Clip-clap, clip-clap through the tidy Hague, good motherly Queen Wilhelmina of The Netherlands clattered off last week in her State Coach to open Parliament. With her rode buxom, schoolgirlish Crown Princess Juliana and the Queen's fat but studiously self-effacing Prince Consort-Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. A smart troop of cavalry gave dash to the corpulent Royal turnout. Loyal crowds bellowed vociferously not "God Save the Queen!" but that grand old Dutch cheer, "Hold the Sea! HOLD THE SEA!"
Alighting at the grim, medieval Binnenkof, the Queen paced imposingly to her simple throne in The Hall of Knights. In the peace and dignity of the occasion it seemed bizarre that here, in this very building, a little over a month ago, the leading statesmen of Europe staged that famed and furious diplomatic quarrel, The Hague Reparations ("Sponge cake") Conference (TIME, Aug. 5 to Sept. 9). Queen Wilhelmina rose and began in her gracious contralto to roll the broad Dutch vowels of her Speech from the Throne.
Firstly Her Majesty recalled that The Hague Conference quarrel ended, if not amicably, at least in a formal agreement by the Great Powers to adopt the Young Plan which will take the payment of German Reparations out of politics and put it on a business basis. "Great is our joy that the Conference achieved this success!" cried Queen Wilhelmina.
Secondly Her Majesty signified strong approval for the recent proposal of French Prime Minister Aristide Briand for a general lowering of tariff walls among the nations of a "United States of Europe" (TIME, Sept. 16). As a free trade country with a large mercantile marine The Netherlands would hugely benefit from such all-around scrapping of tariffs.
Lastly the Queen spoke with emotion, nay indignation, of Curacao-not the liqueur but the island where it was invented, one of Her Majesty's islands in the Caribbean. Recalling that Curacao is but 40 miles from the coast of Venezuela and that the Governor General of Cu-null was kidnapped by Venezuelan filibusterers last spring and subjected to indignities before being released (TIME, June 24), Queen Wilhelmina said with resolute wrath: "It is the purpose of my government to increase the number of our armed forces in Curacao!" At present the garrison of Willemstad, the Capital, consists of four officers, 59 men.