The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-03-02
HOLLAND HIT !
HARD BY WAR
impression She Was Enriched
by It DispelIed by
Figures.
COST COUNTRY s477,707,OOO
All of Her Industries Suffered, and
Much Was Sunk In Certain For
eign Bonds--Suffered Most
Of Any Neutral.

New York.-Impressions that Hol-
land became enriched by the war are
combated in pamphlet issued by d.
j. Steyn Parve, acting consul general
for the Netherlands, showing that, by
reason Of its geographical and eco
homie position, the pressure and evil
effects of the war were probably more
seriously felt there than in any other
neutral country. .r-
On the mainland, the pamphlet says.
Holland was entirely surrounded by
territory In the hands Of one of the
belligerents, while the North sea, more
than any other waterway, was part Of
the war zone. AS the prosperity of
Holland depends upon International
intercourse, industries were choked.
large OUTLAWS were imposed In the
maintenance of a defensive army,
there was growing unemployment and
the people generally suffered.
Shipping shrlnks.
in 1913 shipping In the ports of Hol.
land amounted to 1929, 900 net tons.
That volume shrnnk to 3.a630OO tons
in 1918. Traffic in Amsterdam de-
creased from. ,597 ships In 1918 to 1913
in 1918, and In Rotterdam from 11.2S5
to 1.1S1 ships. Rhine tonnage dropped
from 1,16S614 in 1913. to 400. 732 In
1913. Dutch foreign trade became en-
tirely dlsorganlzed. owing 10 restric-
Hams inf "A hx, kot I'LL ko
Import duties in 1913 amounted to
$5.447, 040. In 1918 they were about
S3.000000, and domestic trnde suffered
by the reduction. Individuals made
excess profits here and there produc-
ing crop of the newly-rich. but they
thrived at the cost of an impoverished
country; and against these profits
should be rcckoned the loss OF al. 34S
tons of shipping. representing 22.3S
per cent of the feet Of 1913.
Large profits came from agriculture,
in clay soil. In the first years of the
war Sandy soil could not be cult
waited, owing to lack Of fertilizers. and
the requisitionipg Of rye formerly
used as fodder. caused serious redus.
ton in the number Of cattle. 1t WAS
necessary to ELL off the smaller species
of live stock In order to save food for
the more valuable species. War condi-
items proved favorable TO the fisheries
in certain periods. At other times
that industry was doomed. to practical
inactivity. AS many as 135 fishing
beats were sunk and many fishermen
parished.
Dutch holdings of foreign securities
were affected. In 1918 the nominal
worth of Russian bonds held in Hol-
land amounted to 1894, 10000. and adj
ditional Netherland interest In Russia
represented value of $52, SOC. 900, all
of which may be considered lost.
Losses on securities OF central Europe, 4
especially In Hungary, were very large.
Owing to the Limitation Of imports
by the allied governments, many OF
the Dutch industries could work only
under heavily restricted capacity. 1t 4
was extremely difficult to obtain raw
materials, coal, oils and other articles
essential to the industries. which had
TO shut down for varying periods, dis {
missing their employees. {
The Royal National Committee Of I
Assistance paid out $22. 42S,S60 from |
August. 1914. to December. 1918. to- I
ward the support of persons made IN |
digent by the war. In the same period \
the government allocated S107, 100000 \
toward expenses of the food supply
and S27. $4,000 to assist the needy and I
to combat unemployment.
Cannot Be Expressed In Figures.
Disadvantages connected with keep
ing under arms all the able-hodied part [
of the male population for four years, I
taking many of them from their studies
or their regular productive work. cam
not be expressed in figures. The most
important single item was that of the
cost of mobilization, which amounted.
at the end Of 1918. to 1890, $50, 900, 4
bringing the government expenses, due =
to the war, 10 total Of $411, 1877 ,006.
Nearly $160,0OO,000 was raised by
direct taxes and 1852 100000 was OBJ
tanned by loans. Additional extraor-
binary expenses have already alb
sorbed $27, 5000, and the debt must :,
inevitably be increased to pay or the
original loans in from twenty to =.
twenty-five years. AS consequence
taxes per capita must be raised to I.
about 500. annually, an increase Of
1853 per cent compared with 1913. The {
amount now to be raised In taxes of
every kind may be put down at $780,.
100000, compared with $56420,000 in :
1918.
In the Dutch East Indies expenses B
for the army and for government in
dustries involved an extra outlay Of
SIS, 100000. while receipts from the ins Z
dustries were e,720,000 less than the ]
average for 1910-1913, and import du-
ties for 1o15-191S decreased by $14,,
100000. Charges for hospitality to :
Belgian civilians, sheltered in Holland