The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-01-11

Will De aOded ana large Huiuoei VI
| other improvements will be made.
| Mrs. D. Parsons died last night at her
| home at Rock Creek after a long ILL.,
| ness of cancer. Mrs Parsons was 81
years of age and was we'll known In
| this district, where she has many rel
atives. The funeral will take place Mon
| day morning at II o'clock from the Rock
Creek church, interment being made at
the Rock Creek cemetery.
| The Sunday school class of Mrs. G..
G. Neal of the First Methodist church
held a meeting this morning at which
| time the following officers were elect
/ ed for the ensuing year Herbert Milton,
president; Miss Barlow Robertson, vice
president; Fletcher Sturdivant. secretary,
and John Mcconnell, treasurer
for this practice it would have to be
completely abandoned. Information was
received by US that special Instructions
had been given to ship rubber from the
United States under another designation
to escape notice and such cases have
occurred in several instances. Only by
search IN a port can. such cases, when
suspected be discovered and proved
Necessity For Examination
Inc necessity TOT examination III u
port may also be illustrated by a hypo-
thetloal instance connected with cotton
which has not yet occurred. Cotton is not
specifically mentioned in your excel
lency's note, but | have seen public
statements made in the United States
that the attitude of his majesty's gov
ernment with regard to cotton has been
ambiguous and thereby responsible for
depression in the cotton trade. There
has never been any foundation for this
allegation. His majesty's government has
never put cotton on the list of contra
hand; they have throughout the war kept
il on the free list; and on every occa-
sion when questioned on the point, they
have stated their intention of adhering
to this practice. But Information has
reached us that, precisely because we
have declared our intention of not in
terferjng with cotton, ships carrying cot
ton will be specially selected to carry
concealed contraband and we have been
warned that. copper. will be concealed in
bales of cotton. Whatever suspicious we
have entertained we have not so far made
these a ground for OBTAINING any ship
carrying cotton; but should we have in
formation giving us real reason to be-
lieve in the case of q particular ship that
the bales of cotton concealed copper or
other contraband, the only way to prove
our case would be to examine and weigh
ried cut only by bringing the vesse! into
a port. In such a case, or il examina-
ton Justified the action of his majesty s
government, the case shall be brought
before prize court and dealt with in
the ordinary way.
Decisions Not UnfavOrable
THAT the decisions of British prize
courts hitherto have not been unfavorable
| to neutrals is evidenced by the decision in
| : 1T a.
! decided against the crown, laid down
| that tha Anse rioan shipper was to be paid
| even when he had sold cargo C. l. f., and
when the risk of loss after the cargo had
been shipped did not apply to him at all.
at has further been represented to his
| maJesty's government, though this SUBJ
ject is not deait with in your excel
lency's note, that our embargoes on the
| export of some articles, more especially
rubber have interfered with commercial
| interests in the United States. 1t is of
| course difficult for his matesty's gov
| erlunent to permit the export of rubber
| from British dominions to the United
| States at time when rubber is essential
to belligerent countries for carrying on
the war, and when new trade is export
ins rubber from the United States In sus-
piciously large quantities to neutral coun-
| tries has actually sprung up since the
war. 1t would be impossible to permit the
| export of rubber from Great Britain I'M
less the right of his majestys government
were admitted to submit to prize court
| cargoes of rubber exported from United
| States. which they believed to be destined
| for an enemy country. and reasonable
| latitude of action for this purpose were
| conceded But his majesty's government
| has now Professionally come to an ar
rangement with the rubber exporters in
Great Britain, which will permit of IL
censes being given under proper guaran-
tees for the export of rubber to the
| United States
| We are confronted with the growing
| danger that neutral countries contiguous
| to the enemy will become on a scale hith-
| erto unprecedented base of supplies
| for the armed forces of our enemies and
| for materials for manufacturing arma-
ment. The trade figures of imports show
how strong this tendency is. but we have
no complaint to make of the attitude of
the governments of those countries, which
so Ear as we are aware have not depart
l ed from proper rules of neutrality. We
| endeavor in the interest of our own ma
tlonal, safety to prevent this danger by
| intercepting goods really destined for the
enemy, without interfering with those
which are 'bona-fde' neutral.
| "Since the outbreak of the war the gov
eminent of the United States has
changed their previous practice and have
prohibited the publication of manifests till
| 30 days after the departure of vessels
| from the United States ports. We had
no locus standi' for complaining of this
change, and did not complain But the
| effect of 1t must be to increase the diff
Guilty of ascertaining the presence of con-
traband. and to render necessary in the
| interests Of our national safety the ex-
| animation and detention of more ships
than would have been the case II the
former practice had continued.
Pending a more detailed reply, would
conclude by saying that his majesty
government does not desire to contest ths
general principles of law, on which they
understand the note of the United States
to be based. and desire to restrict theil
action solely to interferences with con
traband destined for the enemy. Hi.
maiestys government Is prepared, when
ever cargo coming from the United
States is detained, to explain the case
on which such detention has taken place
and would gladly enter into any arrange
ment by which mistakes can be avoided
and reparation secured promptly wher
any injury to the neutral owners of
ship or cargo has been improperly caused
for they are most DESTROYS in the interes
both of the United States and of othe
neutral countries that British actor
should not interfere with the normal i'm
portation and use by the neutral coun
tries Of goods from the United States.
Il have the honor to be- with the high
est consideration, your exceliencys mos
obedient humble servant.
"E. GREY"
4 Washington. January 10.-Though off
cials were reserved In their comment
1t was said authoritatively tonight tina