The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-08-21
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Especial 10 The Times.I
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Aug. q.
No. thank God, there is one
article | don't have to worry
about said Cheveliar Van Rep
pard, minister from the Neither
lands, who had just been asked
II the Dutchmen were getting to-
bacco from America.
His explosive remark no less
than his tired look told how I'm
Gle Sans embargo is tightening
the moose of starvation about Ger
many, and driving Holland onto
the horns of the dilemma FIGHT
WITH THE ALLIES OR EAT
WITH GERMANY.
Washington is a city of worried
men-but the tall, lanky Dutch
man probably has the toughest
job. Daily the cables tell of
food troubles along the Amster-
dam canals, of potato riots in
Rotterdam, of expensive dairy
cows slain in Tristan meadows
for lack of fodder. Holland has
been drained of food to feed Ger
many, but the Teuton octopus
still demands more.
Across the boundary are
rOosting German troops and
German guns. The open
threat of cutting off Hol-
lands iron and coal is terri
flying enough, with winter
coming on, but the veiied
threat of these guns, empha-
sized by starvation and
massacre Just a few miles
south i'm Belgium, is more
terrible.
While Holland writhes in doubt
and hunger, 20 of her ships load
ed to their gunwales with food
and fodder are smokeless in
American harbors. Fifty are
fenced about in New York har-
Dor by American destroyers.
Twenty are scattered between
Baltimore, Boston and Philadel-
phia. They have on board 160,-
600 tons of wheat, rye, barley,
and linseed cake for cattle.
Allied statesmen assert
these ships were given free
passage by the German subs
because they would help
feed Germany.
The Dutch point out that some
of the ships have been in Ameri-
can ports six months, afraid to go
out because of the subs, even be-
fore the American embargo, and
that hundreds of Dutch ships have
been sunk and hundreds of inno-
cent sailors and fishermen MUIR
dered by submarines.
But the Dutch ships sunk
WERE HAULING FOR THE AL
LIES, and Holland by tieing up
her ships did exactly what the
German admiralty demanded of
America, when ruthless warfare
was proclaimed. 1t has been as
serted that Germany is PAYING
THE OWNERS OF IDLE DUTCH
SHIPS when they refrain from
carrying freight to Britain.
Since the American embargo
was laid, not one export license
has been granted a ship carrying
food for Holland. Whether any
will be depends on the duel of
wits between Herbert Hoover and
Van Reppard. Hoover has the
final say.
The president has laid down
the rule that no food will be sent
to a neutral until the needs of
America and her allies have been
Of ch III
import from America more than
enough food to feed her people,
after all her NATIVE PRODUCE
HAS BEEN CONSUMED AT
HOME.
This, of course, cuts off any ex-
ports to Germany.
Van Reppard says this is unjust
because Holland must have coal
and iron as well as food, and the
only way she can get them is to
pay Germany for them with per-
ishable food products. He also
claims Holland sends dairy prod
ucts to England.
One interesting and little-noted
war result has been the CONNER
cial annexation of the rich Dutch
East Indies to the United States.
The three big Dutch steamship
lines which used to carry the
products of these islands to Am
sterdam for distribution to the
world, now land their cargoes at
San Francisco.
The voyage to Amsterdam is
thru the submarine field.
The diversion of this traffic
has enabled America to draw off
many of her Pacific merchant
ships to the Atlantic.