New Britain herald., 1915-02-20
! W|LH[[hINA'S CARGO
 HELD FOR PRIZE COURT
Great Britain Issues Reply to
 United States NOtc.

the American steamer Wilhelmina should be held for the decision of the prize court.
 This announcement was made bs Sir Edward Grey, the British foreign secretary It seems to make clear the purpose of Great Britain to de- clare all foodstuffs for Germany con- traband, as well as to foreshadoW other reprisals. In his note, Sir Ed ward Grey, after reviewing the Ger man methods of warfare and de- nouncing them as absolute violations of all international usages, says:
 If, therefore, his majestys gov ernment should hereafter feel con- strained to declare foodstuffs abso- Iute contra band, or to take other measures for interfering with Ger man trade by way of reprisals, they confidently expect that such action will not be challenged on the part of neutral states, by appeals to laws and usages of war whose validity rests on their forming an integral part of that system of international doctrine, which, as whole, their enemy frank ly boasts the intention to disregard so long as such neutral states cannot compel the German government to
 
 have not in recent history been re- garded as having the sanction of either law or humanity
 Text of English Reply
 Great Britain's reply to the Amer iean note on the Wilhelnina case, which was handed today to Walter Hines Page, the American ambassa- dor. follows:
 
 The communication made by the United States ambassador in his note to Sir Edward Grey of the 18th in stant, has been carefully considered And the following observations are of fered in reply:
 "At the time when his majesty's government gave directions for the seizure of the cargo of the steamship Wilhelmina as contra band, they had before them the text of decree made by the German federal council on the 25th of January, under article 45, of which all grain and flour imported into Germany after the 31st of Jan uary was declared deliverab ble only to certain organizations under direct government control or to municipal uthorities The vessel was bound for Hamburg, one of the free cities  ment of which is vested in the mu- nieipality. This was one of the req sons actuating his majesty's govern ment in deciding to bring the cargo of the Wilhelmina before a prize court.
 Information has only now reached them that by a subsequent decree dated the 9th of February, the above provision of article 45 of the previous decree was repealed, it would appear for the express purpose of rendering difficult the anticipated proceedings against the Wilhelmina. The repeal was not known to his majesty S gov ernment at the time of the detention Of the cargo, Or indeed, until now. How far the ostensible exception of imported supplies from the general government monopoly of all grain and -four set up by the German govern nient may affect the question of the ccntraband nature of the shipments seized, is a matter which will most suitably be investigated by the prize court.
 German Raid on English Coast.
 Ut is, however necessary to state that the German decree is not the only ground on which the submission of the cargo of the Wilhelmina to the prize court is justified. The German government have in public announce naents claimed to treat practically every town or port on the English coast as fortified place and base of operations On the strength of this contention they have subjected to bonn bardment the open towns of Var mouth, Scarborough and Whitby, among others. On the same ground a number of neutral vessels sailing for English ports on the east coast with cargoes of goods on the German list of conditional contra band, have been seized by German cruisers and brought before German prize court.
 Again the Dutch vessel Maria, hav- ing sailed from California with a cargo of grain consigned to Dublin and Belfast was sunk in September last by the German cruiser Karlsruhe. This could only have been justified if among other things, the cargo could have been proved to be destined for the British government, or for armed forces, and if a presumption to this effect had been established owing to Dublin or Belfast being considered l fortified places or bases for armed forces.
 Cannot Have Both Ways
 '"The German government cannot have it both ways. If they consider themselves justified in destroying by bonn bardment the lives and property oT the peaceful civil inhabitants of English open towns and watering places, and in seizing and sinking ships and cargoes of conditional con- traband on their way thither, on the ground that they are consigned to a fortified place or base, fortiori his