Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-21
WASHINGTON. March u


seizure Of Dutch ships in United States
territorial waters follows:
For some. months the United States
and the Entente Allies have been con-
Quoting negotiations with the Dutch
Government with the object of con.
cluding general commercial agree.
ment.
"a very clear statement OF the char
acter of these negotiations was made
on March IL TO the Dutch Parliament
1 by his Excellency the Minister OF
! Foreign Affairs of Holland As APP.
/ pears from the statement the discus
| sion proceeded upon the basis of two
/ fundamental propositions, namely
/ that the United states and the Allies
shoud facilitate the importation into
Holland of foodstuffs and other COM
modities required to maintain her eco.
nomic life and that Holland should
restore her merchant marine TO nor
NAL condition Of activity.
at was the task of the negotiators
to develop "a specific application of
these propositions which would be
acceptable to the Governments con.
cerned.
Holland Accepted Terms
Early In January. 1918, the nego-
tiators came to an understanding
which was embodied In a tentative
agreement which was submitted to the
Governments concerned in order that,
IL acceptable, 1t might be ratified. or,
if unacceptable, counter proposal
might be made.
"The negotiations becoming pro-
Iongcd, the Dutch delegates proposed
I'm order that their ships might sooner
be put into remuuerative service. that
Dutch tonnage lying idle in American
waters should, with certain exceptions
lie Immediately chartered to the United
states for periods not exceeding
/, ninety days. This proposal was &C
; ceptcd by the United States Govern.
ment. and on January 25. 1918, the
Dutch minister at Washington
handed to the Secretary of State OF
the United States note expressing
the terms of the temporary charter
ing agreement and his Governments
acceptance thereof.
This agreement provided, among
, other things. that 1904 tons Of Dutch
. shipping should at the discretion %
I the United States. be employed partl,
: in the service of Belgian relief ant
, partly for Switzerland on safe conduc
= to Cette, France, and that for eaci
: ship sent to Holland in the service o
/ Belgian relief IA corresponding Nesse
&
! Statas Two Dutch sb,ns in the Unite,
State,, no,.tg vitb corroos of foodstuff
r we've IN nroceed tn Holland. simila
TONNAGE he,ng sont I'm exchange from
I Holland IN The Tinted states for char
ter ae In tho case Of other Dutch shin
Z i,ina im ,be Irnited states norts,
: .vrba acreemont WIS exnlicitIv ten
norarv i1 cbaracter and beinr do
s;gnoS to moo, ar immediate situation
o ,,,nr,r, norforn,arro was of tho Q,
. sance rio Dutch Government M ono
4 disc,osod bowever that n was unwil
Inc or urab,e to carry ont This cha
. teriro acreemont which II had itsel
J nrnnosed
;. ,,, ,,p
D"''" 'e"'e" Spo"''
!, "The first desire of the United state
n was to secure at once shipping. as cor
9 templated by the agreement. to tran!
port to Switzerland foodstuffs muc
, needed by the state. one dif1icult
: after another was. however, raised
e postpone the chartering OF Dutch snip
i for Swiss relief, and although tn
d reason was never formally eXpresse
:. IL was generally known that the Dutc
r sldp owners feared lest their shiI
;. should be destroyed by German SUI
y Marines even uhough OH an erraIi
II oI merry anu tnousn noC , uaNe s',' m