Evening star., 1940-10-23
Dutch Firmly Decline
To Put Politics Info
Japanese Talks
Toxic Finds Indies
Are Not in Confusion,
As 1t Had Thought
By YANYA OAKES.


BATAVIA, Netherlands Indies. Oct
% (NAN.A. by Wireless) ALI re-
ports to the contrary notwithstand-
ing, the Dutch-Japanese CONNER
cial negotiations are proceeding
with this important proviso-the
Dutch have firmly declined to dis
cuss any attempt to convert eco
nomic into political issues.
The japanese have approached the
oil companies, which offered guam
titles of oil and oil products in the
next few months, but without any
forced shifting of markets on out
standing contracts. The japanese
accepted this offer as the basis for
detailed negotiations as to prices
etc, and these are now proceeding
The present level of production ap-
pears to exclude the export of avia-
ton gasoline in considerable guam
titles.
The departure for Toxic of IchizC
Kobayashi, head of the Japanese
delegation, does not affect the COM
llICl Sldl llCSOlldllOIlo oll 40 poltlSo
significance is less deflnable, The
Dutch so far have not accepted any
kind of political compromise.
Situation Misinterpreted.
The discussions have been going
on for six weeks and it is quite ap.
parent that Japanese initially mis-
interpreted the situation here. The
hitch is in large part psychological
The japanese came here with the
firm conviction that the Neither
lands Indies were in a state of col
lapse. as was French Indo-Chins
after the defeat of France They
thought they would be welcomed
as the saviors OF motherless coun-
try. They have found nothing Of
the sort. They have been received
with considerable pomp and circum-
stance. but with a noticeable lack
OF bowling and scraping.
To their great chagrin. the jap
anese have discovered that nothing
is in confusion at all. Business
moves on as before. There is in
fact more business in the East In
dies than formerly, so many firms
having transferred their head Offices
from Holland to Batavia Dutch
officials give no indication of having
the jitterS. The fact that the
mother country has been invaded
and occupied by the Germans ap-
i,1 70
moded the Netherlands Indies. All
of which is quite incomprehensible
to the visiting japanese.
In Strong Position.
The Netherlands Indies are in a
very strong position at the moment.
The colony has for some time been
quite capable of attending to its own
affairs. In fact, there has existed
for several years some resentment at
what was thought to be unnecessary
participation by Holland in the af-
fairs of the Indies. Many Dutch
people living here consider Java
their home Some were born he,e
and have been back to Holland only
to school or on holiday. They feel
they are far more competent to
manage matters in the Far East
than the home government.
The economic condition of the
islands is on firm footing. There
is good market for the principal
produce, and money which former
ly went back to the home country
is now available for furthering the
productive capacity of the territory.
Then there is fundamental fact
about the trade relations between
Japan and the East Indies which the
visiting mission apparently did not
grasp. Although the Indies do a
considerable amount of business with
Japan, that country is by no means
first in line as a customer. In i'm
ports. in 1889, Japan ranked second,
after Holland. But in exports Japan
was seventh. More and more in
recent years the tendency of the
East Indies has been to develop the
Australian and North and South
American trade-all markets still
available.
Van Nook Controlling Figure.
The controlling figure among the
Dutch negotiators is the director
Of economic affairs, H. j. van Nook
His whole attitude can be summed
up by his own statement, II am will
ling to discuss any reasonable propo-
sition with anybody His definition
of an unreasonable thing is any at
tempt to make commercial matters
into political issue.
Mr.. van Nook is exactly the kind
of negotiator that the Japanese did
not expect to find here He is calm,
unfustered. always laughing. He
was born in the East Indies, knows
the country thoroughly, its trade
rotentialities and capacities, and
there is not the remotest chance of
i)luffng him.
The Japanese are confronted with
situation not at all like the one
they found in French Indo-China
where everything was in a muddle
dlsorganized state. with the French
pretty much at the mercy of Who
ever happened along. Incidentally
the Indo-China incident is no
help to the japanese delegation here
The Dutch are all the more wary
considering it an object lesson. They
recall that the trade negotiations
by the japanese in Indo-China rap
idly became submerged under po-
iitical and military demands.