Salome, Where She Danced

There is no truth to the rumor, circulated by the Conservatives, that Norway is getting tired of Socialism; there is plenty of proof that she is thoroughly tired of Communists. Norwegians went to the polls last week to elect a new Parliament, and decisively gave both proofs.

In effect, the election called for a vote of confidence in Norway's four-year-old Socialist experiment, directed by lean, ascetic Commerce Minister Erik Brofoss, a Norse version of Britain's Sir Stafford Cripps.

In the campaign the Communists made a lot of noise, said nothing that was much to the point. But the Conservatives, like their British opposite numbers, got down to political issues, charged that the welfare state had killed initiative. They cited cases: Norway's seal catchers lie idle rather than risk their lives for profits limited to 5%; berry pickers eat their blueberries rather than sell them and go up into higher income-tax brackets. Recently, with an eye on the polls, the Socialists dropped many of their austerity restrictions--"Like Salome," as one Conservative put it, "dropping her veils."

When the ballots were counted, the Socialists had 46% of the votes (up 5% from 1945) and 84 seats in the 150-member Parliament. The Communists, although they managed to catch almost 6% of the popular vote, were soundly shellacked, lost ten of their eleven parliamentary seats. The Conservatives, Liberals and Christian People's Party (whose campaign strategy had been badly coordinated) got 37%.

Norwegians, it seemed, were still solidly charmed by their Socialist Salome.

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