Evening star., 1940-05-12
Marpin Z. Fouler.

When the news was flashed to
Batavia this week that the Nazi war
machine, in q new "blitzkrieg," had
invaded Holland, Gov Gen. Tjarda
Van Starckenborgh' Immediately is
sued a proclamation placing the
Netherlands East Indies under mar
tial law. and announced that the
Indies, as part of the Kingdom of
the Netherlands, were at war with
Germany.
Why are these islands valuable to
Holland, and why is their status of
so much importance to the United
States?
Possession Of these islands has
made little Holland q world power.
The Dutch East Indies supply one
third Of the rubber, one-fifth of the
tin and one-nineteenth of the oil
annually consumed throughout the
world. and the Indies virtually have
monopoly on cinchona, source Of
quinine. From one-fifth to one
tenth Of the population of the Meth
erlands either depends. directly on,
or has \ big financial stake in, the
commerce and industries of Neither
lands India, according to competent
authorities. Few countries can boast
. colonial empire 50 richly endowed
with natural resources, or more prof.
liable to its owner.
Source Of Strategic Materials.
The Army and Navy Munitions
Board has listed II strategic mate
rials essential to national defense,
Tor the supply Of which, in war,
dependence must be placed, in whole
or IN part, on sources outside the
continental limits OF the United
States. OF these. eight have their
principal sources in the Orient, and
the principal sources Of three Of
these-rubber. tin and cinchona-are
the Dutch East Indies and Brit
ish Malaga.
With other neighboring areas In
Southeast Asia, these islands export
to the United States commodities
Of vital importance both to national
defense and to American industry.
Extension Of the war to Southeast
Ashland the Nazi invasion of Hol-
land increases the possibility of
such an extension-would disrupt
the normal flow of trade with the
United States and might cause a
shortage Of rubber, tin and other
important materials. -
For its supplies Of rubber, tine
world Is almost entirely dependent
on Southeast Asia. In 1888, 889.-
280 tons Of rubber were produced
for world export. The Netherlands
Indies and Malaga alone exported
about 670,l32 tons. Southeast Asia,
including Ceylon, Burma, Siam and
1ndo China, accounted for 81 per
cent Of the total.
Rubber Consumption Increasing.
In the United States, rs in most
other countries, the consumption Of
rubber, IN recent years, has been in
creasing. In addition to its use in
the manufacture Of automobile tires.
1t has many other industrial uses.
Because Of the Army's motorizatio
program and the expansion Of Army
and Navy air forces, rubber was
never more important in national
defense than it is today.
In 1894 the producing countries
resumed the limitation of rubber
production by international agree
ment. The declared objective was
to reduce the worlds stocks of rub
Der, then regarded As excessively
large. AS q result, in part, of the
international control measures, rub
Der stocks in the United States. in
recent years, have decreased. In
March, 1898, these stocks in the
United States aggregated SOL 900
tons, according to Commerce De-
partment figures. In March, 1899,
they had been reduced to 201 900
tons and in March, 1910, only 49,
600 tons Of rubber were available
to meet the needs Of American in
dustry and those of the Govern.
| ment. A cessation of imports, there.