667The Mineral Industry of the 
Netherlands 
By William F. Keyes1 
 
 
 The Dutch economy was again one of technology, which will be essential after
Europe's stronger economies during 1978 1985 when foreign natural gas sales
are and 1979 but it was linked more closely expected to begin to decline

than ever before to foreign trade, rather The major mineral resource of the
than to domestic growth. In June 1978, the Netherlands is its large onshore
reservesof Dutch Government introduced Economic natural gas, and a key element
in the Blueprint 1981 which established a frame- Government s economic policy
has been to work for balanced economic growth into the prepare for eventual
depletion of these 1980's. The central conclusion was that reserves. Steps
taken by the Government Government spending during the past dec- have included
the initiation of gas imports ade was beginning to adversely affect the and
preparations for greater use of importcountry's economic health, and the
Blue- ed coal and nuclear power. A decline in print called for a reduction
of 10 billion natural gas exports and a rise in imports guilders2 in planned
budget increases dur- converted the 1-billion-guilder current acing the 1979-81
period. The Blueprint fo- count surplus of 1977 to a half-billioncused on
four goals: reduction of unemploy- guilder deficit in 1978, but a 0.6-billionment
to 150,000 workers (3.8%), a drop in guilder surplus was registered in the
first 7 inflation, a reduction in labor income by 1% months of 1979. In other
areas of the minerannually, and maintenance of purchasing als and metals
sector, the country's major power and social benefits for the average steelmaker
had a profitable period, but still worker. These proposals evoked consider-
faced declining world markets, upon which able discussion, and in 1979, there
was some it is dependent; and the large petroleum realignment of priorities
in order to favor refining industry operated at well below lower income groups.
One major criticism capacity while also facing a decline in vital was that
the Blueprint failed to call for export markets. 
restructuring the economy toward high 
 
 
PRODUCTION 
 
 The heavy industry production index rose the minerals production index were
the slightly between 1977 and 1978 (1970=100),. natural gas index, which
declined from 292 from 127 to 128, and continued on a moder- to 267 in the
same period, and the index of ate increase in 1979, but the minerals pro-
other minerals, which declined from 93 to duction index declined from 213
in 1977 to 92. Production of minerals in recent years is 196 in 1978. The
two major components of given in table 1.