Agreement of November 25, 1918, between the Netherland Government and the “Associated Governments” 2

Agreement between the Royal Netherlands Government and the British, French, and Italian Governments and the War Trade Board of the United States

referred to hereafter for convenience as the associated governments

1. As soon as employment is reasonably assured all Dutch shipping shall at once resume sailing and shall not lie up. The routes to be followed, the arrangements as to outward cargoes and the regulations for examining cargoes and passengers and crews shall be the subject of consideration forthwith.

Subject to the completion of such arrangements the Associated Governments will use their best endeavours to provide bunkers and ship stores and clear vessels with the utmost despatch. The question of carrying passengers outward from Europe to the United States to be left for further consideration.

2. It is a condition of this agreement that the Royal Netherlands Government will undertake that there shall be no request for the [Page 1575] return of Dutch shipping at present employed by the Associated Governments until the Associated Governments have arrived at a satisfactory agreement with the Dutch shipowners as to the employment of the said shipping by the Associated Governments on time charter or otherwise. The Royal Netherlands Government will undertake to facilitate such arrangement.

3. It is a condition of this agreement that an arrangement shall be concluded within thirty days for the provision of loans and/or other mutually satisfactory financial arrangements for the Associated Governments on terms to be agreed with the British Treasury and the French, Italian and United States representatives.

4. The Royal Netherlands Government will recognise the agreement to be made between the Netherlands Oversea Trust and the Governments of Great Britain, France and Italy and the War Trade Board of the United States and, consents to the control of imports and exports provided for in such agreement. The Royal Netherlands Government will take the necessary steps to maintain an effective prohibition of exports, as provided for in that agreement, to the Central Powers of all goods imported into the Netherlands under that agreement and the manufactures and products thereof (including bye-products and waste) and (unless otherwise agreed) articles similaires, and will do everything in its power to ensure that the Netherlands Oversea Trust shall continue in existence during the currency of the N.O.T. agreement exercising such functions as may be necessary to perform the terms of that agreement.

5. Subject to their own requirements the Associated Governments will facilitate the importation into the Netherlands of the rations indicated in the annexed schedule.

The granting of export licenses by any of the Associated Governments shall be conditional upon the fulfilment of such terms regarding port of delivery, price, time and other arrangements of sale as the Associated Government having jurisdiction thereover may see fit to require.

Such rations may be increased from time to time with the sanction of the Associated Governments, who will take into favourable consideration any applications that may be made.

6. The imports into the Netherlands of articles dealt with by Allied committees or executives as well as nitrates imported into Java shall be purchased through or with the consent of these bodies, when such imports originate outside the Associated countries. The Associated Governments retain the right however to require if they so decide, that purchases of such articles in the countries of the Associated Governments shall be made in the same manner and in this case will notify the Royal Netherlands Government.

[Page 1576]

Notification of all such purchases shall be given by the Royal Netherlands Government to such committees or executives.

An arrangement is to be come to between the Royal Netherlands Government and the Oils and Seeds Committee regarding the sale and control of oils and seeds from the Dutch colonies; and regarding the sale and control of other articles produced in the Dutch colonies and dealt with by Allied executives or committees, these shall be dealt with as may be mutually agreed between the Royal Netherlands Government and the Associated Governments. Such arrangement is also subject to the approval of the War Trade Board of the United States, so far as such sales and control may relate to the United States. A Dutch representative to join the Oils and Seeds Committee as a member of the committee. The question of Dutch representation in Allied committees or executives which deal with other commodities of which an important quantity is produced in the Netherlands or her colonies shall be considered.

7. It is a condition of this agreement that an agricultural agreement shall be made within thirty days hereof with the Nederlandsche Uitvoer Maatschappy and shall be assented to by the Royal Netherlands Government.

8. Statistics of Dutch exports and imports shall be provided by the Royal Netherlands Government in such manner and at such times as shall be agreed upon.

9. Statistics shall be communicated forthwith to the Associated Governments of livestock in the Netherlands and of stocks in the Netherlands of such commodities as the Associated Governments shall require on which the rations are based.

10. Whenever any imports into the Netherlands of raw materials are specially licensed by the Associated Governments or any of them, for the express purpose of return in the form of manufactures or of packing or any other form, the Royal Netherlands Government will give licences for such export from the Netherlands. In the case of imports of non-rationed articles 5 per cent of the raw material as imported may be retained for home consumption in the Netherlands. The Royal Netherlands Government will be previously notified regarding the terms upon which the imports referred to will be made.

11. In the event of any portion of imported rations being requisitioned by the Royal Netherlands Government the same shall remain under the control of the Netherlands Oversea Trust in respect of their distribution and ultimate destination.

12. Without prejudice to the obligation of the Royal Netherlands Government to maintain the prohibitions of export specified in clause 4 hereof and except as may be subsequently agreed or is provided [Page 1577] by clause 13 of this agreement and by the fishery agreement, no exports shall take place to the Central Powers of fodders, fertilisers or foodstuffs of any kind including animals alive1 or dead and the products thereof, sugar whether in natura or in sugar-containing articles, hay, straw, seeds (except as agreed) or manure, technical fats, bone grease or soap (except 130 tons of hard soap per month), bulbs (except bulbs for horticultural purposes which may be exported to the Central Powers on such terms as may be provided in the new agricultural agreement); and leather hides and skins (until the treaties of peace are signed between all of the Associated Governments on the one hand and all of the Central Powers on the other hand).

13. The Royal Netherlands Government declaring that it is necessary for them to make certain exports to the Central Powers in order to obtain essential supplies from those countries, the Associated Governments will not object to exports being made of the following commodities in quantities not exceeding those specified below.

(a)
1,000 tons of offals may be exported per annum to the Central Powers; the character of offals to be defined in the new agricultural agreement.
(b)
The export of seeds and flax to the Central Powers and to the Associated countries will be considered in connection with the new agricultural agreement.
(c)
The return of iron and steel scrap or [of] iron and steel imported from the Central Powers and from the Associated countries will be considered.
(d)
The export of milk and milk products to the Central Powers will be dealt with under the new agricultural agreement but shall not exceed 17 per cent of the total export from Holland in terms of condensed milk, provided that not more than 4,400 tons in terms of condensed milk may be exported to the Central Powers within twelve calendar months.
(e)
Vegetables and fruit may be exported to the Central Powers as provided in the new agricultural agreement save that no fruit pulp or potatoes shall be exported in any form except as may have been previously agreed.

14. Any deficiency in respect of any article owing to the Associated countries under the existing agricultural agreement to be made good before the article in respect of which such deficiency exists may be exported to any other country, but export may be made to Belgium and the evacuated districts of France with the assent of the government of the country to which the deficiency is owing.

15. Subject to the domestic requirements of the Netherlands and consistently with the terms of this agreement the Royal Netherlands [Page 1578] Government will place no restrictions upon and will continue to give all facilities for exports from the Netherlands to the Associated countries and Belgium and the evacuated districts of France, and, if desired, by the Associated Governments, to the occupied districts of Germany.

16. The obligations of the War Trade Board of the United States (an administrative agency acting pursuant to authority conferred upon it by the President of the United States pursuant to acts of Congress, and whose powers are administrative and pertain wholly to the United States domestic and internal affairs) are limited under this agreement to granting licences for and facilitating the export of the articles enumerated in the annexed ration list, during the currency of this agreement, and in accordance with its terms, in so far as such articles are not required for consumption in the United States or in nations associated with the United States in the war, or to meet other obligation of the United States.

17. The trade relations between the United States and the Dutch colonies will be discussed forthwith by the authorised representatives of the respective Governments with a view to arrive at a mutually satisfactory agreement.

18. This agreement shall come into force upon the execution thereof, and shall continue for the period of twelve calendar months, unless previously terminated by mutual agreement; subject, however, to the right of any one of the Associated Governments or of the Royal Netherlands Government to withdraw from this agreement upon thirty days notice. Such termination shall not apply to subsidiary agreements which shall be subject to their own termination clauses.

F. Leverton Harris

J. C. Charpentier

F. Giannini

United States War Trade Board,
L. P. Sheldon

E. Heldring
[Annex 1]

Dutch Rations

general conditions

1. The figures of rations set out in the following schedule are the maxima beyond which it is agreed that imports shall not take place: importation is subject to the ability of Holland to lift the rations with the tonnage at her disposal.

Imports of rationed goods from all sources, including the Central Powers, shall be charged against the appropriate rations.

[Page 1579]

2. All rations are to date from the 1st October 1918, imports reaching Holland on and after that date being charged against the appropriate rations.

3. The annual quantities to be divided into equal quarterly quantities except for:—

(a)
Benzine, gas oil, mica, for which an annual ration is to be fixed, and
(b)
Goods which only, or for the greater part, arrive from South America, the Far East and Australia, for which a half-yearly ration to be fixed.

4. Imports of any article, except those mentioned in paragraph 3(b) and except so far as is otherwise specifically provided in the schedule to be allowed to exceed in any quarter, or in any period of six months the quantity fixed as ration by 25 per cent, on condition that the excess is deducted from the ration for the next quarter, or next period of six months.

5. If in any quarter, or in any period of six months, the fixed three-monthly or half-yearly quantity of any article is not fully imported, no objection to be made, except as specifically provided in the hides, leather and tanning materials agreement, against the deficiency being imported in the next quarter, or next period of six months.

Schedule of Dutch Rations

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Commodity Yearly ration (all figures in metric tons unless otherwise stated) Remarks
Aluminum and manufactures 50
Animal hair and bristles, including human hair 50
Annatto seed 25
Antimony:
Regulus 20
White metal and other antifriction metals 100
Type metal 60
Asbestos and manufactures 600 No crocidolite.
Asphalt 1,000
Benzine and petrol 9,000 No import in tins.
Bicycles, motor cycles, motor cars, and parts Applications to be dealt with on their merits.
Borax and boracic acid 600
Capoc 1,000 Increase to 1,500 tons to be considered.
Calcium carbide 6,000 To be drawn from Scandinavia.
Casoid, biscuits, and flour
Castor oil 250
Cereals for breadmaking:
Wheat, rye, and products 225,000 } Ration from Oct. 1; last quarter’s ration not to be anticipated.
Other breadmaking cereals 100,000
Chemicals Applications to be dealt with on merits.
Cinchona bark 50
Cocoa beans 8,000 Chocolates to count at double weight against cocoa beans ration.
Coir yarn 750
Cod-liver oil 20
Coffee 35,000
Copper, copperware, and manufactures 4,000
Corkwood 1,500
Cotton and cotton goods 24,000 2,000 tons extra if from Dutch Indies.
Fertilisers:
Phosphate rock 40,000
Pyrites 22,000
Nitrates 45,000
Fibres, vegetable 1,200
Fodder:
Maize 200,000 } Including oil-cake value of imported oil seeds.
Other kinds 100,000
Fruit, dried Question of a ration to be considered.
Furs and fur skins 300
Gas oil. 20,000 No import in tins.
Graphite, plumbago, and crucibles 100 Crucibles at ⅔ds of import weight.
Grinding materials:
Amaul } 100 { Carborundum not to exceed 20 tons.
Corundum
Alundum
Carborundum
Grinding stones 400
Abrasive paper and cloth 100
Gums, hard 500 Up to 200 extra, by export of 7½ tons of soft gums to approved destinations in exchange for each ton of hard gums imported beyond 500.
Felt not containing wool 900
Hemp and manufactures. 3,500
Honey 200
Iron and steel Applications to be dealt with on their merits.
Jute and manufactures 5,000 Jute bags now in Holland to be released, but not to count against the ration.
Lead and lead ware 4,000
Liqueurs 10
Lubricating oil 11,000 No imports in tins.
Machinery Applications to be dealt with on their merits.
Magnesite, raw 4,000
Mica and micanite 4
Mine explosives Do.
Munitions Do.
Nickel (including anodes and pure nickel wire) 25
Nickel alloys 50
Nickel wire for electrical apparatus 10
Nickel salts 8
Nuts, kernels, and bananas 1,000
Oils and fats for edible and technical purposes, including oil seeds and soap at oil value 80,000 Of which only 50,000 tons may be vegetable oils (including the oil content of oil seeds). To be reduced by the amount by which Dutch production of butter exceeds 20,000 tons during the ration year. Last quarter’s ration not to be anticipated. The question of additional imports to compensate for exports to Associated Powers may be considered.
Paraffin wax and other waxes 1,600 Increase to 2,000 tons to be considered.
Petroleum 100,000 No import in tins.
Pyrites (for non-fertilising purposes) 5,000 Increase to 10,000 tons to be considered.
Rice, including malt, sago, tapioca, mandioca, arrowroot, and starches 50,000
Rosin 1,000 Increase to 1,750 tons to be considered.
Rubber manufactures of the following kinds:
Rubber sheets } 200 { (On condition that release of raw rubber of all kinds from the reems do not exceed 500 tons per annum and on condition that satisfactory control is exercised over worn-out motor tires and tubes.
Surgical and athletic goods
Dental rubber, and of such further kinds as may be agreed.
Silk and manufactures 205
Spirits, crude, in terms of 50% strength 10,000 From Java. Not more than 2,500 tons in any quarter, with further limitation that imports in any quarter shall not exceed exports from Holland to approved destinations of manufactured spirits during preceding quarter.
Sulphate of copper 250
Sulphur 1,000 Increase to 1,500 tons to be considered.
Talc (powder only) 500
Tea 5,000 Increase to 6,000 tons to be considered.
Tin 1,000 Imports not to commence until present stocks are so reduced as to necessitate further imports.
Tin plate, terne plate, and black plate The Associated Governments will endeavor to provide supplies.
Tobacco 22,000 No export to Central Powers except of 500 million cigars. The question of additional imports to compensate for exports of tobacco manufactures to approved destinations will be considered.
Turpentine 1,500
Typewriters 150
Tyres and tubes:
Bicycle pieces 1,000,000
Motor car—
25,000 tyres } pieces 40,000
15,000 tubes
Motor cycles—
15,000 tyres } pieces 23,000
8,000 tubes
Varnishes and lacquers 150
Whisky, brandy, and rum 400
Wine 8,500
Wood (exotic): Teak 4,800
Cedar 1,000
Pock wood 200
Mahogany Application for ration of 500 tons to be considered.
Wool at clean value, including manufactures 6,000 Woolen manufactures to be charged against ration at import weight.
Zinc and zinc ore Applications to be considered on merits.
Hides, leather, leather manufactures, and tanning materials To be subject of separate arrangement forming part of this agreement.
Materials containing tannin and chrome, not for tanning hides Ration of 230 tons to be considered.
[Annex 2]

The British Representative (Leverton Harris) to the Netherland Delegate ( Heldring )

Dear Mr. Heldring : With reference to the agreement now concluded with the Royal Netherlands Government, I beg to inform you that notwithstanding article XII of that agreement the Associated Governments will not raise objection to the export of cattle from the Netherlands to the Central Powers on the following terms, should the Royal Netherlands Government find it necessary to make any such exports.

[Page 1583]

For every two head of cattle exported to Belgium and/or the evacuated parts of France, one head of cattle of similar character may be exported to the Central Powers, but not more than 15,000 bead shall be exported to the Central Powers during the next 12 months, and no cows in calf shall be included in such export. The cattle must have arrived in Belgium or France before the export to the Central Powers is to take place.

Similarly, no objection would be raised, should the Royal Netherlands Government find it necessary to make any such export to the Central Powers, of 1,000 horses and 7,000 foals, on condition that three horses shall be previously exported to Belgium or to the evacuated parts of France, for each one horse to be exported to the Central Powers, and one foal shall be previously exported to Belgium or the evacuated parts of France for each one foal to be exported to the Central Powers.

It is understood that the exports to Germany mentioned in this letter and in the general agreement will not take place unless Germany for her part fulfils her obligations to supply Holland with her requirements of coal, salt, iron, and potash. Believe me,

Yours sincerely,

F. Leverton Harris
  1. The text here given is that of the War Trade Board’s confidential print.
  2. See annex 2, infra.