The Dominion. FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 1916. HOLLAND'S MILITARY PREPARATIONS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2740, 7 April 1916, Page 4

The Dominion. FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 1916. HOLLAND'S MILITARY PREPARATIONS

The military preparations which are now being made by tho Dutch Government have given ( rise to many rumours and much speculation. The unusual/stir in naval and military circles, the frequent conferences, and the steps taken by the Government in regard to the control of the railways, naturally caused a good' deal of public excitement. It was obvious' that something had happened, in connection with the war which had a direct bearing upon ■Holland. There was great difference of opinion as to the precise nature of the new development, but tho general impression-seemed to bo .that it had something to do with the conference of the Allies which recently took place in Paris;! The posi-

tion\ which had been created was sufficiently serious to necessitate a secret sitting of the Second Chamber, of the Netherlands Parliament, and this was followed by an official announcement to the effect that tho furlough of officers and men of tho' Army arid Navy had been suspended. The reason given for this step is that' it is necessary in order to ensure tho 6trict maintenance of neutrality. Some further light is thrown upon the situation by an in the Amsterdam Telegraaf, in which it is stated that the Government regards an Allied offensive as imminent, and is desirous of securing the frontiers of Holland against German troops which may find it' convenient to retreat into Dutch territory. This seems a probable explanation of Holland's military preparations and precautions, and it is reasonable to connect them with the Paris.. Con-

ference, It' 'Was recently announced that the British .representatives' at the conference had, expressed the opinion' that its results would be immediate and far-reaching, especially

in the way .of common, action with the object of delivering a crushing blow : against the :C'entral 'Powers. It may safely be assumed, that the conference carefully considered the position of neutral countries, like Holland and Switzerland, situated in the, immediate neighbourhood of the battle-grounds, and it is by no means unlikely that communications have 'gassed between the Allies ; and the Government of the Netherlands

with reference to possible happenings in the near future. The Allies naturally want to know what Holland would do in certain circumstances that may arise in connection with the combined offensive which they have planned. They, must bo ready for any arid every emergency. When the great forward movement takes place, part of the German forces may" be compelled to cross the Dutch frontier. If this should happen,, it would, of course, be the duty of the Dutch authorities; to disarm and intern the intruders, just as they disarmed and interned thd British marines who made their way into Holland during the German attack oh Antwerp. The Allies may have requested Holland to put herself in a position to maintain her neutrality try force -if necessary-. If German forces, retreat across the

Dutch frontier,'and'are not disarmed and interned' by the Dutch forces, then the Allies have no other courße open to-them than to follow, in pursuit. This would mean fighting on Dutch territory, and air the horrors

of war would descend on Holland. In order to ; avoid this, Holland must

be in a position to disarm any G<. man forces -which may" trespass 01 her territory,' and it ,may. requir the use of all the military power sh possesses. The concentration of Ger man troops on her border's ha already thrown a heavy load o responsibility on her shoulders. Th callous brutality with which the Get mans violated the neutrality of Bel gium at the beginning of the wa has not been forgotten by the Dutcl Government, and in view of the tre mendous clash which may now begir at any moment, it is no doubt pre paring to protect its rights and t< perform the duties cast.upon it h] the law of nations. Though Hollanc is not a belligerent, the war hai compelled her 'to^make , large in creases in her military expenditure The increasing burden of tnxatiot gave rise to a discussion in the Sec ond Chamber recently as to whethci the Government could not original a peace movement, but the genera opinion was that the time was inop portuhc for any step in that direc tion. The sympathies of the grcal majority 'of the Dutch people arc undoubtedly on the side of the Allies, and the strength of the anti-Germari scntimont has lately been increased by the torpedoing of the Tubantui and Palcmbaug;' The people are asking why should they suffer because the Germans hate England 1 Whj should their ships be sunk in order tc make British flesh creep 1 Louis, llae maekees, the famous Dutch artist, during his recent visit to London, declared that 90 per cent, of the Dutch people are with the Allies, though all who favour the Allies dc not love England.. The Boer War has- not been forgotten, ancl it ie with .the "Marseillaise," not "Rule Britannia," that German defeats are celebrated. There is ho question, says Mn. Baemaekehs, of Dutch opinion veering round to the German side, nor are the Dutch people so pusillanimous as a section of the Press which advocates "anything rather than war." Holland knows that the annexation of Belgium by Germany would be followed, sooner or later by the seizure of the Netherlands. When it was rumoured, aliout the middle of last year, that Germany intended to issue a proclamation announcing the annexation of Belgium,/ a leading Dutch newspaper . declared that such a step must be interpreted by Holland "aa a. deadly threat, and consequently as a casus belli" The outbreak of Uj6 war placed Holland in a very trying position. She has had to grapple with many tronblesomo problems, and the difficulties ahead of her ari. probably greater than any of those she has yet encountered,