coun-
tries continued on the agenda at a meeting of the
foreign ministers of Scandinavia in Helsingfors,
August 22nd, and was finally called to the at-
tention of the communication ministers of the
countries involved.
*
Tourists to Iceland have increased 35% per
year since 1950. Some noted visitors to Iceland
this summer were Crown Prince Harald of Nor-
way, Willy Brandt, foreign minister of West
Germany, here for the first time in June, and a
group of American astronauts who visited Ice-
land for field experience. Icelandic and American
geologists guided the astronauts on their trips
into the interior, including volcanic regions.
*
This spring marked the 20 year anniversary of
the Marshall Plan rehabilitation of Europe. The
Icelandic government commemorated the event
by contributing $50,000 to a fund named after
Thor Thors, late Icelandic minister to the U.S.,
for strengthening educational ties between Ice-
land and the U.S.
*
From September 1st, Icelandic television began
transmitting six days a week instead of four. With
this decision, Emil Jonsson, foreign minister, in-
formed the Commander of the Iceland Defense
Force, Admiral Frank B. Stone, that there was
now no reason against changing the Armed Forces
Television transmittance at Keflavik airport which
the defense force had deemed necessary for busi-
ness reasons, as noted in a letter from the head
of the defense force in September 1966. Admiral
Stone announced immediately that Keflavik tele-
vision transmittance would be limited to the air-
base and its neighborhood as of September 15,
1967.
*
Right hand traffic will start in Iceland on Sun-
day, May 26, 1968.
*
An extensive fire occurred in the warehouses
of the Icelandic Steamship Company (Eimskipa-
felag Islands) on August 30th. Losses, still un-
calculated, will probably amount to tens of mil-
lions kronur.
The Nordic house in Reykjavik, built with
money from all Nordic countries will be ready
for use in 1968. Ivar Eskelund, an author from
Oslo, was appointed manager.
6
65