The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-02-01

twenty million pounds, equal to moro thai
three million pounds of cotton per month.
This went to the Dutch mills and a larg'
part of it was made into cloths for Java
umatra and different parts of Africa
The cotton seed oil weighed just twice a
much as the cotton itself. and thereby
hangs a tale.
These Dutch are among the chief artifcia
butter makers of the world.
They bought forty-three million pounds O.
margarine of US during that six months
but at the same time hey used this forty
odd million pounds of cotton seed oil tt
make other margarine and low-grade butter
for use not only in Holland. but in England
and other parts Of Europe.
There is one factory here which makes
over three million pounds Of such buttel
every month. and England imports some.
thing like eight hundred million pound OF
1t every year.
A Frenchman invented tho process OF
making this butter. but the Dutch have tbs
: biggest factories, and they do the bulk OF
the worlds business along this line.
They make also COW butter for export
so much, indeed. that Holland has been
called the dairy farm of London.
Our biggest Dutch export in point OF
weight is American corn
In this six months it amounted to almost
one hundred million pounds per month and
brought in several millions of dollars. What
do you suppose it was used for? To feed
the Holstein cattle, to furnish butter for
London? No, the grass here is good and II
makes the sweetest of milk. For corn
bread for the people? No, the Dutch don't
eat maize, though they take vast quantities
of our second-gradef flour and like 1t. What,
them.
1 can easily show you II you will come
with me to Schiedam, a little way out from
| Rotterdam.
At that place are the great distilleries
which mak the Holland gin or schnapps.
There are two hundred of them, and their
business is to grind up American corn and
reduce It to alcohol. which mixed in a GER
tain way with the juice of the juniper ber-
ry forms gin.
Holland gin is considered the best, and the
Dutch think It is the best drink of the
world. They consume vast quantities OF it
and 1t warns them body and soul.
1t is used not only here, but throughout
the Dutch East Indies. where the hotels
give you free gin cocktails before every
meal, and where the people drink gin almost
every hour of the day.
EAST INDIES SUPPLY
COFFEE AND SPICES.
> A large part Of what Holland sells to US
ia gin. alcohol and wines. She sends US
Java coffee and something like two million
pounds Oh specs every year, all of which
comes from ner colonies All tie East Inuie-.
oGil 10 ny a Tie UeSl place 1OT
pushing our trade. 1t is. with the exception
OF Hamburg, the best distributing point on
the coast of Northern Europe. and It has
fewer trade restrictions than Hamburg.
The city is about sixteen miles back from
the sea. built upon piles on both banks of
the Mas.
Inc piles are driven as much as fifty feet
intp the soil and upon them have been con-
structed miles of stone quays, enormous
warehouses and a city of about $50, 600 peo-
pie.
The town controls all public improvements
and 1t Is spending vast sums to increase its
shipping facilities and trade.
If I remember correctly, the cost of deem
ening the River Mas. so that the biggest
ocean steamships could come right into the
city, was more than SIG. OOo. Ooo.
This work, however, has made Rotterdam
superior to Amsterdam as q port, and it
now ranks second among the ports of con-
tinental Europe. and is surpassed by none
in its safety and in its c~onveniences for
handling goods. l have spoken of its miles
of stone Quays.
1t has also shipyards and floating dry
docks and every means of repairing and
taking care of shipping. 1t has mooring
buoys in the Mas. so that the vessels can
unload into the barges in midstream and
its quays are so fitted with cranes that all
sorts of freight can be rapidly moved.
AT present there are seventy-five ocean
lines which call regularly at Rotterdam,
and the river and canal craft which an
nually enter this port number l25.0W. The
river Is always free from ice. and business
goes on all the year round.
In my ride around the. wharves 1 was CUR
prised at the number of ships loading for
and unloading from the United States. Our
trade Is very important to Holland.
OF all it, tonnage moro than q per cent