The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 1918. HOLLAND'S POSITION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4, 31 July 1918, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 1918. HOLLAND'S POSITION.

Of all the njeutral countries the position of Holland is, perhaps, the least enviable. The Dutch are a small people, and kindly and hospitable, and their country is surrounded by Avar. They are natur.ally a peaceloving people, and they are, no doubt, thankful that peace has been maintained as far as they are concerned, though in maintaining peace they have bad to suffer indignities and hardships. fn this war they have sheltered and cared for a great number of refugees of all nations and have tried to be friends to all those in distress; ;but at the same time, as neutrals and trading people, they have successfully endeavored to make money out of the belligerents. In some respects the war has been profitable to Holland, as it has been to ' all neutral countries, but in somo respects it has not been profitable, and over the whole position in Holland constantly hangs the dread that at any time the fierce bostilities raging on all sides may spread into Holland itself. Holland, perhaps more than any other country in Europe, depends largely on free intercourse with the great nations of the earth, and her economic system has been very seriously affected by the long - continued state of war in Europe. Large war profits have been made in Holland, but the profits of individuals or of a class cannot be : taken as indicative of the condition of the majority of the population; and the fact stands that to-day some of Holland's industries are paralysed, her railroads are barely able to keep going and her people generally are short of food and coal. Bread has been rationed for over a year, the allowance being half a pound per head per day, and other articles rationed include coal, oil, petrol, candles, leather, oats, rice,

barley, tea, coffee, and in some' places even milk and butter. Even • more irksome is the scarcity of coal, I which lias caused many industries to bo suspended, throwing thousands of people' out of employment. Holland, also, has no home supply of timber, and as she cannot now get timber j from Llio Baltic as in the past, she! has had to make great concessions I 'to Germany in return for a small allowance of iron. The people have I before them no very bright prospect;' their economic life is almost completely paralysed through lack of intercourse, and they recognise that at short notice they may be called on to take a great decision, bringing on their country the added miseries of actual warfare. The inspired press of Germany recently warned Holland that she might expect war, and Germany even went so far as 10 despatch cavalry to ti pari of the Dutch frontier, though the hitler move might ' easily have been taken to frighten

Holland into making some concession which Germany desired, or to mislead the Allies by suggesting some now strategic move. The Dutch have no fear that the Allies desire to annex' their territory or restrict their freedom, but they are not so sure about Germany. In one of the Inst despatches sent by von JagoAv, German Foreign .Minister, in his en-.

deavor to secure Great Britain's neutrality in tlio war the following declaration was made: "It is obvious that we could not profitably annex Belgian territory without making at the same time territorial acquisitions at the expense of Holland." That is as true now as it was in August 1911. The fates of Holland and of Belgium are inextricably intertwined. If the one sinks to be a vassal State to Germany the days of the other's freedom are numbered. Th ( > Dutch see that Germany has no intention of letting go of Belgium until she is forced to, and they know that the panGermans have for long advocated the seizure of Dutch colonies ami the incorporation of Holland, including the mouth of the Rhine, in the German Empire. They know also that the ( Germans have got from them all tliey can while the country is neutrcM, and they have an uncomfortable feeling j that this being so, Germany may now! find it advantageous to make Holland a belligerent. Germany, however, J has a number of conditions to consider, and it is doubtful if she is in j a position to successfully deal with hostilities on the Dutch frontier—if, she is strong enough to meet not only, the Dutch army but armies from] Great Britain and America. Holland ( would he a good starting point for air raids on some important German j towns, but as a point of attack for land forces it would present as many advantages to the Allies as to, the Central Bowers. Germany would certainly attack Holland if she were sure that she would win the war, but on the West front her forces now just about balance those of the Allies, and she would be chary of extending the fighting front and bringing, a further half-million of men into the field against her. Germany may be able to make a vassal state of Holland without actually inflicting a military defeat on her, but if the Dutch people retain the bravery and wisdom which have been the outstanding features of their past history they will see that to give in to Germany without a struggle would be quite against their best interests. If G-ermany wins the, war Holland will inevitably come under German domination, but if Holland now accepts Germany's dictation and Germany loses the war, Holland will have effaced herself front the family of nations- and will have no redress for the wrongs she ha« suffered—she will have thrown away her i'ndeiwiKlence and , her self-respect, along with the respect of those nations whose respect is worth having. Holland's true course, is neutrality with a sympathetic, leaning towards the Allies, whose war aims, as so ably outlined by President Wilson once again, are to guarantee freedom from molestation to the smaller countries, a rule of law and order amongst,the nations, and the rights of the governed to choose their own rulers and to live their own lives.