Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-08-07
THE DUTCH KNOW
LITTLE ABOUT THEIR
own TRADE AFFAIRS

ASSOCIATED Press Correspondence
| The Hague, July 20.-In. the absence
of detailed statistical system IN Hol-
land it is impossible to say how nearly
accurate are the figures given in Eng
lish and French publications respect
ing the effect Of the war on imports
and exports.
The truth Of the matter according 10
the Department Of Foreign Commerce
in The Hague is that nobody ever
knew precisely how much or how little
Holland imported or exported. Hol-
land is free trading country, A few
| items IKE tea pay or ) per cent duty.
Otherwise practically everything can
be brought into the country free OF
duty. Of the total amount of imports
Holland never consumed more than .
tenth part. Most Of the trade was OF
! transitory nature From all parts or
! the world goods were brought to Dutch
! ports, and We're sent on by rail- to
: Germany, Russia, Austria and Swift /
zcrlard.
| Statistics of exports were kept but
! since nobody dreamed of war which
would upset the entire fabric Oh mod
ern life they were not kept in detail !
and the total amount of goods which |
crossed the Dutch frontier into Ger /
many was never specifically mentioned
This caused q curious situation at !
the outbreak of the war The govern
ment knew in a general way now I,
much it imported. 1t also knew in the
same vague fashion the total amount
of exports. BY subtractinS one from
the other il expected to arrive at the
amount of grain and wheat and be-
and butter which remained in Holland
for the consumption of the people
Statistics however do not seem to
obey the laws of mathematics for it
was found that the Dutch people con- /
sumed much more than the difference
which was the result of this official
subtraction.
Statisticians are seriously WORKING |
upon the problem but the war has
upset every established way of living |
to such an extent that the problem is
| not an easy one. For example, in |
stead of feeding an urban population |
doing chores in Offices and living the
| lives of clerks, the government now |
has to feed half a million soldiers doing
hard labor at digging and marching
and the entire diet has been upset. /
Then the Belgian refugees have come
into the country by the hundreds of
thousands (nobody knows exactly how
many and they eat different things
from what the Hollander does.
But in other ways the Dutch sta
tistics as printed in the British and
French papers do not give clear idea
of what actually happens. 1t is often
claimed that the imports from America
have increased by leaps and bounds
This Is quite true. But in the first
place the old import route by way of
Hamburg. Bremen and the other Ger
man ports has been entirely stopped.
These ports are blockaded and no
ships can enter. Although the British
and French ports are open, the war
regulations Of these countries do not
allow any exports to foreign countries
and all the many materials which
formerly came from France, England
and Germany now have to come ex-
clusively from America.
The stories Of large amounts Of food
stuffs being struggled into Germany
across the Dutch frontier are entirely !
discounted by the Department of Com
merce. 1t is true that potatoes have
gone into Germany but they were not
on the contraband list and they went 4
in small quantities, just sufficient to
break the potato corner which some
German spectators had brought 4
about. According to French newspa-
pers every sack of potatoes sold to
Germany meant the lives Of so French
soldiers. According to the Germans
it merely meant the breaking up of 1
the corner and'a fall in the price OF
potatoes from eight marks a bushel
to two marks twenty.
The accusations of the allied press
against Hollands refusal to assist
in the starvation Of Germany and Aus
tria are made possible the faulty sys-
tenn Of statistics mentioned before and
the first measure of the Dutch govern
ment after the war will be the estab-
lishment Of a most minute statistical
bureau so that every potato, every
mustard seed and every pot Of lam
can be closely traced from the moment
it enters the Kingdom until it disap-
pears into Dutch household or finds
it's way abroad.