Championships 1912
Newspapers published the predictions of the French chemist and politician Marcellin Berthelot for the year 2000: No cattle herds will exist anymore and no herdsmen, no fields of grain, no fruit gardens, no wineries and thus no peasants or farm hands. The Earth will turn into a big park and the gardens will exist only to please the eye. There will be no mines, miners or strikes. No borders, no customs officers, no protective tariffs, no envy between nations and no war. All humans will live in common happiness and brotherhood. And all it takes to achieve this is to give everybody their meals for free.
In the Antarctic, Amundsen has reached 81°S and is well on his way to achieving his goal sometime in December. Scott planned to start today, but a blizzard kept him home. He plans to start tomorrow, though.
In Libya, Giulio Gavotti prepares for his bombing raid tomorrow, the first ever bombs dropped from an airplane.
I suppose he meant that all food was to be produced synthetically in big factories from air and water, through some kind of artificial photosynthesis.
A hundred years ago today, Kristiania Skøiteklub held their general assembly, where accounts were presented, including a membership of 518 and funds amounting to kroner 17351,91, roughly equal to the annual salaries of 7 office clerks in those days. The assemby voted to give goldsmith David Andersen the task of designing a honorary golden pin for the club. The board were given authority to negotiate with the municipality on the relocation of the rink, in cooperation with district attorney Thue, as the exhibition in 1914 will occupy the area currently taken up by the rink. On request from the board, architect Ihlen had kindly prepared a plan to move the rink further north, from Kirkeveien straight westwards into the open ground, parallel to the factories of Elektrisk Bureau. It was revealed that the club over the years had spent about 20000 kroner in the leveling of the current rink grounds.
District attorney Thue was re-elected as president by acclamation, and then the following board was elected: machine tradesman Axel Gresvig (chairman), merchant Hans Erichsen (vice chairman), and merchant Carl Andersen, agent Bernhard Botolfsen and builder Johan Schwartz as other members (all re-elected). Deputies: Zacharias Johansen and Rudolf Røhne. Bank clerk L. Gisholt and office clerk Gustav S. Thorp were elected as auditors. Their deputy was trade representative Lars Røed.
From IEV it is announced that Stockholm is to host the European Championship in speed and figure skating, Klagenfurt the World Championship in speedskating, Manchester the World championship in figure skating and Davos the World Championship in ladies’ figure skating. Next week the date of the Norwegian Championship in speedskating is announced as January 20-21. Figure skating is to be held in Horten the following week.