Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1915-08-04
HOLLAND SEEKS NOW
TO DEVELOP CARBON
FIELDS OF HER OWN
For Years the Netherlands Has
Been Dependant Upon Ger
many and England for Coal;
Desires to Develop Own Fields.

HOENSBROEK, Province Of Linn
burg. Netherlands. Aug. 3-The min
er's pick and drill were never so deft-
ly welded since Holland had a his
tory as they are just now Coal is i'm
great demand. The Dutch mines are
poorly developed and produce COM
naratively little fuel and it cannot be
obtained IN sufficient quantities from
Germany and Great Britain at pres,
ent to satisfy the calls of the various
industries and public works dependent
on it.
The limited production Of coal in
Holland is said by some to be one of
the principal causes of the mainten-
ance by this country of what they de-
scribe as friendly neutrality toward
Germany. Even now, when a certain
amount of coal is still coming i'm from
the neighboring power the authorities
here are encountering difficulties not
only i'm running the railroads. but I'M
supplying fuel for the pumping sta
.tions all over the country whose ope-
rations keep the Netherlands from
again becoming a swamp.
Holland has plenty of coal beneath
the surface of her most southerly
province-Limburg The fields, how
ever have never been properly devel-
oped and the Dutch are now regret
ting their lack of foresight i'm this re-
gard, which at a time when they feel
they would like to be entirely free I'm
their action, has placed them i'm a con-
.dition of dependence on Germany for
an article which they need badly.
With these difficulties facing them
since the beginning of the war. the
mine-owners have made a brave show
ing, but they have been stm further
handicapped by the mobilization Of
the Dutch army, which took away
many of their best men. and by the
calling to the colors of German and
Belgian pitmen, many of whom had
been employed i'm the mines in the
province Of Limburg
Although Holland occupies only
very low rank i'm the coal-producing
countries of Europe, its mines are
probably the most ancient. their rec
ords showing workings near Kerk-
rade as early as IFS The pits now
owned and worked by the state were
for many centuries exploited by monks
from the Abbey of Kloosterade. who
continued their mining operations UNI
On as late as 1895. The pits. now
named the Wilhelmia. the Emma and
the Hendrick. gave employment to
167 officials and 1892 pitmen, of whom
some 500 were called up for service
in the Dutch army i'm August and the
following months, while numbers Of
their German fellow-workmen also had
to leave to fight their country's bat
/ ties. Owing TO the lack Of expert
enced miners i'm Holland, it has be-
come necessary to nh their places
with foreigners, many of them Bel
gians, who fed from their own coun-
/ try after the German invasion.
Besides the state mines there are
/ privately owned coalfelds I'm Limburg
and North Brabant, while borings have
been made also in Over-ljsel and
Gelderland. AS these altogether pro
dnce only about 1000 900 Of the g.
10000 tons annually required by Hol-
land the remainder is usually import
ed from Germany and Great Britain.
The German mines, since the war
started have continued TO supply 40
per cent Of their usual annual uuan.
fifty to the Netherlands, but England
has declined TO permit the export of
steam coal i'm any large quantity
Manufacturing concerns and munich
palities turned to America for sup.
plies, but the freight rates from the
United States to Dutch ports were SO
prohibitiye- the minimum reaching SIS
per ton more than the rate from Ger
many-that nobody would buy. Am
ef arTor1a aIona for fTefawra -,rsrs..,.