New Britain herald., 1915-03-03

Hague conventions, which expressly
 authorizes such procedure and even l therein it will be noticed that our note
 says only that we cannot renounce 1 completely the use of such mines.
 ''The government is convinced that
 the American proposals furnish an
 acceptable basis for a practical solu- 1 ton of the present difficulties and
 problems of the maritime situatlon. Contents of American Note. London, March 3.-A dispatch to l Reuters Telegram company from 1 Amsterdam gives the contents of the l American note of February 22 to l Great Britain a1id Germany's reply 1 tn ereto. The notes were received in 1 Amsterdam in a dispatch from Ser l lin.
 l The Am erican note expresses the 1 hope that Great Britain and Germany | may by means of reciprocal conces- l sions, discover a basis of understand 1 ing, the result of which would tend ] to free ships engaged in neutral and f peaceful commerce from the serious 1 dangers to which they are exposed in i passing through the coastal waters of 1 the bellgerent countries.
 l This suggestion, the note proceeds
 to say, should not be considered as a
 proposal by the American government 1 whom it naturally does not behoove | to propose conditions for such an
 agreement though the question at is 1 sue has direct and far-reaching in
 terest for the government and people | of the United States.
 The note says the United States l Nn17f1 o1I tn toJy which it is convinced can be conced l ed to a sincere friend who is actuated by desire to cause inconvenience to
 neither of the two nations, and possi- bly, serve the common interests of hu- l manity
 l Suggestions Made. | The suggestion is made that Ger l many and Great Britain should agree, ! first, that isolated drifting mines l should not be laid by either party.
 that anchored mines should be laid
 exclusively for defensive purposes, within gun range of harbors, and that all mines should bear the mark l Of the government of origin and be so constructed as to become harmless after breaking loose from their an- | chorages.
 It IS suggested. second, that the supmarlnes of neither of the two gov ernments should be employed to at l tack merchant vessels of any nation alty, except for the purpose of car rylng out the right of holding them up and searching them;. and, third that mercantile ships of neither of the parties should employ neutral 1lags as a war ruse or for the purpose ] of conceallng their identity. Great Britain, it is suggested, should agree that foodstuffs shall not be placed on the list of absolute con- traband, and that the British authori- ties shall neither disturb nor hold up 1 cargoes of such goods when addressed
 to agencies in Germany, the names of which are communicated by the Unit ed States government for the purpose
 of receiving such goods and handing them over to licensed German retail CTS for further distribution eX-
 c!uslVely to the civic population.
 Germany, it is contended, should de- clare her agreement that foodstuffs from the United States, or any other neutral country, shall be addressed to such agencies.
 Finally, the American government says it wishes to safeguard itself against the idea that it either ac- nowledges or repudiates any right on the part of belligerents or neutrals esta blished on the principles of inter national law. The American gov ernment would rather regard such an agreement as a modus vivendi which is based more on suitableness than
 on legal right.
 The German Reply. The German reply to the note of
 the United States was dispatched last Sunday. It begins as follows: '"The German government has taken note of the American suggestion with l lively interest and sees therein new proof of friendly feelings, which are fully reciprocated by Germany The suggestion corresponds also the Ger man wishes that the naval war should be waged according to rules which without subjecting one or the other belligerent powers to one-sided re- strictions of methods of warfare would take into consideration the in- terests of neutrals as we'll as the laws of humanity.
 Tn this sense the German note of February 16 has already pointed out that the observance of the London declaration by Germanys enemies ta eli