BRITISH SEAPLANES IN HOLLAND

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 288, 24 August 1918, Page 7

BRITISH SEAPLANES IN HOLLAND

RELEASE REFUSED BY DUTCH

GOVERNMENT

STORY OF A DISPUTE

A number of documents in a dispute between the British and Dutch Govei nments in regard to the internment of seaplanes, etc., in Holland, were recently issued m a "White Paper." The seaplanes and other war material were salved on the hWi seas and brought into Netherlands jurisdiction; ihe British Government claims that they.should_bo released, the Dutch Government rejects this claim, and urges that it is hound, in accordance with its duties as a neutral, to hold them until after the war. The interned articles upon which tho lispute has arisen are a$ follows :— Naval "ear from the sunken cruisevs Aboukir, Cressy, ' and Hogue (Purely pergonal articles belonging to the, crcjvs wove nst interned.) . ■Seaplane No. £29. —This machine was salved by. tho .Norwegian vessel ()rn, anil taken, with its-crew of two, lo Ihe J'uwc of Holland on December IS, (914. Ino airfnen were released, but their machine was interned. , ! Lewis Gun and . Other ' Articles.-In January, 1916, a British seaplane had .to ■descend near the Noord-Hinder hgh.ship, and was abandoned. A boats crew fioni the lightship took from tho deserted seaplane a-Lewis gun and other'.material, and these were sent' to the mainland. (Tho seaplane was afterwards salved by British naval authorities.) Gear and Stores of destroyer Medusa. The vessel was abandoned by her crew in tho North Sea in April, 1916, and was towed by Dutch fishermen to Terschelling, where she ultimately broke up. - Seaplane.—Tho pilot, Lieutenant S. G«. Bearse, was compelled to descend in tho North Sea in April. 1910, and he was res-' cued with his machine by a Dutch tshing boat and taken to a Dutch port. / "no officer was released, but tho machino was retained. ■ . Seaplane—This machine came down in the open sea in September last, and was towed with its crew, Lieutenant Hopcroft and Petty. Officer Garner, to a Dutch port, wher.e it was interned. The crew were released. The British Case. The argument of the British Government .is that tho case of the salved seaplanes is "similar to the case of shipwrecked members of belligerent 1 rices rescued by neutral merchantmen," and that "none of the . . . basic reasons for the duty of neutrals to intern belligerent forces can bo made use of in favour of internment" of the rescued seaplanes. Tho Dutch Government, on the other hand, argues that the analogy between the case of war material saivpd on the high soiis and that of a rescued belligerent is "only apparent," and that, though international law,'has "sought to safeguard'. personal:' liberty- -as far as. possible,' and has established that, only in tho case of rescue J>y ft neutral warship (which' is considered to form part of the territory of the country) should the shipwrecked person necessarily be interned," this consideration does not arise in tho case of material salved on the high seas. It is argued that there is 'a "dominant principle" which requires that "a neutral State abstain from all action which amounts to strengthening the. armed forces of the belligerents. The rules pre-' Lscribing internment are applications of this principle, and those which exclude ] it in certain cases (such as that of sliipy wrecked men) have the character of exceptions." The Dutch Government cites "Article 1 6 of the 13th Convention of 1907, which says that the supply in any manner, directly or indirectly, of warships, supplies, or war material of any kind whatever, by a neutral Power to a belligerent Power, is forbidden." ,On December 21 last Mr. Balfour restated the British case in a letter to the British Minister at The Hague; in'which he said:— (

"The Netherlands' Government contend that, 'if it were not for the existence of an express provision of international lav over-riding the general rule, they would be obliged by the prohibition against adding to tho armed strength of a belligerent to intern the crews of belligerent warships or aircraft rescued and b-ouglit to the Netherlands by neutral merchant ships. It must be remarked that, if this general prohibition really had the effect pretended, it could scarcely be over-ridden-without a definite regulation laying. down in terms that such crews were not to be interned. No such positive regulation exists. The rule under which persons in the above position are -eleased is . . . not a rule overriding a widei principle, but is one recognised as fiowmr. naturally from the general principles which govern the question of '-e internment of belligorent persons and war material by neutral Powers. Those general principles, apply equally to persons and to material in analogous crcunistances . Jlr. Balfour adds that Article 6 of tho llii'ii Hague Convention "refers to the supply by a neutral to, a iieliigevent Power of war material owned by the neutral and has no wider scope. Furthermore, it jnufit be observed that the seaplanes and other articles now in question would never have como into the possession of the Netherlands Government at all if they had been left, altfiio by tho Dutch subjects who brought them into the Netherlands ports."

The Americans have evolved what is described as a successful and economical petrol-driven street-cleaner. It is claimed that this machino does the work of four horse-draivn sweepers, and' cleans tho streets at a cost: of threeponce-half-pennv per thousand yards, including the upkeep charge. An 80-gallon water tank under a GO-pound pressure serves to provide a powerful stream of water to four nozzles in front of tho machine. Tho water is forced out in a fine spray, wetting down the dust so that it can be picked ;up liy a revolving brufli eight feet wide, and carried by a conveyer to tho largo container in front. The container, which is provided with a hinged top, has a capacity equal to that of two ordinary dirt "wagons. Tho propulsive power for this street sweeper is supplied bv a 40 horse-power engine located in a hood at the rear. Connected to this engine is am air pump which produces the pressure for Iho water tank, while, a cliain-and-sprocket drive revolves tho larse brush and the conveyor arrangement. Ttvo speeds aro provided with forward and reverse drive, and tho vehicle is said lo develop a speed of 10 miles an hour. It cleans t.he street pavement to within 16 inches of the kerb, that part being left to the strecl» sweepers.

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