The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-02
"Daily Express" Accuses
Government Of Bungling
,ne Situation.
II HAD ONLY
8 MONTHS SUPPLY
s,,cia, Correspondence to Tns srs.

s,,cia, Correspondence TO THE srS.
roSnoN. June 1.-THE Daily Express.
which led the London newspapers In
calling TO the Governments attention
.to great danger in permitting the i'm
cor,ation Of cotton into Germany. prints
,o.aay an article on the cotton situation
.,,.a the war began. II is said that
n, that time Germany's supply OF cotton
-as sufficient to last only eight months,
=, tho end of which time. had no more
hsen available. the manufacture OF ex-
,,os,yes would v stopped automati-
caIlv. Even during the first few months
N the present year the Government re-
fused to regard the subject as one
ror,bv Of serious consideration. Mean
s,hile Germany was buying cotton from
,,e United States at double the peace
price.
1mportnnce Of Cotton.
The article, which is headed "Ammu-
e,tion for the Enemy" says In part:
81, Ia only by examining the facts In
t,s order in which they occurred that
Shs full magnitude Of the cotton mystery
can he appreciated.
.,Cotton il the essential material Tor
,ho manufacture of high explosives. yet
sor more thar ten months the authori-
les despite great and persistent pres
sure. have refused to declare II contra
hand OF war and nus prevent Germany
rbta.ning additional supplies. At hrst
they argued that .
Cotton VAS OF little Importance IN
" --.,t,ra ~ axnlnQiveQ
Germany had plenty Of cotton.
germany could use cotton rags.
"I.a,er the authorities admitted that
Imports Of raw cotton were essential
n Germany was to maintain her output
Of ammunition.
cotton was the one material which
Germany could not obtain without our
consent.
Cotton rags were out of the ques-
ton.
"Germany's stocks OF cotton must be
low. since she was willing to pay three
times the normal price for 1t.
THE final arguments put forward
we're:
EVERY possible effort was being made
% pr,vent cotton reaching Germany
ard the steps taken were completely ell
~fect!ye.
Even II was obtaining cot
ton the advantage was on our side, Tor
sse was paying in gold for 1t and thus
d~epleting her resources.
Effect Of Legal Quibbles.
This lawyers alternative pleading
might have been effective in a lawsuit
Ia which the Judge ordered the jury to
shu, their eyes TO some OF the facts.
but legal bubbles have little weight In
a. ArkF for ANfStAnRa Tha hFQt DI me
Two arguments has been proved to be
entirely untrue. not only by the mere
fact that the second was put forward.
but by official figures.
IN these circumstances little impor-
lance can be attached to the second.
Germany herself can best Judge whether
It is worth her while TO exchange gold
for cotton. and she has never mani
tested the slightest doub on the sub
1ect.
AT an early stage OF the war it was
estimated that Germany had less han
$500 tons of cotton In stock, ana
that her expenditure averaged 1000 tons
q day. This meant hi unless she OBJ
tanned fresh supplies. at the end OF
eight months she would be without am
,nunition.
Here was an astonishing chance for
us 10 win the war. Chemists. engineers
and experts of all kinds drew attention
10 II again and again. Yet we refused
10 seize II. Instead We practically sup
pied Germany with enough ammunitio
10 last several years by allowing her
. 10 obtain as much cotton as she pleased
to purchase.
Record American Crop.
, The facts are as simple as they are
extraordinary. In the frst fortnight In
December II was announced that the
American crop would be n record one.
On December /, Senator Smith Of South
Carolina stated In Washington that he
had been advised by a prominent cotton
house in Bremen that there was a large
market in Germany for cotton and that
two-thirds OF the normal supply could be
utilized In the country AZ once II Amer
lean vessels could be found to transport
Il.
American dealers did not let the OPP
nortun!ry slip by. In less than a week
il was announced in London that the
steamers Greenbrier and FL Monte were
carrying cotton direct from the United
states to Germany.
"Edrly in January American cotton
prices began to advance rapidly. and the
German Government offered TO pay for
consignments at twice the usual peace
'ate. Private protests were made to the
Government In vain and on January 29
Sir william Ramsay uttered the first
public warning, pointing out that to
place cotton on the contraband list wac
a necessity IL We wished to cripple the
resources OF the enemy, Nothing was
done.
\ the beginning OF February Sir j.
D. Rces, NJ. T., asked a question about
II tuf matter VI. Wng in FOFmGH in n written