The Washington herald., 1915-10-02

! Foreign Office,
| August 13, 1915.
Your Excellency: ! have the honor
| to refer to the memorandum which you
were good enough to communicate on
the I'd of June last, in which you in
| formed me of the desire of the United
States consul general in London to he
furnished with figures showing the
amount of raw cocoa and preparations
of cocoa exported from Great Britain
to Holland. Denmark, Sweden, Norway
and Italy during the four months end
ing April 30, 1915, as compared with
the same period in 1914 and 1913. Your
eXcellency will remember that l had
the honor TO communicate to you tab
ular statement of these figures on the
10th ultimo.
His majesty's ambassador at Wash
ington reported on the ed July that
the Acting Councillor of the State De-
partment had referred in conversation
to the unfavorable impression created
at Washington by reports as to the in
crease in British exports to northern
European neutral ports since the out =
break OF war received from Mr.. Consul
General Skinner, these reports having
given figures showing increases in the
British exports of some commodities
to those countries. / am therefore
communicating to Sir c. SPRING Rice
statistics showing what the exports of
the United Kingdom were in compari-
son with those of the United States
during the first five months of this
year, in order that this impression may
be removed as soon as possible; but as
/ hear that statements, no doubt in
spired by German agents are being
circulated in America to the effect that
his majesty's government are trying to
stop the legitimate trade of the United
States with neutral countries in order
to capture the trade for the British
empire. and are therefore allowing
goods to be exported from the United
Kingdom which they have not allowed
to be imported into the same countries
from the United States, ! think 1t we'll
20 inform your excellencv Immediately
of the true state of the case. and with
this view to invite attention to the fol-
lowing data and figures:
The increased re-eXport of cotton
from the United Kingdom to Norway.
Sweden, Denmark. and the Netherlands
during the months OF January to May.
1915, as compared with the same period
in 1914, amounted to 503.995 centals of
100 pounds. The United States exported
TO the four countries mentioned dur
ing this period in 1915 as much as
c04.177 centals during January to May.
1914. an increase OF 3,149.461 centals.
or six times the increase in the export
of cotton from the United Kingdom.
The above figures for the United
Kingdom are taken from the official
customs returns: those for the United
States have been carefully compiled
by the War Trade Department from
the manifests of those vessels which
actually arrived with cargo from the
United States in Scandinavian and
Dutch ports during the FIVE months.
February to June, 1915. as compared
with five-twelfths of the total record
ed exports from the United States to
those countries in the year ended
June 30, 1914. It has been necessary
to adopt this method. as the Monthly
Summary of Foreign Commerce" is
sued by the United States govern
ment. gives very few details with
regard to American trade with those
countries. 1t is evident that some
shipments must have taken place
from the United States to Scandinavian
and the Netherlands which could not
come within the scope of even the
most circumstantial compilation OF
statistics drawn up from the mani
tests of examined ships alone. and
would therefore lay particular stress
on the fact that the figures thus OBJ
tained by the War Trade Department
are necessarily understatements of the
total amounts actually shipped. But
even from the figures thus obtained
it is possible to show conclusively
how much greater the increases in
the American exports to Scandinavian
and the Netherlands have
been than those of Great Britain dur
ing the first five months of this year.
not only in the case of cotton but In
that of almost every other important
commodity.
Re-exports OF rubber from the United
Kingdom to Scandinavia and the
declined from 17.727 CEN
tails of 100 pounds in January-Mav.
1914. to 1868 centals in January
May. 1915; on the other hand exports
of rubber from the United States TO
the same destinations increased from
1870 centals to 5.O4O centals. Larger
re-exports of rubber to the United
States from this country have indeed
taken place. but all other re-exports
of rubber have declined during this
period, as the following figures show:
United Kingdom-Re-eXports of rub
ber.
1ncrease In
jan JAM 1915
May, May. over
1914. 1915. 1914.
To all destinations :53,S64 G67, ,JO9 'll3.6i5
OF which to L. S. PAS 435 4lS.6l9 ,l1O1S4
'Or 2o5 per cent !Or $50 per cent