The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-05-19
War A Heavy
Burden on Holland
by Associated Press. J

ar heavy burden the war has limos.
Id on neutral Holland is growing stea,
as lily. and finding almost daily EXPIRE
sion, especially among the worker
lie Recently several meetings of worl
1t ing men and women, as we'll as IL
lie unemployed, have been held in lead
d ing Dutch industrial centers to prt
l. test against the high cost of Twin
It induced by the war.
e In The Hague meeting was he'll
: In the "Concordia," hall largel
e devoted to socialistic and labor gath
n erings. The hall was crowded. N
:. police were present. though Their
: were a large number within cas-
: call in the street outside. TIL,
: meeting was preceded by a parade O
: the unemployed through the quiet
/ est and most select residential quar-
ters OF The Hague, singing "The In
ternational," and distributing hand
) DIS calling upon all Hollanders to
stand with the demonstrators in
their fight against hunger in Hol.
land. A large crowd gathered be-
fore the city hall, but was dispersed
by the police.
The meeting was held under the
auspices OF committee of agitation
against the war consisting of repre-
sentatives of The Hague Trade Conn
Gil and allied bodies; the Social DEM
ocratlc Party; the Star Garment
Workers Union; The Hague Branch
OF the National Municipal Workers:
The Hague Branch of the Industrial
workers of the World and the Cen
eral Trade Union Council. l.. de
WISER, young labor leader, ar
ranged the present administration of
the Netherlands in a speech in which
Minister of Finance Treub came in
for attack The minister's pledge
made at the outbreak of the war that
there shall be no hunger in Hol-
land" was recalled in connection ,
with the rise of from 20 per cent
to 30 per cent. and even more in the
price of the bare necessities of life.
within the last eight months.
The meeting criticized the work
OF the National Relief Committee as
being directed to aid the large EN-.
ployers of labor in the Netherlands
10 avoid Increasing the wages of
their employees The demonstrators
alleged that while, taxes and the
cost of living mounted constantly.
wages remained stationary, and the
Relief Committee was urged to stave
III the logical economic crisis that
ordinarily would result from such
by succoring those famil-
es placed by it in imminent want.
me workers further declared that
hey had already more than paid
heir share of the cost of the mob
lization of the Dutch troops, in the
increased prices they had been fore
q to pay for foodstuffs: and they
rotested vigorously against any
General tax to cover military expen-
lures. They claimed that the large ,
roperty owners and employers of 6
abor In Holland who, they said
ave been growing rich out of the
'ar, should be forced to pay the full
ost of mobilization through special
TX on incomes above a certain fig G
re, and upon capital. =
The demands of The Hague dem. =
nstrators were formulated in six
ems for which the agitation COM c
ittee pledged themselves to con-
act propaganda: "
l. Productive work at normal p
ages and under normal conditions. 81
2. Full pay for those who have "
zen modified and for the unem- =,
Dyed. ~
3, The national and municipal p,
ntrol Of foodstuffs. in
4. A moratorium Suspension Of "y
g payment of rent and taxes) pro-
biting the dispossession of tenants at
landlords. da
o. Proper care of the sick and IN
Q infirm. =
6. Payment of the cost of the ne
owe, as we'll as of the mobiliza- -
N, by special tax on capital and
high incomes. nv
10 these. the meeting added pro- tn,
L against the war and against the ity
Utilization in Holland. L
Ihere is no doubt that the pres
70 OF thousands Of UNEMPLOYED POI
lgian refugees in the Netherlands wa
produced an acute industrial 81,
lation. AS many of these are ar in ,
It Socialists, the situation is not this
old of possible political aspects me
Holland, where the socialists are
very strong. lik,
qui