Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-05-05
Dutch Concern
OyercOmeS The
War Difficulty
ORGANIZATION OF IN. 0. T." Is FINE
EXAMPLE OF DUTCH ENERGY
AND DETERMINATION.
CENTRAL INSTITUTION FORMED TO
SUPERVISE COMMERCE OF
DUTCH DURING WAR.

Correspondence OF the Associated PreSS.l
The Hague. Holland. May !. A fine
example uf Dutch energy and dctcrmi-
nation. combined with readiness Ia meet
new conditions. has been brought To The
front in Holland since the utbrrlk of the
war in person by j. X. van .AalSt. the
organizer of the Netherlands Oversee
Trust. This il not a trading concern
declaration of blockade by the central
European allies un the one side and the
powers of the Triple Entente on the
other.
IL was found necessary in the first
daN> Of the war crisis To- form a central
institution to supervise Dutch ommcrcr
10 order { prevent Holland falling I'M
Willingly into difficulties which might
INVOLVE her Ia the world conflict. aud Mr..
van Aal>t. who H. president of one ~
The leading banks I the Netherlands. con
scented to undertake the task Of organi
cation.
The efforts of Great Britain and
France 10 prevent goods which they had
''r Jared contraband from getting Ia
their foes through neutral channels had
60 hc met. Dutch ships were among the
first suspected of CARRYING on this trade
and they were ~cnScquently almost al
ways held NJ and searched for abSo-
lutte or conditional cuntraband. which.
when found among their cargocS. was
conii>catci. The delay and loss were
often very serious for the Dutch mcr-
chants.
This matter was taken i'm hand Nv
MIR. van Aalt and his colleagues of the
N. %. n" a. the new institution soon
became known. Its members were drawn
from the leading commercial men. impor
tcrS. shippers aud. bankers. and il was
able in a short time 10 win the respect
and confidence Of the foreign govern
mcnt>. which soon found they were deal
ing with a tru>twrthy body and permit
ted much raw materials and foodStufS
for Holland itself Ia IT, taken through
their pltrolling lines of war vessels and
brought To the Netherlands. The sole
condition was that DU:ch merchantmen
were obliged Ia carry papers showing
that the cargocS were consigned To the
Netherlands Oversee Trust. which stood
~ %guarantor for the good name and good
faith If the merchants who eventually
were To- receive them.
Success was complete. and Dutch com
mcrcc aud industry. which otherwise
would have been almost entirely SuSpen
died. were kept going practically with
ont interruption. - that nine months of
war. Holland il able a. say taken in it,
broad lines its economic life has bc-r
only 10 a very slight degree affected Nv
he hoStilitic> proceeding on all -
frontiers of the country.
The operative methods of the Neither
lands Oversee Trust are very simple,
Every would-hr importer or exporter
must first apply to the organization
which inquiries into the gcnuincneSs of
the business and besides demanding a
bank guarantee requires proof that the
goods are MOI being exported for the nc
count Of any person or firm belonging to
! nation AZ war. or on the other hand
not being imported 10 Holland ~ order
to br sem into any other country. but
purely for consumption ia Holland. The
amount { the hank guarantee. IN ease
of the trader not keeping his word. j.
cunfi>ratcd. 4 body of controllers looks
CLOSELY into the eventual destination Of
the goods concerned and ANY breach of
trust L. quickly shown.
The cost Of the work nf the Neither
lands Oversee Trust. which has lone