Between the devil and the deep blue sea - University of Canterbury

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requirement that a neutral not let warring parties use its territory for their own ends. For the
same reason, the military forbade telegraph operators to send or receive coded messages. 219
PUBLIC ORDER AND CONTROL
Alongside defence, combatting smuggling, censorship and tracing the movement
of foreigners or spies, military authorities also used their wide-ranging "state of siege"
powers to manage public order. Articles 25 and 28 of the Oorlogswet gave the military
jurisdiction to regulate opening hours for bars and cafes, authorise agendas for public
meetings, and decide whether public festivities, such as carnivals, would be held. 22o If the
link between "state of siege" and smuggling controls lay on tenuous grounds, the
connection between public order and the imposition of the "state of siege" was even less
obvious. Few people could comprehend why the armed forces should have the right to
interfere in their lives, when such interference seemed to have very little to do with defence,
neutrality or, for that matter, smuggling.
More often than not, regulations for maintaining public order arose out of
consultation between the military commander and municipal authorities. But there were
compelling reasons why commanders should use their "state of siege" authority to monitor
and regulate public order, some relating to public safety, and some to military security. For
example, limitations on the sale of liquor in the "state of siege" helped keep soldiers from
inebriating themselves. Early closure of public establishments also ensured that potential
smugglers had no excuse to be out of doors at night. Likewise, during the refugee crisis in
October 1914, it was important to keep foreigners sober and avoid clashes with locals,
especially in over-crowded southern towns. After October 1914, commanders found other
reasons for closing taverns early, such as preventing alcohol abuse by patrons, again with an
eye to avoiding brawls and disturbances. 221
In August 1914, municipal authorities throughout the country cancelled fairs and
carnivals, a ban that remained in place almost universally through 1915 by order of a "state
of siege" authority. The Commander in Den Helder forbade the annual fair in March 1915,
219 Commander-in-Chiefto Commander of the Field Army, 26 September 1914, in ARA, "Archieven van de Generale
Staf' entry no. 2.13.70, inventory no. 89.
220 See: Appendix 8, p. 459.
221 Commander Division IV to Commander of the Field Army, 28 October 1914, in ARA, "Archiefvan het
Hoofdkwartier Veldleger" entry no. 2.13.16, inventory no.J48.