Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1940, Page 96

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LE NORD
later on were introduced, ran also largely parallell to those
adopted in Sweden. But in Finland the reform work was partly
hampered by the conditions referred to above and for a consider-
able time the difference between the two countries went on in-
creasing. Yet even during that period the general trend was very
much the same on both sides of the Gulf of Bothnia. When, ulti-
mately, Finland had gained complete political freedom and was
able to mould her own destiny, it was but natural that the con-
nection with the other Northern countries would become much
more intimate.
Recent years have also brought an increase of trade between
Sweden and Finland. When Finland was separated from Sweden
in 1809 the trade between the two countries remained for some
time very active in spite of the political change. As pointed out
above Sweden held a very prominent position as a buyer of
Finnish exports, notably agricultural produce and, on the other
hand, Finland offered a valuable outlet for Swedish manufac-
tured goods and for the resale of foreign products.
It was in the nature of things, however, that the relative im-
portance of the trade between Finland and Sweden would decline
as their export industries gained a more extensive sale on inter-
national markets. To a considerable extent those export industries
are not complementary but competitive and this fact became
more evident the more the woodworking industries gained in in-
ternational importance. It was therefore almost inevitable that
the trade between Sweden and Finland would constitute a de-
clining share of the total foreign trade turnover of the two coun-
tries — as long as the international markets were prepared to re-
ceive increased supplies of their export products. But the decline
was no doubt accelerated through the protectionist policy, which
was in force in both countries, save for a more or less free-trade
interlude after the middle of the nineteenth century. If the pre-
ferential treatment granted during the first decades after the poli-
tical separation had been prolonged, there had certainly deve-
loped a much more extensive division of work between Finland
and Sweden than was now the case. But the political realities
of the time militated against a prolongation, it being also in the
interest of Russia to restrict co-operation between the two coun-
tries as far as possible.
For a long time Finnish purchases from Sweden were less
than her sales. Later on the balance changed, and in recent years