OCR Text |
Show FOREIGN TRADE IN NETHERLANDS Dislocation of Business Holds Particular Interest for American Firms. THE HAGUE, Netherlands. March J 17, (Correspondence of the Associated j Press.) Dislocation of the foreign 1 irade of Holland, resulting from the I restrictions upon her Imports and exports ex-ports imposed by 'he belligerents in , their economic struggle, is emphasized ! by Dr. John Ixudon. the Dutch minister minis-ter for foreign affairs, and F. E. Pos-thnmn, Pos-thnmn, minister of agriculture, Indus-j Indus-j try and commerce. Their report, now , made public, holds particular interest for America, as it deals in part with ; the restrictions Imposed upon the importation im-portation of American goods. Virtually evervthiDg now imported by Holland from oversea, including j goods from Holland's own colonies, the , minister? assert) has to he guaranteed by the Netherlands Oversea trust as 1 being for neutral destination and consumption con-sumption Even then, the entente alii' al-ii' permit no goods to he imported bv Holland until they ascertain whether the various articles are needed for normal nor-mal consumption in that country.' Y iiilo this investigation i? in progress the importations are detained by the entente even when they come from Dutch colonies, America or other neutral neu-tral countries. Owing to objections on j the part of the British government, j imports guaranteed bv the Oversea trust sometimes are held up for months after their arrival in Holland j importations for Holland virtually! are limited to articles originating in neutral countries. This means that Holland cannot export goods in which more than 25 per cent of the raw materials ma-terials came from belligerent eoun-1 tries. Earnest objections have beon raised against the action of Great Britain in imposing regulations and restrictions! upon Holland's exports, while permit-) ting their own subjects to export the same goods to neutral countries, un der conditions which the Dutch manufacturers manu-facturers are willing to observe. B this action, the ministers said, Dutch products are replaced by products of .other countries Dutch exports and imports by overland over-land routes are checked b prohibi-'ions prohibi-'ions upon transportation issued by the central powers. The contraband I lists of the Teutonic allies has been extended with damaging effect upon Holland's trade. The blacklist system put into effect by some of the belligerents is declared by the Dutch ministers to have made it impossible for many Dutch firms to do business. Obstacles placed by Great Britain in the way of regular importations from America of lubricating oils, benzine, gasoline and petroleum have had serious se-rious effect. The British demand that rubber goods and electro-technical materials ma-terials shall not be impoted direci from America, but must come via Great Britain, has caused a scarcity of those goods Hospitals are suffering suffer-ing from a shortage of rubber gloves, as one effect of this restriction. Holland has also felt severely the prehibition of export from Germany of raw materials for the manufacture of iron and steel. Various industries have been obliged to restrict production produc-tion and others to stop all work, causing caus-ing unemployment Agriculture and market gardening has suffered because of restraint of importation of fertilizers and cattle ; forage from South America" and upon agricultural implements. Ships re-1 re-1 peatedly have been compelled to leave ; in British ports materials destined for the government's artillery works. Fur-I Fur-I l her shipments for America were, in consequence, stopped until the male-rials male-rials already shipped had been released, re-leased, often after long negotiations. W hen new shipments were made these sometimes suffered the same delay. nn |