Arizona republican., 1915-02-18
Tn Answering American Pro test Against Search of Neutral Vessels, Foreign Office Gives Out New Plan
ANOTHER CAUSE OF
 DEPRESSION IN '. $
l.,uolish Commerce Also Suf- fcrs from Shortage. Says Notc-GrrmaI Civil and War Population is Too Mixed
ASSOCIATED PRESS DIsPATcH]


 Brtain's second and complete reply to the American note of protest. which ' last December asked for an early i'm provement in the treatment of Ameri- can commerce by the British fleet, was made public tonight hv mutual agree ment of the state department and Brit ish foreign office.
 l The note denies that the depression 1 in American industries is due to the activity of the British fleet and sug gests that among other causes is a ! shortage of shipping facilities and consequent diminution of cotton trade, and the destruction by submarine mines "laid by the enemy indiscrim inately" of many neutral vessels. After q lengthy detailed answer to the charge that American ships and cargoes are being unduly detained the communica tion concludes with the announcement that Great Britai intends to take re- tahatOry measures against the German submarine campaign but it does not reveal their nature. It declares nc country more stoutly than Great Bri- tain has maintained the principle that q belligerent should abstain from inter- ference with foodstuffs intended for the civil population, but that the German military organization is SO complete that there is no clear division between those for whom the government is re- sponsible for feeding and those whom it i.5 not.
 Tt is unfortunately true in these days" says the note. when trade and finance are cosmopolitan, that any war, particularly q war of any magnitude must result in the grievous dislOcation of commerce. including that of nations which take no part in the war. Your oNcellency will realize that in this tre mendous struggle. for the outbreak of which Great Britain is in no way re sponsihle. it is impossible for the trade of any country to escape all injury and last but for which his majesty's gov ernment is not to blame
 Sir Edward Grey points out that on lv eight out of 773 ships sailing from the United States for neutral European countries have been placed in the prize courts and that only 45 have been Temporarily detained to enable partic- ular consignments of cargo to be dis charged tor the purpose of prize court proceedings.
 The note did not go into the details of , American ships detained on the high seas or taken to British ports for search and Great Britain declares she , too is suffering from q shortage of shipping and a rise in freghts ''as ! acutelY as, if not more than other na- , tlons,' and has taken every step con ] sistent with its beligerent interest to increase the tonnage available for transportation ot seaborne commerce. . The doctrine of the continuous voy- age as enunciated during the Civil War by Secretary Seward was quoted at length, and the question of ultimate destination was argued in legal detail To justify the detention of suspected cargoes when passing between neutral countries and taking them into ports for examination. the cases of American practices during the Spanish American war were also cited and the note says these precedents are inconsistent with , the statement by the American gov
 
 high seas as soon as vessal shall Q nave been halted.
 . Supplementing the preliminary reply p of several weeks ago. the new note is = about ten thousand words long and in- t cludes not only statistical argument h but a further discussion of the lega - principles involved. Foremost how Q ever. is the denial of the British gov il ernment that the depression in Ameri- n can industries referred to in the Amer. n ican note was due to the alleged inter-
 ference of the British fleet with Amer
 jean commerce. or the result of an! exercise of bellgerent rights
 IF Sirce the presentation of the prelim. Q mary note, Sir Edward states that h, il has had further opportunity of exam , ming into the trade statistics of tn, , United States as embodied in the GUS
 toms returns. in order to see whethe
 the helligerent action of Great Britain
 has been in any way the cause of trad 10 depression which your eXcellency (Am if basador Page) describes as existing il 10 the United States and also whether tn # seizures of vessels or cargoes whicI f have been made by the British nav ,o have inflicted any loss on America 70 owners for which our existing machn n cry provides no means of redress n. Tn setting out the results of my in
 vestisation' writes the British secre tary. I think it well to take the op n portunity of giving d general review C
 the methods employed by his majesty
 government to intercept contraband
 Continued on Page Efive)