It is safe to say that the second decade of the 20th century was one of the most significant in the history of emigration, because in the years 1910 – 1920, Icelandic emigrants from all over North America united on issues that concerned not only themselves but also the Icelandic nation. In 1910 it was decided to commemorate Jón Sigurðsson especially on his hundredth birthday on June 17, 1911. The Icelandic nation was challenged to participate in fundraising for the making of a statue of Jón that would be unveiled that day in Reykjavík. When asked about this in the West, a few individuals in Winnipeg decided to explore public interest in the city and convened a meeting in early November. The meeting was well attended, and it was agreed to prepare a fundraiser among Icelanders in the West. A committee was set up on the issue, which was extremely successful in preparing the collection. The editors of Lögberg and Heimskringla approved the collaboration and then a brilliant idea came from the committee. It was decided that the contribution of each individual would amount to a maximum of one dollar, and the committee’s treasurer should send a weekly list of donors to the editors. Now let’s make a long story short. In all the Icelandic settlements in the West, people took part and the names of all were published conscientiously in the newspapers. The amount collected was $2,806.35 and when the cost was deducted, the amount was $2,795.27 or ISK 10,415. This contribution naturally attracted a great deal of attention in Iceland, the great unity that was created among Icelanders in the West showed true patriotism, and therefore the monument committee in Iceland decided to have a cast made of the statue of Jón in Austurvellir. It was sent west and today adorns Manitoba State Congress in Winnipeg. There was a delay in between, and in 1913, a temporary company was formed and 19 individuals in Winnipeg requested assistance with fundraising among Western Icelanders for the planned purchase of a steamship in Iceland. Let’s look at the beginnings of Winnipeg.
Eimskip Íslands Company and Western Icelanders
In early 1913, the temporary company, which worked to establish an Icelandic shipping company, sent a partial tender letter to 19 individuals in Winnipeg. It says “We would now like to ask you, along with several others we have written on the same subject, to form a committee among Icelanders in Winnipeg to take the lead in raising funds for the company among Icelanders in Canada and the United States of America.” The response was positive and both the Winnipeg newspapers published the partial tender letter and the above challenge. Heimskringla published the following article, Siglingamálið, on April 24. “In the last issue, a challenge was published to the Icelandic nation from several people in Reykjavík to buy shares in the company that is mentioned there and is intended to take care of all Icelanders’ trade with the outside world. There is no doubt that this is equally the most necessary and national company that Icelanders have ever imagined, and that the future well-being of the entire Icelandic nation demands it to be implemented as soon as possible. But unfortunately, it can be seen from the attached letter that Icelanders do not hope to get the necessary initial capital entirely from Icelanders in their homeland and therefore they now challenge Western Icelanders to take part in this steamship company. The Board of Directors of this company in Iceland unanimously has written letters to various people in this city as follows:
“Highly esteemed Sirs: –
“Several people from various walks of life here in Reykjavík have decided to make an attempt to establish an Icelandic steamship company. The arrangements we have envisaged for such a partnership can be seen in the attached partial tender document. This company stems from the very widespread opinion of people in this country, that it is absolutely necessary for Iceland’s trade and commerce, that we ourselves have ships to transport to and from the country, an opinion that has recently so captured people’s minds that people believe that the effort mentioned here can no longer be delayed. We also consider this to be a company that can become profitable, but on the other hand it can be expected that it will be difficult to raise all the share capital in this country that we consider necessary for the company, and it is also desirable that most of the money is obtained here so that as little as possible needs to be borrowed abroad. But the banks in this country can do nothing in this regard, so we have decided to turn to our countrymen in the West and offer them to take shares in the company. We have not seen fit to try at present to raise more money than is necessary to establish the company with two ships, although they obviously can nowhere meet the transport needs of the country; but it is the hope of men to grow so that we alone will be able to sail to your lands, and the sooner it can happen, the better. We would like to ask you, along with several others we have written on the same subject, to form a committee among Icelanders in Winnipeg to take the lead in raising funds for the company among Icelanders in Canada and the United States of America. We invite you to print the partial tender letter in your honored paper, if possible. In the hope of your great help, Respectfully, Eggert Claessen,
Sveinn Björnsson,
Thor Jensen,
Jón Gunnarsson,
Jón Björnsson,
Ó. G. Eyjólfsson.”
“It is clear from this letter that the initiators of this concern do not have high hopes of bringing so much money together in Iceland that they will be able to form the company they have in mind. That is why they place their trust to a large extent in the answer that Western Icelanders give their invitation to purchase of shares in their new company. Needless to say, Western Icelanders will find it both favorable and obligatory to handle the petition of Eastern Icelanders to some extent, whether it is done through direct share purchases or in some other way that does not give them less strength or even greater than expected, and make it possible for them to start sailing on their own account, although that start must be meager at first and for little more than to show the world the will to be independent, even if authority is lacking. It is easy to understand in the invitation letter above that the calculations by Eastern Icelanders show no hope of gathering but a little money in Iceland and that they expect to start their sailing business with much debt, amounting to tens of thousands of ISK per year and in addition the mortgaging of all the money that they themselves may have together in Iceland to start the sailing business.”
Heimskringla Speculation
Heimskringla continues on April 24, 1913: “These mortgages and large-scale burdens on the company from the very beginning give little hope of a lucrative outcome, unless it is guaranteed that the company’s managing director will be very energetic and a good manager and with full knowledge of all the various branches of the work he undertakes; and secondly, that the Government of Iceland gives this company a great deal of support, as it has previously provided to the company which has commercial voyages to the country, as it has an urgent duty to do so, as it is an equally national and essential institution in this case. It is remarkable, however, that almost nothing is said about these two in the invitation letter. Admittedly, it has been stated twice that those who are involved in the formation of the company have secured the man for the managing director who they trust and for that they are most grateful. But they avoid giving prospective shareholders any idea of who that person is, and in doing so hide the light under the bushel basket that should be a bright light on the part of prospective shareholders. Nor is any information given on the extent to which the Icelandic government is prepared to support this company. Both of these should have been clearly stated in the invitation letter, which should have stated who the future managing director is and to what extent and in what way the national government intends to support the company, either by guaranteeing a fair annual return on all shares that will be invested in the company and the interest payment on the loan that is planned to be taken out to set up the company, – or with a direct annual contribution amounting to more than interest on principle and working capital. But it is clearly stated in the invitation letter that as the culture of the people has grown and the progress of the country has improved in recent years, as a result sailing to and around the country have taken a lower priority. “Now our choices are more restricted than what we have been living with for a long time. Hamburg trips have stopped. The boats from the southern lands are history. Reduced number of stops for coastal ships”, says the invitation, “and freight rates all raised to an abnormal high”. It is no secret that there is a great need here for Western Icelanders to help Eastern Icelanders and we certainly believe that they will be willing to do so; but one must also think carefully about how that help will be arranged so that it will be to the benefit of Eastern Icelanders as much as possible. And Heimskringla recommends that these considerations not be too hasty, because we do not see any reason to speed up this matter, that our answer is expected by the first of July next, as the invitation letter states. Western Icelanders can be sure that any help that they, after careful consideration, agree to provide to Eastern Icelanders will be gratefully appreciated, even if it comes long after 1 July. It is more important that the help of Western Icelanders be increased in such a way that it is in accordance with our material possibilities here and to encourage them on the homeland not to lie on their side there, – for their own recovery.”
Alternate budget?
Heimskringla is not satisfied with the budget of the interim government and finds various things to think about. Let’s take a closer look: “Suppose, for example, that Western Icelanders decide to shell out half a million ISK, or as much as 135 thousand dollars, and buy a ship for that amount, not to give to Eastern Icelanders but as the property of Western Icelanders to lend to Eastern Icelanders for use with certain conditions, such as maintenance costs and a fair return on the deposit. The amount that the Eastern Icelanders thus paid for the use of the ship would be much less than the support that would be expected, the National Treasury would be expected to contribute to the company annually for the ship and would at the same time also save what the East Icelanders have in its budget for interest on a loan of almost half a million ISK. The company should then also be able to avoid all mortgaging problems by assuming that the homeland would need this to have enough funds to be able to pay for another ship and own it debt-free and without a mortgaging burden. If the home nation is not able to build a decent ship on its own account without debt, then its financial weakness is so great that it is hardly conceivable that it will be able to carry out this maritime work, and then the help from the west would be in any form going to the small group. We foresee that the home nation should be able to contribute to this company the equivalent to 5 ISK per person in the country and then the contribution would be a full 400 thousand ISK. The National Treasury should initially provide ISK 100,000 as a grant to the company and completely apart from the proposal that it submitted to annually support the company. Obviously, it is possible to implement this, if the mind is made up and the people understand that the need is as urgent as the invitation letter shows to be.”
Propositions
“It should also be possible for us Western Icelanders to raise about half a million ISK to support this company, if we have a sincere desire to support the fatherland, to our own detriment, and with a fairly certain confidence that the help will be given to the intended group. If we count 30,000 Icelanders west of the ocean, who each contributed $5.00 to the fund, then more than enough money is received so that we can provide vessels for use by the company, and that amount should not become a significant expense item, though there will surely be many who contribute much more and then presumably some who will not take part in this or in anything else that looks like progress. No adult, able-bodied Icelander, male or female, is in such a circumstance that he cannot contribute 100 ISK – 27 dollars – a share. It is not necessary for all the money to be paid immediately; it could be spread over a two-year payment period, so that the expenses would not be significant. And when all Western Icelanders work together, those who live in the United States and Canada, the fundraising should go smoothly and it should be enough to amass in a short time to buy an ocean-going steamship – better and more complete than what the invitation states. Such help would be generous and in full accordance with the material circumstances of Western Icelanders and their warmth towards the fatherland. Presumably, the people here in the city who have been asked to sell shares in the west will soon have a meeting to discuss this issue and make decisions in it, and readers will then be informed.”
Meeting in Winnipeg
Western Icelanders immediately took on the issue at the first general meeting in Winnipeg in the spring of 1913, the sincere willingness of the participants to support the issue was revealed. A five-member committee was elected consisting of three individuals from the city, Jón J. Vopni, Árni Eggertsson and Ásmundur P. Jóhannsson. Sveinn Þorvaldsson from Riverton represented the settlements in New Iceland and Sigurður Sigurðsson from the Garðar Settlement represented the settlements in N. Dakota. Undoubtedly, the planned trip to Iceland for all of them over the summer had some influence on the choice, as the participants immediately saw the opportunity to be represented at the planned meeting in Iceland. The committee members met with the temporary board of the new shipping company and some committee members signed up for a 10,000 ISK share. At a general meeting in Winnipeg on October 4, the committee presented a report on the state of affairs and proposed “In view of the above, we would like to recommend that the committee here convene a general meeting in Winnipeg now and invite all Western Icelanders to attend and express their views on the matter, and that at that meeting is elected a committee to oversee the cause and to carry out the work here in the west, because we assume that this general meeting thus deviates from the cause.” A general meeting was called on October 30 and was well attended. At that meeting, a committee was elected that sent a challenge to Icelanders in North America, which was published in both Icelandic newspapers in Winnipeg in early November.
ADDRESS TO WESTERN ICELANDERS
“We, the undersigned, at the general meeting here in the city, held Oct 30 last, were elected to undertake a share sale among Western Icelanders in Eimskipafélag Íslands, let us hereby challenge the international Icelanders west of the ocean to respond to a man to the unanimous request of the Icelandic nation, sent to us by the company’s founders in Iceland, to buy shares in this company. The committee in Iceland has decided that the cost of the shares shall be ISK 25, ISK 50, ISK 100, ISK 500, ISK 1,000 and ISK 5,000, and the smallest shares are set at ISK 25, $6.75, to make it possible for the widest possible participation, that is to say, so that every single Icelander, man and woman, no matter how poor he may be, can have the opportunity to own shares in the company. The company’s management committee asks us Western Icelanders to buy no less than 200 thous. ISK worth of shares in the company, or from there a larger amount, as much as we are willing to spend for furtherance. Icelanders here in the city have already subscribed for ISK 77,500 worth of shares and we believe it is likely that they will, before the share sale is completed, complete a hundred thousand ISK share purchase in the company. One fourth is paid as soon as the purchase is made, the other fourths in 6, 12, and 18 months.
We consider the Eimskipafélag company to be by far the most significant cause that has ever been on the agenda with the Icelandic nation in its history and we believe that every true son of the country, on both sides of the ocean, has a wholehearted desire to have this come to fruition, to the commercial independence of our homeland and its people to a true culture. The company’s inaugural meeting will be held in Reykjavík on January 17. Shortly before that time, we would need to be able to send a specific message about how much money the company board can expect from Western Icelanders. We therefore recommend that the many people, everywhere in the rural areas of Iceland here in the west, who we write and send invitations to regarding share purchases, act as quickly as possible, and have an organization so that as many of our countrymen as possible participate in this company. We also wish that those Icelanders who live outside the Icelandic settlements who we cannot reach by letter, but can see this address or hear about it, who want to do so as well, to send a message about their expected participation in the formation of the company to either the Icelandic newspapers, Lögberg or Heimskringla, as soon as they receive it. All the information that may be requested about the company and that we have the opportunity to provide, the aforementioned papers will be happy to publish to the public first. In the firm confidence that our countrymen will be willing to lend a helping hand in this matter, we would like to announce that shares can be sent to; “Th. E. Thorsteinsson, Manager Northern Crown Bank, Canada”.
Dated in Winnipeg, 1 Nov. 1913
Árni Eggertsson B. L. Baldwinson
Thos. H. Johnson J. T. Bergmann
Joseph Johnson Jónas Jóhannesson
Rögnvaldur Pétursson J. J. Vopni
John J. Bildfell Aðalsteinn Kristjánsson
F. J. Bergmann Th. E. Thorsteinsson
Sv. Thorvaldson Stefán Björnsson
Jón J. Vopni went home to Iceland at the end of the year, came to Reykjavík on December 24, 1913, and attended the inaugural meeting of the company on Saturday, January 17, 1914. There he reported that the West had collected between 160,000 ISK and 200,000 ISK, and the goal would be reached in the coming months. It was successful, with the last payment received by Iceland in September, 1916. The total initial capital was about 880,000 and the contribution of W. Icelanders was about a quarter of that. It is right to end this column with the words of Guðni Jónsson mag. art which was published in the publication Eimskipafélag Íslands 25 years old and was published in Reykjavík in 1939. “The participation of Western Icelanders in the establishment of Eimskipafélag is the most beautiful and largest testament to their patriotism and sentimentality towards the old country which has ever been shown ….”
English version by Thor Group.