The sun., 1918-03-15
ALLIES TO SEIZE
100000 TONS
OF DUTCH SHIPS
Action Will Be Taken Mon.
day Unless Holland Agrees
to Their Use.
IN DURESS BY GERMANY
Netherlands Government Will
ing, but Is at Mercy of
Prussian Ruthlcssness.

Special Dsspdfch TO TIE SrS.
WASHINGTON. March 1.-THE United
states and It's allies have decided to
seize 100000 tons Of Dutch shipping
by next Monday unless Holland agrees
to turn this tonnage over under terms
Of an agreement which is now before the
Government at The Hague. With Ger
many opposing this agreement and
threatening to sink all Dutch ships in
the war zone II Holland consents TO the
agreement there is no expectation here
that this agreement will be signed.
The Dutch Government Is regarded
here as being held In duress by Germany
and Is virtually helpless In the face OF
her threats. Just how the Dutch Gov
crnment will view a seizure Of the ships
by the Allies remains 70 be seen, though
the fact that this Government has offered
10 turn over a quantity Of grain here
and In Argentine to relieve the serious
food situation In Holland may relieve
the strain. August Phillips. the Dutch
Minister. saw President Wilson to-day
and Is understood to have appealed for
"A modification of the Allies terms,
In Clutches of German,.
The contemplated seizure. which marks
an abrupt end to long drawn out nego-
tiations. admittedly has Brought about
somewhat delicate diplomatic situation
between Holland and the Allies. In
Dutch diplomatic circles 1t was stated
tonight that public opinion in Holland
is boundeto he shocked at least until
the matter is thoroughly understood and
prediction was openly made that Ger
many would seek by every means to
profit by the situation.
Germany has held Holland in her
clutches since the beginning OF the war.
German armies have been massed on
the frontier and German diplomacy has
kept before Holland the example OF Bel
gum. This has meant that the Dutch
people virtually have been forced to do
Germany's bidding. although Hollands =
Arm determination to fight II a single
German soldier set foot on Dutch soil
has KEEP; relations between Germany
and Holland in their present delicate
status
Because Of this threat Holland has
been obliged to avoid any agreement
with the Allies which would preciptate
clash with her powerful and con-
sctenceless iNighbor. according to Dutch
diplomats hsre. The agreement which
the Allies now propose is therefore op-
posed by Holland primarily because OF
German threats to retaiiate IL she
signs it,
Eighty Ships Are Here.
! These threats were pointedy ,mpha- =
sized only few days ago through the
official German NorddsutsChe Allc0r-
maine ZeitnnQ. which warned Holland
just as negotiations in London were
about to be satisfactorily concluded. Ger
many demands that Holland obtain an
! agreement that none OF her ships be
used by the United States or her allies
1 In the war zone. 1t is understood that
the Allies find it necs ssary to make
such use of at least a part Of Dutch
shipping.
I OF the 100000 tons Of shipping
which it is proposed to seize approxi-
mately 100000 tOns-eighty ships--are
> in the United states. 1t is not proposed
to seize the passenger steamship Nieuw
Amsterdam. now at the port OF New
York. because that vessel came here I'M
der a special agreement under which she
was TO be allowed To return to Holland.
Germany had threatened to sink the
Nieuw Amsterdam unless assurances to
this effect were given.
In seizing the ships o. a neutral and
/ friendly Power the Allies propose to act
under n well known right in interna.
tlonal law. In the Fran"o-Pruss!an war
Germany made similar seizures of mer-
chant vessels and at the beginning of
this war seized a Greek cruiser building
at Kiel This Government already has
exercised the same right in confiscatng
the foreign owned ships building in
American yards.
! Delayed In Hollands Interest.
The delay in not putting the pro-
grsmme into effect before has not been
due to Interpretation of international
law. but "A desire to meet the wishes of
Holland. which admittedly has been In
most precarious position. That the
peril to Holland will not be removed by
the seizure o. her ships by the A,,'es IS
conceded, but the necessities of having
Continued on Second Po1c
a