South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-01-11
Grey, Replying to US. Note,
Points Out That Task is to
Keep Contraband From Germany

/ are convinced that it cannot be in ac-
/ cord with the wish either of the gov
/ eminent or the people Of the United
| states to strain the international code
| in favor of private interests so as 20
prevent Great Britain from taking
such legitimate means for this pur-
pose as are in her power.
Blames Germany.
With regard 10 the seizure OF food
| stuffs 10 which your excellency refers
! his majesty's government are pre-
pared TO admit that food stuffs should
not be detained and put into a prize
court without presumption that they
are intended for the armed forces OF
| the enemy or the enemy government
| We believe that this rule has been ad
hered to in practice hitherto, but if
! the United States government have in
stances to the contrary, we are pre-
pared TO examine them and il is our
present intention to adhere to the rule
though we cannot give an unlimited
and unconditional undertaking in view
of the departure of those against
whom we are fighting from hitherto
accepted rules of civilization and hui
manity and the uncertainty as to the
extent TO which such rules may be
violated by them in future.
From the fourth of August last to
the third of January the number of
steamships proceeding from h e
United States for Holland, Denmark.
Norway. Sweden and Italy has been
773. OF these there are As which
have had consignments or cargOes
placed In the prize court while of the
ships themselves, only eight have been
placed in the prize court and one of
these has since been released.
1t is. however, essential under mod
4 = l.
real ground for suspecting the pres
ence of cOntraband. the vessels should
be brought into port for examination;
in no other way can the right of
search be exercised. and but for this
practice il would have to be COM
pletely abandoned. Information was
received by us that special instruc-
tons had been given TO ship rubber
from the United States under another
designation to escape notice, and such
cases have occurred i'm several in
stances only by search in a port
can such cases, when suspected, be
discovered and proved.
Contraband Concealed.
The necessity for examination in a
port may also be illustrated by
hypothetical instance, connected with
cotton, which has not yet occurred.
Cotton is not specifically mentioned in
your eXcellency's note, but have
seen public statements made in the
United States that the attitude of his
majesty's government with regard to
cotton has been ambiguous and there
by responsible for depression in the
cotton trade. There has never been
any foundation for this allegation. His
majesty's government have never put
cotton on the list of contraband; they
have throughout the war kept it on
O. ion
when questioned on the point, they
have stated their intention of ad-
herring to this practice. But informa-
ton has reached u.s. that, precisely
because we have declared our lnten-
ton of not interfering with cotton
ships carrying cotton will be specially
selected to carry concealed contra
band; and we have been warned that
copper will be concealed in bales Of
cotton
Whatever suspicious we have en-
tertained we have not so far made
these a ground for OBTAINING any ship
carrying cotton; but, should we have
giving us real reason TO
believe that in the case of a particular
ship that the bales of cotton con-
ceal copper or another contraband,
the only way to prove our case would
be TO examine and weigh the bales;
only by bringing the vessel into a
port In such a case, or If eXamina-
ton justified the action of his maj
esty's government, the case shall be
brought before a prize court and
dealt with in the ordinary way.
Is Against the Crown.
That the decisions of British prize
courts hitherto have not been unfa-
vorable to neutrals is evidenced by the
n &c
case, which was decided against the
crown, laid down that the American
shipper was to be paid even when
he had sold a cargo c. l. f., and when
the risk of loss on the cargo had been
shipped did not apply to him at all.
1t has further been represented TO
his majestys government. though this
subject is not dealt with in your eX-
Cellency's note, that our embargoes on
the export of some articles. more
especially rubber. have interferred
with commercial interests in the
United States. 1t is, of course, diff
fcult for his majesty's government TO
permit the export of rubber fromI
British dominiOns to the United
States at a time when rubber is es-
sentiaI to beligerent countries for
carrying on war and when new
trade in exporting rubber from the
United States in suspiciously large
quantities to neutral countries has
actually sprung up since the war. 1t
would be impossible TO permit the ex-
port of rubber from Great Britain un-
less the right of his majesty's gov
eminent were admitted TO submit to
a prize court cargoes Of rubber eX-
ported from the United States, which
they believed to be destined for an
enemy country. and reasonable lati-
tude of action for this purpose were
conceded. But his majesty's govern
ment have now Professionally come TO
an arrangement with the rubber ex-
porters in Great Britain which will
permit of licenses being giten under
proper guarantees for export OF rub
Der to the United States.
Sees Growing Danger.
We are confronted With the grow
ing danger that neutra' countries con-
tiguous to the enemy will become on
a scale hitherto unprecedented a base
of supplies for the armed forces Of
our enemies and for materials for
ornaments. The trade
figures of imports show how strong
this tendency is. but we have no COM
Of he. Of Dr hn