The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-06-30
HAS No COMPLAINT
ENGLAND SAYS u. s. COMMERCE
NOT BADLY HAMPERED
ADMITS NO GRIEVANCES

While Desirious Of Removing All
Cause of Avoidable Delay in Deal
ing With American Cargoes Great
Britain Can Not Justify or Sus-
tain Any Substantial Grievance to
Americans.
Great Britain, in memorandum
transmitted to the United States, and
made public in Washington and in
London Thursday night, recites its
efforts to minimize inconvenience to
neutral commerce resulting from the
order in council against trade with
Germany, Austria and Turkey, and
asserts that American citizens have
no just grounds for complaint on &C
count of the treatment accorded
their cargoeS.
No attempt is made to answer the
principles asserted in the American
note of March protesting against
the order in council and insisting
upon the right of neutrals to carry
on legitimate commerce with each
other and to trade in non-contra band
with civilians in belligerent countries.
In transmitting the memorandum
Ambassador Page said it was mere
ly an explanation of concrete cases
and the regulations under which they
are dealt with"
Another note to Great Britain is
now being prepared at the state de-
partment and is expected to be dis
patched as soon as the negotiations
with Germany over submarine war
fare have been cleared up.
While this communication prob
ably will make reference to the lat
est memorandum, it is understood
that the manner of enforcing the
order in council will not be treated
as relevant to the question at issue
whether there is any warrant in in
ternational law for the powers that
Great Britain and her allies have
assumed to exercise over the COM
merce of the world.
Following is the text of the memo
randum as transmitted by Ambassa-
dor Page:
"1. His Majesty's government
have on various occasions, and not
ably in the communication which was
addressed to the United States am
bassador on the 18th CT March last,
given assurance to the United States
government that they would make it
their first aim to minimize the in
convenience which must inevitably be
caused to neutral commerce from the
existence of state Of war at sea,
and particularly from the measures
taken by the allied governments for
the restriction of the enemies over
sea trade. His Majesty'S gov
ernmel desires to offer the follow
ing observations respecting the man
ner in which they have consistently
endeavored to give practical effect to
those assurances.
"2. It will be recalled that, at the
moment when his Majesty's govern
ment announced their measures
against enemy commerce, they de-
clared their intention to refrain alto
gether from the exercise of the right
! to confscate ships or cargoes, which
belligerents had always previously
claimed in respect of breaches of
blockade; that, under Article 5 of
the enactment of the 18th of March,
it was expressly provided that any
person claiming to be interested IN
goods placed in the prize court in
pursuance of the provision of that
enactment, might forthwith issue a
writ against the proper officer of the
crown and thus to remove all
possible cause of legitimate griev-
ance on account of delay; and that,
finally, a pacific assurance was given
| to the United States government that
the instructions to be issued by his
Majesty's government to the fleet,
and to the customs officials and exc
cutive officials concerned, would i'm
press upon them the duty of acting
with the utmost dispatch consistent
with the object in view.
"3. The above measures were all
designed to alleviate the burdens i'm
posed upon neutral sea-borne COM
merce in general. Various special
concessions, over and above those en-
umerated, have moreover been made
in favor of United States citizens.
~. Thus his Majesty's govern
ment have acted, as regards ship
ments of American cotton, in accord
ance with the provisions Of an ar
rangement arrived at in direct col
laboration with representatives OF the
American cotton interests. In &C
cepting this scheme, the principal
representative of those interests de-
scribe it as conceding all that Ameri-
can interests could properly ask. The
provisions of the arrangement were,
as the United States ambassador is
aware, as follows:
"C) All cotton for which con-
tracts of sale and freight engage
ments have already been made before
the End of March is to be allowed
s-ee Cor bought at contract price if
stopped), provided the ship sails
not later than the 31st of March.
"(2) Similar treatment is to be
accorded to all cotton insured before
the 2nd Of March, provided it is put
on board not later than the 18th Of
| March.
"(9) All shipments of cotton
claiming the bove protection are to
be declared before sailing, and docu-
ments produced to, and certificates
obtained from consular officers or
other authority fixed by the govern
ment.
IS. Considerable shipments Of cot
ton have already been dealtn with
under this arrangement, and in GER
tain cases the dates specified have
been extended in favor Of American
shippers. The board of trade have
already paid sum exceeding 100000
pounds to various American claim
ants, and all claims are being and
will continue to be paid as rapidly
as they are presented and the proofs
of title can be checked. If. in some
cases, progress has been delayed this
has been due to the fact-which has
seriously embarrassed his MaJesty's
government-thata number of con-