Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1940, Side 88

82
LE NORD
land no less than in Sweden the exploitation of those reserves
was, after the middle of the century, facilitated by the enclosing
movement, which was consistently favoured and promoted by
State action. The forest wealth of Finland, however, like that of
Sweden, was still very imperfectly exploited, there being
no sufficient markets for the produce. In the central parts of
Sweden the iron industry, which required comparatively large
amounts of char-coal and other wood fuel, exerted a far-reaching
influence on forest economy. For a long time the government had
favoured a policy of decentralization in regard to the iron in-
dustry. In order to turn to account even distant forest resources
and prevent a dearth of wood fuel in the mining districts an at-
tempt had been made to reserve as far as possible the forests of
those districts for mining and smelting purposes, the further stages
of the industry being transferred to other parts of the kingdom,
the forest resources of which seemed to safeguard a cheap supply
of char-coal. During the closing years of the political connection
between Sweden and Finland the government tried to encourage
a further development of the industry in the Finnish provinces as
well as in some other parts of the kingdom which suffered from a
lack of ores but offered a more abundant supply of timber.
The growth of the saw mill industry was rather unfavourably
affected by the attempts to safeguard the interests of the iron
industry. The politicians of the time were haunted by the fear of
deforestation, those forest assets which were accessible to ex-
ploitation being not thought sufficient to admit of any very con-
siderable export without serious prejudice to the iron trade. As a
consequence the saw mill industry was hedged in by a variety of
rules and regulations having for their object to prevent undue ex-
pansion.
The peace of Fredrikshamn in the year 1809, which severed
Finland from Sweden, was a severe blow to the economy of both
countries, and Finland as the smaller of them in wealth and po-
pulation met with greater difficulties than Sweden. Considerable
losses were caused by that reduction of the mutual trade which
was a consequence of the separation. Gradually tariff walls werc
erected which at first rather moderate were later on to become a
very severe hindrance. Still some remnants of preferential tariff
treatment were preserved till 1845. This weakening of old com-
mercial ties was no doubt injurious to both countries but parti-
cularly so to Finland, Sweden having played a relatively greater