DUTCH SAND AND GRAVEL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 64, 8 December 1917, Page 11

DUTCH SAND AND GRAVEL

LIGHT ON A BRITISH DISPUTE WITH HOLLAND AN IMMENSE TRAFFIC IN SAND AND GRAVEL

[Interesting light on Hie dispute between Britain and Holland in tho matter of Dutch sand and gravel supplies for Germany (briefly reported by cable) is given _in a recent issuo of the ".Daily Mail."]

To induce Holland to stop her enormous shipments of sand, gravel, and cement to Belgium, whoro they servo vital German military England recently declined to permit the transmission of Dutch commercial cables to and from all parts of the world. Tho embargo (says tho "Daily Mail," in an issuo to hand by a recent mail), is now in full force, and will bo maintained until the Dutch Government yields. The British Government has resorted to this drastic form of pressure with reluctance, and only after all the ordinary methods of argument and persuasion wcro exhausted. In competent quarters in London tho liopo is expressed that Holland may speedily recoguiso tho justico of our contentions and take tho remedial steps necessary.

Xlio controversy dates back to tho sicgo of Antwerp. When its fall was imminent tho British Government! requested penuissiou of Holland to send through the Scheldt (i.e., through Duicii territory) a number of Gorman ships lying at Antwerp which hail been condemned as Britisli prizes. Holland declared, herself unable to grant the dosired passage, on tho ground that sno did not consider it compatible with tho maintenance of strict neutrality. Britain had to acquiesce in tins'decision, though the i'urcign Oltico considered that it was not well louudcd in international law.

ilSventuaJly, as the war procedeed, it camo to the tnowledgo ot tho British authorities that iinuienso quantities of sand, gravolj and similar materials used by the Germans for ihe construction or concrete defences in Inlanders were passing through Holland in transit from Germany to Belgium. This was brought to tho attention ol tho Dutch Government, Britain pointing out that these materials wero military supplies, and subject to the samo rule under which Holland declined to permit us to send German prizos through tho Scheldt.

For Peace Works or War? Holland admitted that if theso shipments wero intended for employment for military purposes their transit ought uofc to bo allowed. She- therefore required certificates from tho Gorman authorities in respect of each cargo that it was required for works "of a pacific character." Tho traffic, at onco timo assumed dimensions that aroused Holland's suspicions,' but German assurancos wero given and the ( traffic, temporarily interrupted by j Dutch restrictions, was resumed. In; tho summer of 1916 Gormany invited two Dutch engineer officers to visit Belgium and inspect tho works for which tho sand and gravel wero cmployed. Theso officers said they found that the materials wore principally usod on roads and railways, though they discovered that a groat deal moro was being used for thoso purposes than was required in poace timo.

Tho Dutch Government accopted their engineers' report as satisfactory. They considered that they wero entitled to assumo that tho transformation of tho Belgian road surfaces and the double ballasting of tho railways was effected by tho Germans in order to provide for tho needs of tho civilian population.

. Finally, in July last the Dutch Government announced that sufficient sand and gravel for what they considered tn bo tho normal requirements of Bolgium in any one year for peaceful purposes had already passed through in 1917. The transit would therefore to stopped as from August 15 and would not bo allowed to bo resumed till the beginning of 1918. Assurances wore given to the British Minister at the Hague, and ho was further informed that emergency "special certificates" would be given only vory rarely and after special inquiry in every case.

The Broken Promise. To the British Government's surprise, tho traffic did uot cease on August 16, but continued unabated. Tlio Dutch Government's explanation was that as communications might bo interrupted by frost during the early weeks of 1918 they had decided to provide against this contingency by allowing tho transit, after August 15, of the quantities of sand and gravel which they estimated would bo required for normal peaceful purposes in Belgium during that period. Consequently tho dato for stoppage of the traffic would ho extended to November 15, and the dato for its resumption to March 15, 1918. This was a clear breach of the undertaking given to tho British Government.

Tho figures fixed by tho Dutch Government as representing the normal annual needs of Belgium in respect of sand and gravel required for "peaceful pnrposes" is roundly 1,600,000 tons. If this figure is correct, then tho normal needs of Belgium can he provided from the Belgian quarries themselves. This output in peaco time was 3,810,000 tone per annum, and one-third would be 1,770, 000 tons. To estimate tho present output of the Belgian quarries at only one-third of the normal is to place it at a low figure in view of tho resources of tho Germans in forced Belgian labour and that of prisoners of war. According to reliable data, the figure of 1,000,000 tons is small compared with tho actual amount of sand, gravel, and cemonfc —namely, some 3,400,000 tons—which crossed tho Butch frontier into Belgium between January 1 and August 15 last. It therefore is regarded as probable that these- 3,400,000 tons include a considcrablo' quantity of sand, gravel, and other materials of Dutch origin exported from Holland to Belgium. Tho most recent figures also seem to.bear out this theory. Tho Dutch authorities do not seem to have taken into account, in fixing a "transit" limit of 1,000,000 tons, that no limitation placed on tho export of sand and gravel of Dutch origin to Belgium.