The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-22
WAR LAW
DECLARATION or PRINCIPLES ARE
 MADE PUHLIC.
The Principles Were Agreed Upon by Conferenee e1 Tea of Princi- 3 f,1 ~ pal s1ar1tsr2e Nations
 of World TT g

Washington. March 21.--The declara- ton of principles regarding the law of maritime war agreed upon by the con- ference of ten of the principal mari- time nations of the world. held in Lon don during the past winter. and known as the maritime conference, were made public at the State Department today. Probably the most interesting features from the American standpoint, are the declaratiohs regarding what consti- tutes conditional contraband and what Is free of contraband.
 The principles enunciated In the dec- laration are to act as a guide for the government of an international prize court to be established at The Hague. Under the head of conditional contra band, exports approximating at this time S9,000.000 year will be affected in the event of war. and under the head of free contrabands, exports ap- proximating $400o.o0o.
 The Anglo-American doctrine of mo- tice of blockade was adopted. This is that notice through diplomatic chan nels of the establishment of such blockade is sufficient
 The main features of the Anglo American doctrine that the ultimate destination of the contraband shall be termine such cargo subject to seizure as contraband, Is retained in the case of absolute contraband; but Is given up in the case of conditional contra band.
 On the question of contraband. the conference adopted three classifcations, viz.: Absolute, conditional and not con- traband.
 Absolute contraband includes gen. erally articles and implements of war and those that may be used in war. Conditional contraband, includes food supplies, fodder and grain, clothing suitable for military use; gold and sil- yer, coined and in bars, and paper rep resenting money; air ships and flying machines; fuel, lubricants. powders and explosives not specially designed for war uses; barbed wire. horse shoes and shoeing outfits.
 The following articles cannot be de- clared contraband of war:
 Raw cotton. raw wool. silk. jute, flax, and hemp and other raw mate rials of textile industries as well as fabrics woven therefrom; oleaginous nuts and seeds; copera, India rubber. rosins. gums and lace, hops, raw hides. horns, bone and ivory, natural and ar tificial fertilizers comprising nitrates and phosphates susceptible of use in chalk and stone. including marble brick, slat and tile: rhinaware and glassware; paper and substances pre- pared for its manufacture; soaps. paints. including substances intended solely for their production; and varnishes, by porchlorite of lime; soda ash, caustic soda, sulphate of soda in cakes, ann monia, BuIphate of ammonia and sul- phate of copper; textile industries and printing; precious stones, fine stones. mother r-of-pearl. pearls and coral; clocks and watches. except chronome- ters; millinery and fancy articles; feathers of all kinds horse hair and brtstles; articles of furniture and or naments and office furniture and ac- cessories.
 Article 47 provides that any person belonging to the armed forces of the enemy and found on board of a neu- tral war vessel. may be made a pris- oner of war even though there be no principle conforms to the attitude nous Mason and Slidell cases during the Civil War. when these men were taken from the British steamer Trent.
 To meet the situation arising during the Russo Japanese war. when neutral vessels were seized by the Russians and were sunk on the high seas because the latter had no nearby ports to which to take them., the conference, decided in Article 4S, that a neutral vessel, which has been seized cannot be de- stroyod by the captors. but must be conducted into the proper port in order that the validity of the capture may be determined upon.