NEW DUTCH QUEEN’S MAIDEN SPEECH ON DANGERS

Grey River Argus, 22 September 1948, Page 5

NEW DUTCH QUEEN’S MAIDEN SPEECH ON DANGERS

Co-operation Against Communists

(Received September 21, 10.10 p.m.) LONDON, September 21.

Queen Juliana of Holland, made her maiden speech from the Throne at the opening of the new Netherlands Par? liamentary session. She promised an early Dutch contribution to the common defence plans of the five Western European Powers —Britain, France and the Benelux Countries. The Associated Press correspondent at The Hague says: Queen Juliana declared: “A start will be made to contribute to the plan with both the Navy and the Air Forces.” Referring to the Indonesian situation, the Queen said that the financial position had forced the Netherlands to use virtually her entire land forces in Indonesia to-day. Speaking on the United Nations mediation in the Indonesian dispute, through the Committee of Good Offices, she declared: “The activities of that committee did not always contribute to the well-considered treatment of complicated problems.” The correspondent says: One oi the last acts of Queen Wilhelmina before her abdication was a constitutional amendment enabling municipal governments to declare a state oi siege in case of an emergency, this is the direct result of . the Prague coup, and it is aimed against the Communist danger. . . A broad constitutional revision authorises the formation of an interim Indonesian Administration, and renames the Netherlands East Indies Indonesia.” -