The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER FRIDAY, MAY 26, 1916. THE NETHERLANDS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 44, 26 May 1916, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER FRIDAY, MAY 26, 1916. THE NETHERLANDS.

Undoubtedly Germany is obtaining much food from Holland and Scandi-j navia, though Russian and British naval' activity is checking the supply from Norway and Sweden to a large extent. Recent cables! referred to the great herds of cattle that were being sent to Germany from Holland, and there is no reason whatever, why Holland, as a neutral na-j Ition, should not sell her own products: to Germany if she gets well paid for doing so. It is unfortunate, certainly,] from our standpoint that wo cannot I cut off the Hun supplies altogether,' but the fact remains. It has been; very properly pointed out that, Holland is a cattle-raising country,: and very naturally she sells to the] i highest bidder. If Germany is ablej I to draw from her. and thus mitigate; , the effects of the Allies' blockade, so i much the worse for our side, but therej j is no helping it, without going to war. ! with Holland. There has been much ! talk about smuggling from Holland, and other neutral countries into Ger-j : many, and it may lie wrongly suppos jed that anything Germany imports! from Holland must be smuggled. The actual position is that with anything) she grows herself, Holland, quite properly, from an international viewpoint, does as she chooses. There are sonic | commodities of which the Dutch Goi vornmeut itself forbids the export, and these can only reach Germany by ■ being smuggled through, but with commodities that Holland imports by sea. it is another matter. Since the Allies control the sea, they can seize any ship's cargo which they think is des--1 lined ultimately for Germany, or which | they think is to be manufactured into 1 products that are likely to go to Ger- ' many. They can do this in actual tact, 1 whatever the international usage in the past may have been. Therefore. since Dutch merchants cannot do withlout commodities of this kind, lliey ' are as a rule, consigned to a specially

constituted body , the Netherlands Overseas Trust, which guarantees that nothing consigned to it shall he re-ex-ported to Germany. There are undoubtedly evasions—Germany saw to that before the war was thought of by the re<t of the world, and the Germanising of many places was pretty complete when hostilities commenced. All authorities are, however, agreed that the Administration of the Netherlands endeavours to maintain strict neutrality, and after the glaring evidence of German treachery and utter disregard of the rights of smaller and weaker! States, is not likely to feel too friendly' towards the Huns. I