The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1918-04-19

the coal arrangements have come into
force one reads every now and then
in the papers of factories closing down
for want of Goals or for want of raw
material, and numbers are working
half time. In the "Nieuwe Rotter-
dammer" of December 16 till Janu-
airy Just an average period eaken
at random find reports taken
about the closing down of cotton fac
tories in Jilburg, factory of stockings
600 workmen) large factory of |
beet sugar in Gronington, all these for |
want of Goals. factory of oiled goods |
in Bussum for want of raw materials, |
then for want of Goals again a cigar |
factory in Rotterdam, steam laundry |
in Bussum, a cotton mill in Veenen- |
dali 500 hands, a jute mill in Rijessen |
q, 400 hands,, and for want of raw
materials a Leiden blanket factory |
600 hands,, and lastly the whole of
the important cotton industry n-Ji-
vente, in the eastern part of the king
dom. This is, I fancy, a sufficiently
alarming list; and it is by no means
complete picture. There are, for
instance, the timber wharves. 1 saw
saw them at Zaadam, empty and idle
There is no timber coming through
either from the Baltic or down the
Rhine. Any iron, too, has to come
from Germany. Not long ago the
Germans attached a condition to the
expectation of it. No iron was to be
exported for shipbuilding purposes
unless an undertaking was given that
the ship for which it was used would,
| after the war, be chartered to Ger
many for a certain number of years.
| The Dutch government forbade the
shipbuilders to give this understand
| ing. The shipbuilding yards are be
ginning to be idle as a consequence.
I The conclusion which one may draw
| from all this is that Holland cannot
exist by herself and is absolutely de-
pendent on her neighbors. The ship
ping arrangement about which so
much has been heard in the last few
| days is an illustration of Hollands
| desperate difficulties. After protract-
ed negotiations with the Allies, and
with the United States in particular,
| an arrangement had been drawn up
which the Dutch government, if left
| to themselves, would certainly have
decided to sign. Not that it was so
| very favorable to Dutch interests. 1t
| assured to Holland some modest
share of the worlds produce of ce-
reals, fertilizers, and raw materials
some modest share in the produce of
her own colonies in exchange for a
very considerable quantity of tonnage
to be employed for the Allied coun-
tries But whatever the Dutch
thought of the proportion between
what they were asked to give and
what they promised they could not do
without these supplies. Ruin and
starvation threatened the country if
they allowed their ships to lie idle in
American. and Allied harbors much
i. longer.
If Holland had only to reckon with
: the Allies! But on the other side
Germany is watching her every move
ment and she cannot afford to quar-
, rel with Germany any more than she
, can with the Allied countries; not
e only because the economic arrange
= mepts with Germany are as indispen-
e sable to her economic life as are the
arrangements with this side 1 men
e toned coal and iron, both of which
s Holland has to get mainly from Ger
|
e ticles by Withholding which the Ger.
t mans could seriously embarrass Dutch
d industry. Before concluding theil
Il bargain with the Allies, therefore, the
= Dutch government had to make sure
Q that the Germans would not make i
e a pretext for stopping their export!
d to Holland or for starting anethel
l. submarine campaign against Dutcl
n ships. After another period of ne
IS gotiations the German government
lie so it appears-were prevailed upon t,
l. withdraw their objections But in tn
lie meantime the Allies had added t
IS their demands. The Dutch govern
Of ment now is willing to accept tn
id shipping arrangement, but with Ger
Dr. tain reservations. Will the Allie
Dr. governments be satisfied with thi
as conditional acceptance? And if no
a what will happen? The Allies, n
x more than Holland itself, can tolerat
Id so much valuable tonnage being vast
of ed any longer. They will requisitio
if friendly arrangement is imposs
1g BILE. Let us hope that some way OF
re will be found, but let English peopl
re in any case, consider that Holland
Ist official action is not inspired by sym
he patny Tor one or the otner OF the be
in ligerent parties, but that it is d.
u termined by the extraordinary diff
of culties of the situation in which til
ty. country finds itself.-(By the Intel
VS. national News Bureau, Inc.)
VS.
of How the nice baseball wealth
lily makes the old time players think
A the good old days on the villa.
l.