Bisbee daily review., 1915-05-19
HOLLAND PREPARES 10 OFFER STRONGER
 POTECTIVE POLICY
Organization of Army and Fleet of Respectable Pro- portions Assures Protection of Little Empire

AMSTERDAM, Holland May 18- Holland is keeping in training a for midable army and a small but efficient fleet not to be despised when taken in.conjunction with her powerful coast defenses to oo prepared for the even- duality of having Go defend herself iu ease she is threatened from any side durin gthe great EuropeaV war
 The nation Go man is fully aware of the fact that It's armed forces may at any moment be called upon Co strike a blow to maintain it's neutral
 fly and the statesmen forming the forming the government know that this necessity may arise with terrible audiences.
 The Dutch land forces. in times of peace almost insignificant in numbers as compared with the millions of men composing the continetal armies of the great powers, have sice their mobiilza- ion at the beginning of Che war beer augmented by the calling up og re- serves until they now total over 25Q.- 900 men Altogether seventeen year y classes of troops averaging about i5.000 men for each year from lS9g O 1915, inclusive, have been called Co the colors Seven of the classes. composed Of the younger men. belong 10 the landweer and the other ten to
 he militia Since August the men nave been constantly exercised and
 hey have now reached a condition 0i preparedness and fitness such as uev.
 r has been known in the Dutch army
 The army as it at present is or
 anized comprises first the field army ol approximately 90.O0O men. second. the troops forming Che city gariison5
 wherever they might be most re-
 uired.
 The field army which would bear
 he burden of resisting any attack on butch territory is not divided into lrmy corps but is formed into four divisions, each composed Of forces Of n arms cavalry infantry. ardlley engineers and transport and these oc- cupy strategic points
 The garrison troops occupy Inc iar- ger cities and forts and would not be called on Go take the field
 The surplus army is distributed an over the country in training depots. where the men are continually drilled in field work, diegine trenches. erect ing wire entanelements. sbootg and carrying out long route marches.
 Besides the rasistace to au invader offered by the field army Holland pos eesses what is regarded as its most valuable defensive asset In .he shane of its system of iuuudation, details ol which are kept strictly secret It Is known however. that large tracts af territory can in a short time na coy | cred with water Go sa cons lderai Ie depth by the piercing of the diEcs protecting the lowIyue country from ! encroachmeut by the sea. for a great part of Holland lies below sea-eval Should the field army be defeated .n its encounters with am invader lt would retire behind the first line of l daterdefence after iressstug long enough for the iuundaton to bec7me i effective. In the unlike1y event Of the i enemy overcoming the difficulties of , the flooded country in this first zone. ! lhe field army would retire behind the i second waterline enclosing the larger cities, which it would then defend with the assistance of the landweer and 1 landstorm already there.
 Frederick the Great in discussing , the invasion of Holland is recorded as having said "It is no use my attempt
 ing to march by sixfoot soldiers into a country covered with seven feet rl Waterf This difficulty sun exEts and makes it a stupcndCus undertak ing for any army to attempt the con
 quest of Holland from the land side
 AS to its naval defonces. Holland makes no pretensions 10 oe among Che
 lust-class powers The bmeJackei, rank among the best In the world and they have the traditions of conturie.
 behind them but the vessels whicl they man are small and would have
 very little chance in am encounter with the heavy ships O fthe bigger nations iThe most powerful of the Dutch yes
 gels, De Ieven Provincien, displace.
 only o530 tons and there are live oth
 ars of about 5000 tons each. an of
 them with a speed of about 6 knot
 Some of them are 10 years old. CoasI
 defence vessels, protected cruissra
 gunboats, destroyers and torped, boats, some of them modern
 NEW NATIONAL GUARD.