Show I HOSPITAL HOSPIT At SHIP STILL PORT IN-PORT Dutch Philanthropist Move Is Balked by Legal Technicality The Hague Jul July 31 Last Laet Laet year rear during the beginning of ot tho the war when the arrival of ot the tho few surviving sailors Bailors from tho the three torpedoed British cruisers cruisers cruisers cruisers' sers sers' sers the Hogue Aboukir and Cressy showed what a terrible lc thing a modem modern modern mod mod- em ern naval na warfare was to be a number number num nurn- ber bar of ot Dutch philanthropists discussed the desirability of oC equipping a n neutral Dutch hospital ship which could patrol the tho North sea The Tho idea was to have such a ship continuously pr present sent on the high seas hastening at tho first sound of ot battle to s save ve those otherwise other other- wise condemned to drown after atter five lye or six hours of ot desperate clinging to a 0 apiece apiece piece of or wreckage Naval al officers promised their assistance The large largo steamship companies compan es were willing to subscribe mone money and tho the president of ot the Dutch Trading company compan the leader In that field of enterprise took personal direction of oC the affair A vice admiral volunteered his services as commander of ot the ship and anel tho the necessary feces feces- flar sary Bum eum of ot mono money was brought together At t that point the commission which Intended to charter the Austrian liner Thalia Interned In Amsterdam J addressed addressed ad ad- dressed Itself to the tho governments of 01 tho the different warring nations and and asked their permission to equip and maintain such a ship under the neutral Dutch flag and under a lI Dutch commander com corn mander Article three of ot the Convention Convention Convention Conven Conven- tion of or Geneva a declares however er that all nU hospital ships even If IC thor they are arc owned and equipped by neutrals must fly th tho the flag of ot one of ot the tho belligerents Tho Dutch commission requested that under the special circumstances of or this war var tho the nations would agree to suspend suspend sus sus- pend this article for tor the Dutch floatIng floating float float- Ing ambulance The Tho minister of OC foreign foreign foreign for for- eign affairs affaire who sho got interested In the plan supported this request personally Tho governments of or the JIllions to which tho the offer oHer was made have o not been willing to agree rec to tho the suspension suspension sion of ot article 3 In the case ease of ot the Thalia and have refused to have anything anything anything any any- thing to do with tho the proposal The rho commission therefore has lias returned the tho mone money to the donors and tho hospital ship lies at Its dock In Amsterdam |