Bisbee daily review., 1915-09-16
BRITISH DEMANDS IN
CHINA HURT YANKEE
TRADE IN ORIENT
English officials Are Trying to
Enforce Prohibition of Order to
All NationaIitieS Against Trad
ing With Enemy.

PICKING, Sept. l5.-English compli-
cations have been caused here by the
prohibition against trading with the
enemy which Great Britain is trying
to enforce among the British firms
in China. For months corporations
which have had German afiliation
have been recognizing and adjusting
their business so as to come within
the requirements of the regulations
against trading with Germans and
Austrians.
American interests have already
been considerably affected by the new
order, and many American concerns
are all at sea as to how they will
meet the new regulations. English
officials, i'm some cases, have insisted
that American concerns took over
German goods in order to enable the
German owners to.escape the new re-
gulations. At Shanghai and other
ports American concerns have been
unable to get space i'm British ships
for certain shipments In some cases
they were told by English officials
that under the exigencies of war the
English lines ceased to be common
carriers. However the later explana-
ton of the refusal to carry such
goods was that English ships have
more English freight than they can
carry and this statement is substan-
tlated in many cases by actual port
statistics
The British Minister, Sir John Jor-
dan, has a four-page pamphlet, setting
forth fully the regulations against
trading with the enemy of Great
Britain and her allies. Like most le-
gal documents. this is difficult of in
depreciation and application to the
complex conditions which exist in the
. Chinese cities where there is extra
territoriality. The confusion arising
from the regulations is comparable to
that caused by the income tax law
i'm America. English citizens have
found great difficulty in applying the
terms of the regulations TO the com
plex business conditions of the Far
East. The regulations are extremely
broad in that they prohibit the pay
ment of any sum of money to an enc
my or for the benefit of the enemy
They also forbid an English subject
TO act in any way ION behalf of an
enemy" in any sort of financial opera
tions. They prevent Englishman
from directly or indirectly" supply
ing goods to an. enemy of for the
benefit of the enemy" Such great
leeway is permissible i'm the interpret
alton Of these regulations that Eng
lishmen connected with firms which
have had any sort of business afiilia.
tons with German, Austrian OF Turk
ish concerns have called frantically
upon their consuls and legations for
a decision on transactions in which
they have had "a part.
I'm the enforcement of the new re
gulations upon small business con
Germs many absurd situations have
arisen. At Tientsin, for example,
. German baker and confectioner was
forced to close up his soda fountain
However, he is permitted to continue
the sale of bread and pastry. The eX
PLANTATION Of this action was that ii
was undesirable to have a drinkinl
place where Germans might congre
gate.
In some Chinese cities the new re
gulations are being enforced withou
any special hardship to small mer
chants. This is largely due to th'
GOOD Judgment OF English othcial
who have no desire to upset small
business and disarrange local condl
tions.