Evening star., 1914-10-25
Upon Arrival at Copenhagen 1t
Was Forwarded to Ger
many, England Says.
BRITISH ADOPT U. S. VIEW
ON ULTIMATE DESTINATION
Ships Seized Because Cargoes Were
Consigned to Order-Fear
Zeppelin Supply.

At least one big shipment of fuel oil
from the United States was sent
promptly on it's arrival in Copenhagen
to the German aerial and naval base
in KieI, according to private letters
| to the British embassy here.
whether this occurred before or after
Denmark prohibited the exportat1oh oi
oil to belligerent countries was not
stated The information, however. TO-
eether with the general belief in Eng
land that the recent increase III oii
sbinments from the United States to
Denmark was preparatory 10 gen
eral attack on Great Britain by yep
nelins and submarines, resulted IN the
adoption by the British navy OF re-
strictive measures.
II was admitted by British o1nclais
here last night that the Brindilla ana
Platura. Standard Oil ships plying be
tween the United States and Denmark
were detained in this connection, III
nursuance of the belief that the car
goes of Illuminating oil evehtuaiis
might find their way to k1el.
Explains British Contention.
Sir Cecil Spring Rice. the British am
bassador. discussed with Acting sec
retary Lansing yesterday the protests
which have been lodged by the United
States against the detention OF these
vessels. ,,;s;+ but
it is understood he explained ~ .ee,,t uee
the position of the British soVeriiiieh'.
which in brief, is that the doctrine OF
continuous voyage or ultimate destlna-
tion will govern each case. rms prIn-
ciple would require that TO escape IN
tention and unnecessary exaLliitaer n;tionni
shipments of oil, which is conditiohai
contraband, shall be consigned TO
specific concern in the neutral couh-
try to which it is shipped.
The shipments on the John d. RocRea
feller recently seized was consignea cons nee
TO order" Although the ship was
plying between neutral ports, Great
Britain held that the ultimate oestl
tion of the cargo was the pertinent
fact to establish. AS soon as assur,
ances were given by the Standard OIL
Company that the cargo was des-
tined to regular client in Denmark
the vessel was released.
The entire question, it is believed IN
official circles. will be adjusted during
the coming week with the informal
notification to shippers to conslgn tneir
cargoes to a specific consignee- Inc
American government regards the pos
sible expectation of such cargoes from
neutral countries in Europe to pelnger,
ents as a matter in which the United
States is not concerned.
Adopts United States Doctrine.
That Great Britain has adopted the
American doctrine of ultimate destina-
tion or continuous voyage is one OF the
interesting developments of interna-
tional law in the present war 1t has
been a, disputed point since the Amerl-
can, civil war, when English cargoes
destfped for the, British Bahamas
were seized by Union vessels because IT
was believed the shipments really were
intended for transshipment to the
southern states by blockade running.
The Supreme Court of the United
States upheld the seizure on the ground
that the sensible Interpretation OF the
question was to consider as paramount
the ultimate destination of a vessel or
its cargo.
The declaration of London. formu-
lated in 1908. but which was not gen.
orally ratified. took a different position.
In adopting the declaration as her
guiding document in the present war,
England made an exception in the
question of continuous voyage. pre-
ferring the American view of the sub
ject.