The State gives assistance on a large scale by well-organized
struction in agriculture, market gardening and cattle breeding, by
le advice of State agricultural, horticultural and dairy experts, jy the experimental Government stations, etc. Useful work is also performed by various organizations, such as the Royal Nether- land Agricultural Committee, the Netherland Heath Society (recla- mation of waste land), the Netherland Market Gardening Council and the Netherland Cattle Herdbook; while the cooperative move- ment is continually extending its influence among the farmers and in the dairy works. The quality of the dairy produce stands under strict control and can be guaranteed by Government stamps under which butter with not less than 80% of fat and not more than 16% of moisture, cheese with minima of 45%, 40%, 30% and 20% of fat may be sold.
Of the whole surface of Holland, being 3,263,541 hectares (i h.a. = 2-47 ac.), in 1919 2,461,112 h.a. were m cultivation, viz. : arable land 908,622 h.a., pastures and meadows 1,207,743 n - a -. gardens 59,796 h.a. (market gardens 24,327 h.a. and under seed cultiva- tion 817 h.a.), orchards 25,698 h.a., arboriculture 2,718 h.a., flori- culture 591 h.a., bulb-growing 4,889 h.a. and woods 249,055 h.a.
Small and medium-sized concerns are preponderant in Holland, more than half cover I to 5 h.a. each, about 20% 5 to 10 h.a., 14% IO to 20 h.a. and II % 20 to 50 h.a. Cultivation is very intensive.
Trade and Shipping. Holland occupies a prominent place in international trade and shipping, thanks to its favourable geographi- cal position, its well-equipped ports, its rich colonies and the com- mercial abilities of its inhabitants. About 18% of the bread-winners are engaged in trade and transport, against 27 % in agriculture, etc., and 34-5% in industry. But this situation, so favourable in normal times, was a source of serious disadvantage during the World War. It was essential to the Allies to cut off, as far as possible, the influx of supplies to Germany. The consequent blockade of Germany caused the collapse of the Dutch import and transit trade; while the dangers arising out of the sea-mines and the submarine warfare first hampered and finally arrested altogether Dutch navigation and oversea export. Furthermore, overland trade with Belgium, France, Switzerland and Italy was absolutely paralyzed. The result was that Holland, both as regarded the export of its surplus output (particularly perishable agricultural and dairy products) and also the importation of indispensable commodities (coal, iron, etc.), became more than ever dependent upon the Central European coun- tries, the only ones with which unimpeded traffic was possible. This traffic was controlled by the Nederlands Overseas Trust (N.O.T.) a trade association created for the purpose and there- fore dissolved after the war. Managed by leading business men, the N.O.T. kept in regular contact with the Dutch Government as well as with the blockading Powers, and, by undertaking |he supervision of oversea imports so as to prevent their reexportation to the Central Powers, it enabled the Allies to allow into the Nether- lands from abroad such articles as the country required.
The unrestricted U-boat warfare, the tightening of the blockade and, finally, the requisitioning of a great portion of the Netherland mercantile marine by the United States in 1918 produced a com- plete dislocation of Dutch trade, which, in its effects, outbalanced the profits accumulated in the early days of the war by reason of the high prices which the Central countries had been prepared to pay for Holland's surplus of agricultural and dairy produce. In 1917 trade with Germany showed a balance of about 2,670,000 in favour of Holland, but in 1918 there was an adverse balance of over 15,000,000; trade with England in 1917 amounted to 26,500,000, but was reduced by the obstacles at sea in 1918 to 6,625,000.
After the war Dutch trade remained utterly dislocated. Germany, who had been one of Holland's best customers, appeared to have lost her purchasing capacity; Russia had vanished from the market. The rest of the world continued to suffer from the war's aftermath. In Holland, notwithstanding the appearance of a class of nouveaux riches, there proved to be a general impoverishment.
To obtain, therefore, an idea of the development of Dutch trade, it is necessary to revert to pre-war years. War-time and post-time data reflect only abnormal conditions.
In 1913 the imports totalled 66,488,516 metric tons (1910, 47,580,- 053) and the exports 45,033,122 (1910, 35,529,824). The imports consisted mainly of colonial produce (tobacco, coffee, tea, tin, hides, spices, cocoa, copra, etc.), raw materials (ores, coal, timber, cotton, wool, etc.), bread-stuffs, feeding-stuffs and manufactured articles.
Holland exported principally agricultural and horticultural prod- uce (potatoes, vegetables, flower bulbs, seeds, fruits), horses, cattle, meat, fish and shell fish, butter, cheese, condensed milk, margarine, sugar, jams, potato flour, cotton and woollen piece-goods, shoes, electric lamps, strawboard, gin, beer and other alcoholic beverages, cocoa and chocolate, tobacco and cigars, glassware, paper, vege- table oils and oil cakes, etc. Imports by sea amounted in 1913 to 26,020,444 ar >d exports by sea to 10,090,387 metric tons. Imports and exports by rivers and canals at the eastern and southern fron- tiers totalled in the same year 53,146,224 metric tons (imports 23,856,170 and exports 29,290,054). These figures illustrate the, transport capacity of the Dutch river fleet. Imports by railway amounted in 1913 to 10,611,902 and exports to 5,652,681 metric tons.
Seaports. Geographical conditions predestine Holland to a large transit trade, which in 1913 reached a total of 2,488,957 metric
i
tons. The rivers Rhine, Meuse (Maas) and Scheldt, the principal trade routes of Western and Central Europe, having their estuaries on Dutch territory, the Dutch ports Rotterdam and Amsterdam form the gateways to a large part of Europe. Both ports are con- nected with the North Sea, the former by the New Waterway from Rotterdam to the Hook of Holland, the latter by the North Sea canal from Amsterdam to Ymuiden. Whereas the New Waterway is an open channel, the North Sea canal is provided with locks. The expenditure for the construction of the North Sea canal amounted in the years 1865-83 to 51,000,000 guilders; from 1883 till 1913 a further amount of 19,000,000 guilders was spent.
There is considerable difference in the position of Amsterdam and Rotterdam in international commerce. While Amsterdam dis- poses of a large portion of the foreign merchandize it receives directly, Rotterdam owes its importance to the fact that it is largely a transit-port. The length of the quays at Rotterdam now reaches the impressive figure of 30 miles. Loading and unloading are effected by means of the most modern appliances: electric cranes, pneu- matic grain elevators, coaltips, etc. The total area of the harbours is about 6.000,000 sq.yds., not including the area of the New Meuse, which itself forms a large anchorage. The following figures relating to 1913 give an idea of the extent of the Rotterdam sea-borne traffic : tonnage of out-going ships 13,796,691 and of in-going ships 13,748,- 784, together 27,525,475 tons. In 1918 this figure had receded to 2,577,321 tons, but rose again in 1919 to about 6,500,000 tons and, in 1920, despite a two months' harbour strike, to 8,000,000 tons.
Rotterdam possesses the considerable advantage of being situ- ated at the mouth of two such important rivers as the Rhine and the Meuse. In normal years the number of river vessels calling at Rotterdam is enormous. It is quite a common thing to see Rhine cargo-boats having a tonnage of 3,000 cub. metres. The following figures show the development of the shipping traffic on the Rhine and its division among Rotterdam, the rest of the Netherlands and Belgium.
Rhine shipping traffic ex-Germany in cub. metres :
With Rotterdam
With the rest of Holland
With Belgium
1910 1913
17,663,521 22,764,241
3,936,174 5,177,136
7,727,219 9,073,140
In like manner the smaller inland navigation and local shipping increased by leaps and bounds, so that including the Rhine ship- ping there were in 1913 140,469 vessels entering the port of Rotter- dam, aggregating about 30,500,000 cub. metres capacity. For 1920 these figures were: 142,124 vessels and 26,613,225 tons.
Amsterdam is the principal centre for the home trade and for the world's trade in colonial produce. The public sales of tobacco, tin, coffee and spices are visited by numerous foreign buyers.
Amsterdam is also a large importer of Peruvian bark and capoc, and possesses important local industries, its diamond cutting enjoy- ing a world-wide repute. The Amsterdam Exchange occupies a lead- ing position in the world's money market.
The harbours of Amsterdam have a quay length of seven m., the water area accessible to ocean vessels covers 2,600,000 sq. yards. Its timber docks which next to those of London are the largest in Europe, have an area of 375 ac., the petroleum harbour comprises 70 ac., and the surrounding property, with tank capacity for 155,000 bar., measures another 30 ac. The harbour traffic of Amsterdam in 1913 totalled 4,347,000 tons, the returns fell greatly during the war, but reapproached pre-war figures in 1920 ; in the first quarter of 192 1 . the harbour movements reached 1,588,388 tons.
Of the minor ports Zaandam in the immediate neighbourhood of Amsterdam is a well-known centre of the timber trade. Harlingen on the Frisian coast has an extensive export to England of cattle, meat, dairy produce, potatoes and eggs; Delfzijl is near the German frontier and Flushing has the mail service to England.
As a centre of great shipping enterprises Holland ranks very high. The great Dutch steamship companies maintain services to almost every important port in the world.
In 1920, by the cooperation of II of the largest companies, the " Vereenigde Nederlandsche Scheepvaart Maatschappij " was founded, with a capital of 16,700,000, its object being the creation or continuation of lines to the East Indies, Australia and Africa.
The total tonnage of the Dutch mercantile marine (excluding steamships and motor- vessels of less than 500 tons and sailing ships) amounted on Jan. I 1921 to 1,863,688 gross register tons.
Ship Building and Ship Repairing. During and after the war, ship building made great progress in the Netherlands. On Dec. 31 1901, Dutch yards had, under construction and on order, only 33,700 gross register tons; on Dec. 31 1914, the figure had risen to 185,000. In 1915 there was a leap to 406,045 tons, and on Dec. 31 1918, the figure was 477,850.
Peace gave a startling impulse to the industry; on Dec. 31 1919, the total had risen to 740,675 gross register tons, but fell again to 561,035 by Dec. 31 1920. Although the Netherlands mercantile marine increased to 375,475 tons in 1920, the high ship-building returns of 1920 were chiefly due to foreign orders, since a consider- able portion of the increase in the Dutch merchant fleet came from abroad. Dutch ship building gave employment to 25,000-30,000
