West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1915-07-15
OLD Time SMUGGLING IS ON
THE BOOM IN NETHERLANO
The Thrifty HollanderS Are TAX
ing Advantage of the Big Oppor-
tunities Offered by the War
Many Are Tempted by the Pro
fits to be Secured


ROTTERDAM. The Netherlands
The romantic smuggler waiting for "A
dark night TO run his lugger ashore
I'm a cove and then bury his bales and
barrels in the sand. has disappeared
but the trade still flourishcs and prob
ably brings more profit than ever. es-
pecially just now In Holland. The
modern smuggler here, however. IL
chiefly interested In getting contra
band out OF the country. rather than
bringing il in
A visitor TO an up-to-date SNUG
gler's den, of which number exist i'm
the center of Rotterdam, would prob
ably find middle-agcd clerkly Ger
man dressed in well-cut business
suit at "A desk. In front of him. small
heaps of spices, grain OF various spe-
cies, oil cake and raw rubber and
sample bottles OF burning and mbri-
eating oils. From time TO time the
smuggler chief takes the telephone re-
ceiver down, calls n number and bar
gains I'm tcrse phrases over the prices
OF job-lots of the articles. samples of
which lie before him. sent for his APP
proval by merchants and dealers who
held stocks more or less extensively
before the new and strict government
regulations calling FOR an inventory
were issued.
Then follow other telephone calls
on shippers or their shippers. The
smuggler chief is trying TO arrange
for the transport OF his Illicit exports
across the border line. into Germany
or Belgium. Freights for this trade
are high and the smugglers efforts
are directed towards beating down the
skipper TO as low figure as possible.
but the skipper holds out. for he
knows smuggled goods bring high
rates when safely brought To their
destination
Torture would not force the Snug
glers to disclose the methods by which
they manage To forward the contra
band beyond the closely guarded
frontier IL is limited, however, that
many railroad cars ostensibIy con-
veying freight from Holland to Den
mark and from Denmark TO Holland
are mysteriously uncoupled and dis
appear while passing over the inter
vening German territory. Dutch fish
off
coast by German patrol boats and
taken into German ports. whence they
are released after their Cargoes have
been unloaded to the evident satis-
faction OF the shippers. Dozens of
Rhine lighters pass daily up and down
the river whose course runs through
Germany and Holland, and occasional
ly one is held up because OF the pres
ence of Illicit cargo; but il is possible
that for each one stopped a number
OF others pass muster with forbidden
goods on board and are received with
welcome by the German authorities
From numerous points along the
frontier. closely guarded thought II rs
by Dtuch troops. come reports of cat
tie and horses being driven across
into German territory where the lines
of sentinels are thin or woods pre-
vent clear view.
The gains TO be secured by the run
ming OF cOntraband are so tempting
that the efforts OF the authorities have
been rendered futile. Practically half
the Dutch troops now modified are
engaged in guarding the frontiers, not
| against foreigners, but against Dutch
men trying to pass cohtraband. II is
difficult, however, TO guard every yard
OF the border-line and II the attention
OF a sentry can be distracted for only
few minutes this gives the willy
smuggler a chance TO get across with
his goods
The Dutch soldier, himself until re-
Gently civilian. naturally dislikcs
shooting at his own countrymen. even
when they are observed In the act OF
eyading the law. The government has
therefore been compelled 10 OFFER some
inducement 90 augment this alertness
In putting stop to this profitable
trade. whose success brings the gov
ernment into many difficulties with
the belligerent powers. who accuse
the Dutch OF acts not I'm accord with
strict neutrality. a reward amount
ing to ten per cent OF the value Oh
goods seized in Illegal transit is now
offered 20 the soldiers and this has
had such effect on their watchfulness
That captures OF smuggiers are he
coming more frequent daily On scv.
eral occasions recently soldiers have
shot and killed smugglcrs who have
dehed their summons TO halt while
engaged in contraband running. one
soldier is reported TO have received
$40O as his share OF the reward for
stopping a large parcel Of smuggIed
goods just as Il was about to be taken
across the border
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