Page:EB1922 - Volume 31.djvu/409

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HOLLAND
373

HOLLAND, HENRY SCOTT (1847-1918), English divine, near Ledbuiy, Hereford. Jan. 27 1847. He was educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford, where he took a first class in Liierae Humaniora (1870). In 1872 he was ordained, becoming the same year a tutor at Christ Church. He became well known not only as a tutor but also as an eloquent preacher. In he was senior proctor of the university, and the same year was made a canon of Truro and examining chaplain to its bishop. He was appointed a canon of St. Paul's in 1884, and in 1886 pre- centor. He refused the offer of the see of Norwich in 1893, but in 1910 was appointed regius professor of divinity at Oxford. He died at Oxford March 17 1918.

See Life, by Stephen Paget (1921).

HOLLAND (see 13-587). According to the preliminary- returns of the census of Dec. 31 1920, the pop. numbered 6,841,155, as compared with 2,613,487 in 1830 and 5.858.175 in 1909. The average rate of increase per year rose from 0-91 % in 1830-40 to 1-42% in 1910-20. The proportion of females to males shows a diminution from 1.045 P 61 " i-ooo in 1830 to 1,014 m 1920. Four towns have each more than 100,000 inhabitants, viz.: Amsterdam 677,645 (566,131 in 1909); Rotterdam 510,538 389 in 1909); The Hague 353,2*6 (271,280 in 1009); and Utrecht 140,189 (119,006 in 1909). Those with more than 50.000 but less than 100.000 in 1920 were Tilburg, Arnhem, -=gen. Dordrecht, Leiden, Haarlem, Groningen and Maas- tricht. The number of towns with a pop. between 20.000 and 50.000 was rapidly increasing in 1920 and the birth-rate dimin- ished from 31-6 per i.ooo in 1900 to 28-6 in 1910, and 24-2 in 1919, but the death-rate also receded from 17-9 per i.ooo in IQOO to 13-6 in 1910, and 13-2 in 1919; in 1918 the death-rate was abnormally high (17-1 per 1,000) as a result of shortage of food and the influenza epidemic. There was a slight increase in the number of illegitimate births during the war in consequence of the mobilization. The war also occasioned some reduction in the marriage-rate from 1914 to 1918. followed by a reaction in 1919 above the average. Divorce was on the increase (0-83 per i.ooo marriages in 1910; 1-35 in 1919).

Rdigion. According to the latest reliable data, fully 56% of the pop. belonged to Protestant churches, fully 35 were Roman Catholic and nearly 2 Jewish. Religious conviction continued to exercise in the Netherlands an overwhelming influence, feiv* lining not only the formation of political parties (the Roman Catholic and the Protestant parties), but making itself felt in every sphere of social life education, labour organization, the cooperative move- ment, care of the poor, etc. In every activity, Catholic and Protes- tant organizations are found side by side with others.

The number of persons declining to recognize any particular con- fession was continually increasing. In the various decade censuses from 1869 to 1909 the figures were : 6,461 ; 12.253; 66,085; 1 15,179: 200.960, this last (1909) representing 5. of the pop. Since then the number has indubitably increased very considerably.

Dikes. The continually recurring difficulties in the maintenance of sea-dikes led to the adoption of barrages of f erro-concrete on a system invented by an engineer named De Muralt. The oldest of these constructions are the " spykerglooiing " (peg slopes) built with slabs of f erro-concrete fastened with pegs of the same material. These were followed by the " rrapjesgkjoungen," 1.1. step slopes; as the name implies they are constructed in terraces of somewhat larger dimensions, the object being to break the waves impin on the gradually sloping front of the dike: they are chiefly fc in the islands of Zetland where they have given great satisfactw

Notwithstanding all efforts, the Netherlands have repeatedly suffered from floods caused, as a rule, by a combination of unfa- vourable circumstances such as exceptional pressure of water in the rivers coupled with adverse storms of wind. In the inundation of Jan. 13 and 14 1916 the Zuider Zee dikes gave way and a great part of the province of N. Holland (the Waterland) was flooded and a number of river polders submerged.

Drainage. During the period 1910-20 electricity replaced steam at many of the pumping stations. The largest was the Electra "boezemgemaal " (main pumping station) constructed in the prov- ince of Groningen in the year 1920. This station, which drains an area of 232,274 ac., was equipped with three wood screw-pumps, each driven by a 550 H.P. motor and capable of raising i.ooo cub. ttitu of water per minute. The station had spare space for two further pumping installations if required. Nevertheless the steam pumps had not yielded altogether to the electric competitor. Indeed. lor the draining of the province of Friesland. the year 1920 saw the erection of a steam installation which was the largest in Europe and surpassed in capacity even the Nile pumping station at Kha-

tatba. It comprised eight centrifugal pumps each driven by four tandem compound engines and raising 500 cub. metres per minute.

Watemars. It is well known that traffic in Holland largely takes place by water. The prosperity of her ports is intimately dependent upon good water communication with the European hinterland, which makes the Rhine of the greatest importance to Dutch trade.

In 1913 fully 97,000 ships passed Lobith. They represented a ton- nage of 52,000,000 tons and carried cargoes totalling 37,000,000 tons. About 25 e of the ships were trading with Belgium and 75% with Holland. 75% of the entire goods traffic between Ger- many and Holland went via Lobith.

The international status of the Rhine is of the greatest importance to Holland. Till the outbreak of the World War, Rhine navigation was determined by the Treaty of Mannheim of Oct. 17 1868: according to which a central Rhine navigation committee at Mann- heim exercised control over the maintenance of the river's naviga- bility. Thanks to this international cooperation, the Rhine was always kept navigable for ships of 2,000 tons (the type chiefly employed) and for barges up to even 3,600 tons, though the work- ing of these did not prove practicable.

In die Rhine navigation commission, the riparian states (Baden, Bavaria, Hesse, Prussia, Alsace-Lorraine and Holland) were each represented and each had one vote. By the Treaty of Versailles, however, France, taking the place of Alsace-Lorraine, became once more a riparian state. Moreover, the Rhine was internationalized, and the United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland each received seats on the Rhine commission. The votes were distributed as follows: France was given four votes and the permanent presi- dency, the German contiguous states four votes together, and the remaining states two votes each. Holland, which controls the mouths of the Rhine and possesses such preponderant interests in this river, was thus placed on the same footing as non-contiguous states. The Dutch Government protested against this arrangement, with the result that, in the beginning of 1921, a supplementary protocol was added, according Holland three votes- Holland watches with great interest the further development of the Rhine navigation settlement as well as the French plans for the improvement of the water communication with the French hinter- land and the Rhone, the regulation of the German Upper Rhine between Strassburg and Basle, and the Swiss idea of constructing a canal from the Rhine to the Lake of Geneva with a navigable branch to the Rhone.

Holland continued the improvement of the Rhine waterway within its own territory- New works were decided upon in 1909. The Waal about St. Andries was narrowed to 260 metres, increasing to 350 metres at Gorinchem ; and the curved reaches were reduced. In eight years, nearly 2,000,000 were expended on the work. The Lower Rhine, the Lek and .the Geldrian Yssel were improved : the Yssel was made navigable for ships of 1.500 tons and the Lower Rhine for ships of 2,000 tons. Between 1851 and 1918, about 3,300,000 were devoted to these rivers, being about one-quarter of the sum (14,900,000) spent on all river works in Holland. About 7,600,000 were expended on the Rotterdam waterway and the diversion of the Maas estuary.

A second international water problem arose during the negotia- tions with Belgium over the abolition of the treaties of 1839. Hol- land could not admit that new waterways between Antwerp and the Rhine are necessary for the prosperity of that port, believing that the canal through S. Beveland (opened in 1866) which carried the traffic between Antwerp and the Rhine sufficed for the highest demands. This canal is 6-50 metres deep and navigable for ships of 2,000 tons. On either side at Hansweert and Wemeldinge there were two locks, while a third lock was completed at Hansweert in I9I5- giving passage to tugs of 2.000 tons, and a similar large third lock was being constructed at Wemeldinge in 1921. Nevertheless Holland was willing not to oppose the Belgian desires for other com- munication with the Rhine and declared itself prepared, in princi- ple, to cooperate in the formation of a canal from Antwerp direct to the Hollandisch Diep and of another from Antwerp to the Rhine across the Meuse in Dutch Limburg. In her turn. Holland needs the help of Belgium in rendering navigable the Meuse below Liege.

The Meuse is the only international river which is not navigable in its lower reaches, this being due to the extensive tapping of the river for Belgium's water supply. Plans for the canalization of the Meuse in Holland have been ready for many years; but since it is a frontier river from Maastricht to "Maasbracht, this great work can- not be undertaken without the collaboration of Belgium. Mean- while, however, Holland has undertaken works to render the Meuse navigable between Maasbracht and Grave, and the construction of a canal from Mook to Nymegen (from Meuse to Rhine) to provide direct passage between Limburg and the N. of the country.

But the vigorous development of the coal-mines in S. Limburg made further provisions necessary. Maasbracht lies too far from the mines. In 1920, therefore, it was resolved to delay the canalization of the Meuse between the Belgian frontier and Maasbracht, and to dig a lateral canal, suitable for 2.ooo-ton ships, from Maasbracht to Borne, where a loading harbour was to be formed. It was also intended to construct a canal for I .ooo-ton ships starting from Borne and connecting with the Liege-Maastricht canal by means of a lock just S. of Maastricht. When the canal being constructed in