Imperial Valley press., 1917-12-04
HOLLAND IS NOW
! DEPENDENT UPON
|ICENTRAL POWERS

EASONS WHY UNITED STATES
SHOULD LIFE FOOD EMBARGO
ARE GIVEN BY THE DUTCH
MINISTER OF FINANCE, MARIE
WILLEM TRAUB. S
Iany Concessions Must Be Made to
the Kaiser in Return for Coal and
Other Commodities-Sentiment of
People Against the Entente Is
Growing Daily, the Minister Says.
Correspondence of Associated Press)
The Hague. Netherlands, Nov. pa
am quite sure the policy of Amer
ia and Britain Of isolating Holland
S bad one," declared Marie Willem
Frederik Treub, Netherlands Minister
Finance, in discussing recently his
ountry's position with the correspon-
ent of the Associated Press.
Minister Treub's criticism was
ased on the contention that the at
itude of the two powers made the
J etherlands dependent on Germany,
with the result that she had to make
al kinds of concessions to that coun-
ry. Moreover, he thought it had a
nost unfortunate effect on the ma
ions sympathies. At the outset of
he war these were, for the largest
art, on the side of the Entente AL
les, but, excepting perhaps France,
|tro-Allied feeling had since largely
eclined as result of Allied meas
| res. If referendum on the sub
ect could be taken today, he thought
Ib would show pretty equal division
| of sympathies between the Entente
and the Central Powers.
"Unless the present policy is
changed" he added, 81 am quite sure
ro-Allied feeling will decline daily"
Discussing the question with Brit
ain in respect of allowing Germany
Il, take gravel and sand over Meth
erlands waterways to Belgium, which
ed the British government to with
draw financial and commercial tele-
graphic facilities from Holland, Mr..
Treub declared:
proof in such circumstances is all
ways difficult, but if the Netherlands
s overnment only gets the impression
that such sand gravel is really for
war purposes l am absolutely sure
tle traffic will be stopped"
AS regards the question of the
Netherlands ships that have so long
leen lying in American ports the
minister was hopeful that an arrange
|ment might even yet materialize, sug-
gesting that it would be mutually
acceptable if, say, a third of their
number were placed in the America
netherlands East Indies service, a
third placed at the disposal of the
Belgian Relief Commission and
third permitted to ply between the
United States and Holland.
SIS it possible for the Netherlands
so to revise her present export ar
rangement as to remove Americas
objections to permitting bread, grain
and cattle food to be exported here?"
questioned the correspondent, refer
ring thereby to the surplus produtcs
of Hollands own soil, that are now
divided between Germany and Britain.
at is certainly possible to revise
resent agreements with Germany
and Britain" was the reply, land,
indeed, it will be one of the first du-
ties of the newly formed Central Ex-
port Bureau to undertake such re-
vision, for at present we are not free
to export to neutral countries. Tho
proportion of exports going to Ger
many cannot be reduced to any con-
5 derable extent, for we are depen-
d, mt on that country for our coal and
other necessities"
Were the Netherlands likely to be
yet drawn into the war by the vari-
ous complications now arising, In
quired the correspondent. IL do not
think there is immediate danger Of
that" replied by Treub, "but if the
war lasts another year or more, thea
no one can prophesy what will be thc
result. Serious economic and politi-
cal difficulties may be expected
"What do you think of the peace
outlook?" questioned the interviewer.
"The outlook, in my opinion, is vef3