Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-01-23 | Page 6 | Germany Prevents

GERMANY PREVENTS. All Dutch steamers now being hold in American ports are to be chartered to the United States under a provisional agreement which has just been signed in London. This agreement provides for one round trip to Europe for upwards up-wards of eighty vessels, some carrying supplies for the Belgians and others being loaded with goods" for Switzerland. Switzer-land. Two will take cargo for the Netherlands Overseas trust. It is said that some of these Dutch ships may be put into the American coastwise trade at a later date, while others may be sent across tho Pacific. These ships are not to be sent into the war zone. In the meantime the Nieuw Amsterdam, the big Holland-American liner, is being be-ing detained at Rotterdam, the German government having notified Holland that the vessel will not be allowed to sail unless it returns at once to the home port. The United States government allowed al-lowed the Xieuw Amsterdam to leave New York loaded with supplies upon the express understanding that the ship would return to this country. So the Dutch government is placed in an awkward awk-ward position. As the vessel cannot escape the Germans, it looks very much as if the agreement made with the Washington government will have to bo broken. It is also quite certain that such Dutch ships as carry supplies to Belgium and to their home ports will not be allowed' to return to the United States, for Germany is in a position to make her power felt in this particular matter, a contingency which should have been reckoned upon. The Nieuw Amsterdam is probably gone from our shores until after the war is over, and we should not allow the other Dutch ships to escape unless the Holland government gov-ernment can give absolute assurances. Some time ago it was announced that Norway had made a shipping arrangement arrange-ment with this country. It turns out, however, that the Norwegian government govern-ment refused to ratify the agreement and is trying to make a different kind of contract. Sweden, being directly under German influence, is not willing to do anything that might redound to the advantage of the allies, and has made no agreement with the authorities at Washington. For some time all these northern European neutrals have been trying to obtain foodstuffs and raw materials in the United States, and plans were made under which they could be helped. It begins to 'look,, however, as though the Germans would be able to prevent the neutrals from fulfilling their obligations to this country, coun-try, and it is therefore probable that no piore time will be wasted in fruitless fruit-less negotiations.