Observers understood that the Borneo concession was granted notwithstanding the breakdown of Netherlands East—Indies-Japanese negotiations. During the negotiations the Dutch resisted strong Japanese pressure for far reaching economic advantages. For instance, it was said, the Dutch offered to sell Japan only 3,000 tons of manganese ore in 1941 although Japan requested approximately twice that amount.
The Netherlands East Indies also was said to have offered to export to Japan in 1941 15,000 metric tons of rubber, 150,000 tons of nickel ore and 3000 tons of tin and tin ore, besides vegetable oil, castor seed, and cinchona bark.
The Dutch proposed to cut the present NEL palm oil exports to Japan from 12/000 to 6,00 metric ions and reduce copra exports to Japan by 20 per cent, it was said.
During the unsuccessful Dutch-Japanese negotiations the Netherlands East Indies asked Japan materially to increase purchases of Java sugar, coffee and ebony and assure Dutch nationals and Dutch companies in Japan the same trading facilities enjoyed by Japanese in the Netherlands East Indies.—United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.