The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-04-18
ROTTERDAM TRANSIT
SHIPPING SUFFERS
Has Decreased More Than
Half Since the War
MANY UNEMPLOYED
UNEMPLOYED
Prohibition of Exports by Other Coun-
tries Has Caused Much Suffering.
Plumbers Only Have Had
Plenty to Do During Winter

Rotterdam. March a.-tCorrespond-
ence of the Associated Press.)-The
transit shipping trade of Rotterdam is
suffering to an enormous extent In
peace times this port ranks third in
Europe for this kind of traffic. During
January and February only TAO vessels
of all kinds entered port as compared
with 1906 in the corresponding period
of 1914, and their tonnage was only
so4,511 against 2.0s6.612 in January and
February last year.
The loss is due not only to the cur
tailment of traffic by sea, but also TO
the fact that a large proportion OF the
usually immense water-borne trade
with the Rhine districts has been cut of
by the prohibition of export of GER
tain goods The labor exchanges are
consequently more crowded every day
with tho numberless unemployed.
Groups of them are to be seen also at
all hours OF the day around the wharfs.
In addition to the suffering thus
caused to seamen and shipbuilders who
form a large proportion of Rotterdam's
population, the ordinary building trades
have been the victims both of bad
weather and the widespread hesitation
to invest money at this time. The
plumber, incidentally, has been an ex-
eeption, the rainy weather having kept
him busy all winter
Among the clothiers the prohibition
of the export of wooden stuffs from the
British Isles has been a hard blow. to-
gether with the fact that court func-
lions have been abandoned until the
end of the war, and that there is a gen.
eral Tightening of purse strings.
The trade of supplying the world
with butter substitutes is one of those
to profit by the war Holland was the
first country in the world to start the
manufacture of margarine, produced
from oleo- stearine and oleo-oil, most of
the latter from the United States, South
America and Australia The demand for
butter surrogates has largely Increased.
especially for England. but Britain's
regulations as to sea trade have him
dered the arrival of raw materials 1t
was hoped Britain would see the neces-
sity of permitting these to come
through the blockade lines, notwith-
standing that Holland did not prohibit
the export of margarine to Germany.
England. however prohibited the ex
port of lard, cotton and oil and ground
nut oil which had been brought to the
British Isles from America on the way
to Holland, and therefore the butter
substitute factories were in a guam
dairy After time, they succeeded in
securing permits for some of the raw
materials to come through and have
been able to keep their works running
at their fullest capacity
Mining. although not very extensive
In the Netherlands, has thrived since
the war started and especially since
the German government stopped the
export OF coal. All the Dutch miners
available are in full employment.
The fisheries, always an important
trade, have taken on a fresh impetus
since the rise in the price of meat
everywhere has caused the people to
seek cheaper foodstuffs. Many of the
unemployed sailors have now taken to
fshing for a livelihood.