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10/13/1948 - The Netherlands by John R. McCarthy

INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS JRcC Hotel Century Antwerp Belgium October Mr Walter S Rogers Institute Current World Affairs Fifth Avenue York N Y Dear Mr Rogers One oldest Dutch jokes concerns visiting foreigner etherlander engaged feverish activity around house First mowed terrific little chopped could Then dripping perspiration rushed front house commenced washing windows The foreigner moved closer inquired us___t really The Nether lander turned around surprise Work What I vacation The reason I duplicate experi during Netherlands anybody vacation There loungers Rot terdam spivs hanging around railroad stations citie I visited little selling retreaded cigarette butts clever disguised Lucky Strikes Instead children seemed school mothers their homes fathers every where I astonishing situation contemporary Europe Why astonishing In other parts Europe I people imaginative Dutch consequently worry about future The worker Why should I knowing income current price levels anyway The student Why should I school every there certainty education secure I univer graduates working clerks about Hoping their governments inevitably cursing their ineptness working miracles people become daily satisfied daily convinced solve impor problem their hands minds Th Netherlander other strong tradition Calvinist individualism modifying modified Catholic social principles distrusts government except community denies emphatically whole greater parts A Dutch businessman Is government Can government sything large scale which I cannot small scale business govern steps order boost exports raise wages reduce prices unemployment which I might increase sales employees obtain materials lower price Is microcosm ration ability speak English reached heights basically different macrocosm anything I objected governments sometimes precisely because businessman taking proper steps govern ments expend energy protecting nation businessman You squelched firmly Nether lands Of course scene quite idyllic there ERP million haloes The Dutch faults people anywhere There black market currency The British tuous regard The rates restaurants hotels which tourists frequent unreasonably comparison general price level other those luxury establishments reasonable spread between costs types accomodation being other countries It Child Penthouse Club Statler The Homestead The thorough inspection which travelers leaving_ country submit sheer delight The history Dutch colonial policy pleasant On cultural books display bookshops little heavy treatises psychoanalysis economy East Indies history music memoirs generals chiefs state rarely verse heroic rather lyric The public architecture squat sober rarely soars although private homes often lovely their proud primness The public entertain places entirely reliance female acrobats The Netherlander realism logic willingness apply pants chair hours price sensitiveness But consider since winter still under German almost starved death while fortunate Belgians south reaped harvest dollars brought liberating American troops The Nether lands berateduntil May worst crisis alleviated upplies parachuted Allied airplanes dozen other crises going blast One third national wealth destroyed arable inundated Germans dairy cattle merchant ships houses destroyed damag kidnaped Dutch workmen still Germany nobody knows thousands people Two chief sources Dutch prosperity trade Germany East Indies All Germans wanted course l_ebens Today through Amsterdam Utrecht Hague Rotterdam exception village Zaandam Austerlitz traces The houses whole wonderfully clean inside store windows stocked variety goods there seems least bicycle every woman child there visible unemployment The restaurants cafes hotels theatres jammed The people dressed their substantial although lacking variety Their hospitality their willingness stranger their friendliness people U S whelming One kindly businessman drive around Amsterdam Hilversum Amersfoort Zwolle Arnhem which bombed fought during The roads better roads Pennsylvania Everywhere looked fields squares along curbs window boxes flowers blooming All spotless houses their white starched curtains windows inspection passersby Dutch roller shades Venetian blinds regard every opening street advertisement condition house The fields passed munching happily In fishing lages stopped boats obvio repair lined order their docks I couldn understand boats doing there daytime until friend pointed eelin boats whole village worked night The truks heavily laden butter cheese going cases export markets Everything spoke quiet sustainable prosperity When Amsterdam I friend encouraging I spent anywhere Europe None today replied would sible without American If Hague government officials swathed statistics pretty impressions They there employment overall production superior living about twice compared about before devaluation France Italy Belgium while risen nearly rationing system clothes tobacco works total merchant fleet tonnage exceeds Germans flooded again thousands acres being reclaimed particularly Ijselmeer which Zuider Zee going The officials point production Here Czar Peter Great spoke little Dutch attempted incognito Annoyed Dutch sailor oscow addressed Russian started fistfight He trade East Indies slowly increasing trade links being forged eastern European countries Czechoslovakia Hungary replace Germany They happy because agreement reached among Netherlands Belgium Bizon diversion Antwerp Rotter where goods transshipped river barges traffic going direct Hamburg Bremen Most Rot terdam prosperity before depended status transit Germany Yet Dutch inclined cautious about exulting their rapid recovery contend still In speech before Second Chamber lower house States General February Dr J R M Brink Minister Economic Affairs warned progress Netherlands financed largely credit As result stated present prosperity might described prosperity To obtain balanced budget Netherlands people events satisfied simpler which circumstances against capable improvement approximate standard One circumstances which Du their hopes Marshall Plan Another Benelux economic union which I write about length couple newsletters The Dutch favor moment economic liaison Belgium which boasts higher living stronger currency But possible after years Dutch living Belgians their positions might reversed Belgium already growing unemployed lessening volume exports worry about Not Dutch avoiding living entirely Kaiser Frazer plant being built Rotterdam Europeans strictly luxury The upward which fortunes Netherlands taken taken against background remarkable placidity politics labor relations remarkable fields different groups generally represent strong differing gious convictions The present government coalition Roman Catholic People Party Party Labor office since July succeeded called Schermerhorn Cabinet which served emergency government since liberation The coalition majority Second Cham First Chamber The chief point issue tween parties extent which nation economy should government controlled Party Labor asser The Party wishes planned control production distri bution leading principle being service community while Catholics state merely In exceptional cases where socialization nationalization property considered general interest measures taken accordingly The Communists represented cabinet seats chambers States General The impression I chances swing indeed The Dutch interest extension social security taxation device distributing national equitably thining about nationalization British Labor Government forty Dutch afternoon races comparatively strike record decide anything The tranquility prevails labor front reflec total number because strikes dropped probably lower A large share credit seems confidence placed employees unions employers associations pyramid organization known Foundation Labor Brought being Foundation represents workers management important industries retail trade farms It gathers interprets statistics serves rmation center clearing house grievances Strictly private organization advises government regard matters prices wages rationing after discussion employers workers currently holding conferences determine whether arshall Plan raising productivi worker sible wages without corresponding prices The government I Dr P S Pole Secretary Foun dation takes advice about The Foundation success reaching areements broad questions economlo policy remarkable because eNployers workers besides being divided according industry further subdivided Protestant Catholic confesslonal associations Consequently Foundation governing board strike balance between capital labor among confessional confes sional esentatives This intramural cleavage along religious llnes exemplified sectors Dutch which accustomed making distinction The inority group States General largely Protestant spllnter parties whose political differences really religious differences remove A seafaring people Dutch sudden upsets suffering onslaughts nature With roots stret ching Romans Franks Vikings Burcudians memory obstacles overcome easily dismayed They harder people lands habitable perhaps tenacious their liberties In century through western Germany petty princes struggling their subjects establish absolute sovereignty those subjects cried Give Dutch medicine aching liberty Perhaps Dutch medicine needed today three hundred years Sincerely P S ymailingaddressuntilfurthernoticewil otelDelavigne Rue CasSmir Delavigne Paris I expect reach there about Received New York I0 IS