THE DUTCH VIEW.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11478, 28 August 1915, Page 7

THE DUTCH VIEW.

HOPES FOR ALUID VIITORY. THE ME.iACE 10 HOLLAND. A special representative sent by th® " \ oss.sche Ztfitung " to make investi* gjil.ous Hf> to the stale of pubuo opinion id Holland, addressed himseb lirst of all to lierr Hector Treub, a professor at Lcvden University, who is under- - htood to desire the victory of th© Jsn* tente Powers, Lis views ar# not anti-German. Asked to explain this H Herr Treub maintained that he wa« not anti-German a pr-ori. He would have been equaily anti-English or antiFrench if liaig and or France had hap- - peced to be in the same petition h 4 Germany; " but in the given circumstances, 4 ' he declared, "I cannot but desire wr> all my heart the defeat of the Au I am reso» lutely anti-German because I am Dutch, and for no other reason. I am antiGerman because I am convinced that the victory of Germany would mean the end of the Dutch nation. The Ger- - nans are occupying Belgium, and thoy . will keep it. They need the sea. But th-j coast without Antwerp would be of little use to them, and Antwerp without the Scheldt would be equally uae* less An inwnationali?fction oi the mouths of the rircr would not satisfy them. If Germany wins "die will demand the Scheldt, and as we shall not ngra« to give it her she will take ft by force, lr we arc fortunate we shall become a federal Gernar State, if we ate not, Holland will be converted into a Prussian province. In either case we should be lost. That is why I, in common with the majority of the Dutch, hope .. that Germany will be vanquished." When quest'oned as to why he attrithese dark designs to Germany, Herr Treub -eplied that if he were m the place of her statesmen he would ccrsider it his duty to do, the same, and, despite the scepticism of his iiltervwer, he maintained that his views we-e shared bv the majority nf his countrymen, with the exception of soma merchants, who were "pro-German""'' 4 because they entertained prospects of doinrr,' good business with Germany in. the future.