Lecture in Stavanger, 24 April, 1934: Labor Service

Extract from a lecture at a public meeting in Stavanger, 24 April, 1934.

By Dr. Gulbrand Lunde.

The new era is now dawning upon our country as well. The understanding that work and collaboration are essential is gaining prominence. Emerging from the dead end of liberalism, we must rediscover the path that propels our people forward. It’s a path built on solidarity and togetherness, where everyone labors for the greater good of the entire populace—not merely for personal gain.

Unemployed! Redundant! Full of enthusiasm and a burning desire to work, yet cast aside. Nothing destroys a person more profoundly, both physically and morally. No responsibilities beckon, no demands are made—just aimless drifting. In the minds of such individuals, resentment toward society festers, fueled by the feeling of redundancy. Maintaining resilience against various vices becomes an arduous task. There is nothing more spiritually corrosive than idleness, and unfortunately, the state and our municipalities inadvertently perpetuate it. This idleness is a crime against our people, particularly our youth!

Is there no way out of the swamp? Yes, there is one way. Nasjonal Samling points to the roads we have to go, the roads we must go before our country can get back on its feet. Today I will only point to one of the items on our program which, consistently implemented, will take us a long way forward. It is point 7, which reads:

Voluntary work service is introduced for all healthy young people to strengthen the feeling of solidarity and as part of the work to build the country.

What does it mean: labor service? This means that all young people should have the opportunity to take part in rebuilding our country. We have enough manpower.

What tasks lie before us? The answer is not difficult. Let’s begin with the land. Professor Langfeldt, in an interesting article on our country’s national diet, has demonstrated that we can sustain ourselves entirely by adopting a more nationalistic approach to our food choices. By doing so, we can achieve a healthier and better diet than what we currently have. However, achieving this requires putting a larger portion of our arable land under the plow.

In Norway today, there exists more uncultivated arable land than what has already been worked. Our agricultural capacity could thus double, supporting a larger population dependent on agriculture. There are over 8 million acres available for cultivation. Despite recent efforts—approximately 80,000 acres per year—it would still take a century to cultivate all available land at the current rate. Cultivating the existing 80,000 acres corresponds to approximately 2 million man-days of work. Importantly, this soil cultivation would not detract from other employment opportunities; on the contrary, it would create additional jobs beyond the cultivation itself.

Consider the example of the 7-800 new mills built in our country recently. These mills provide sustenance and employment for 3,000 to 4,000 people. Moreover, the increased activity generated by these mills indirectly supports even more jobs—perhaps up to 5,000 in total. Thus, new cultivation not only addresses immediate unemployment but also offers lasting opportunities for many individuals.

We must urgently embark on expanded cultivation efforts. For every 100 hectares of cultivated land, we can provide livelihoods for 6 people. By cultivating the 8 million acres of untapped land, we could potentially support the livelihoods of 2 million people.

Then we also have the forest. It is estimated that there are 22y2 million acres in Norway that should be planted with forests. Moreover, the forest we now have could yield a much greater yield if it were properly ditched. The forest director stated in 1930 to the unemployment committee set up by the Ministry of Social Affairs that "it was undoubtedly possible to increase our forest's current yield by 50 per cent". Here, too, opportunities for existence are provided in this way for more people.

In this way, we could point to a number of other tasks that build our country. The tasks are there, the workforce is there, and it has received its sustenance.

Why is it not put to work? Our national youth are burning with the urge to take part in building our country, to take part in providing good conditions for everyone in the country. It is not the idea of personal gain that drives them. It is the love of country and people. Why shouldn't the youth be given the opportunity to show that they want to help build the country? Let's get employment services for the youth! Let it be allowed to use its hands. Let it be allowed to participate and create new life opportunities.

We know that a proposal for labor service will be met with an outcry from our revolutionary politicians in "People's House". Exploitation of the workers, it will immediately be called. But they will not succeed in stopping the Norwegian youth. Because this work is not done for the sake of profit. It is done out of love for the Norwegian people.

I wanted to see the Norwegian youth who would rather drive dank than help build their country. Idleness is a curse, work a blessing.

How should such a work service be organised? The work service can be voluntary or it can be compulsory.

In Bulgaria, labor service has already been introduced for over 10 years. The work that has been carried out here has helped the country get back on its feet. Railways, roads, cleared land etc. have been built.

In Germany, voluntary work service groups were formed about 10 years ago. A few years later, the state intervened, and in 1932 the voluntary labor service numbered almost 300,000 men. From this year, a general labor service will be organized in Germany, instead of conscription, in Germany there is compulsory work. It is estimated that within 10 years, with the help of the youth employment service, employment opportunities can be provided for 3.6 million people.

Here in Norway, Bøckman and Hiorth have shown in two brochures: "Our country, our duty" how the work service in Norway can be organised. They count on a work-service obligation and set it at two years. By convening two year classes aged 20 and 21, you get approx. 40,000 men who are currently fed and entertained by the state. They are housed in military establishments. The expenses are estimated at NOK 28 million or NOK 700 per man per year. The expenses are partly covered by the fact that welfare and other contributions can be saved, and partly by the value of the work carried out. According to this plan, the employment service will be directly profitable for the state.

Many objections have been raised against the employment service. Thus, it is claimed that it will displace ordinary jobs and thus make others unemployed. But it is a matter of course that the employment service must only be introduced where other jobs are not displaced. Moreover, the employment service will, on the contrary, enable increased work and create new opportunities in working life. Then it is emphasized that the young and untrained boys will not be able to do the work. Experience from abroad and from the labor force here at home has shown that this is not the case. On the contrary, the boys do a good job, and when it's all organized, modern machines can be used to help.

It is clear that such an obligation to work as Bøckman and Hiorth envisage cannot be implemented immediately. But it must be possible to organize a voluntary work service immediately. A large part of Norwegian youth is today rallying around this demand. And what does it mean for our unemployed youth to be allowed to help get the country back on its feet? The young people again get the feeling that they are doing useful work. It is no longer redundant. It is no longer a burden on society. It helps build the country. Together they build the country, country boy and city boy, rich and poor, in cooperation they will break Norway's soil, and they will learn that they all belong to one people. The employment service must strengthen the sense of togetherness and break down all class differences.

It will become a means in our work to stop the class struggle.

Youth! Join us and end the demand for work service! We can no longer afford to let all our country's rich opportunities lie unused. We can no longer accept that a corrupt state systematically organizes inactivity at the expense of future generations. We no longer want to see the unemployed go and work for pay while the work tasks are waiting everywhere in the country. We can no longer watch our best youth not come to work and be spiritually swamped. We no longer want to see an ever-larger group of young people being morally destroyed and eventually become completely work-shy. Today's youth are eager to work and demand to have something to do, demand to put their workforce at the service of our country. We will no longer find ourselves with a corrupt state leading our country further down the death line until we finally go off the cliff.

We demand a change of course, we demand positive measures that can lead to a happier and bigger Norway!