The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-05-26
ORDER IN COUNCIL
NOT BINDING j. S.
United States Determined Not to
Recognize or Be Bound BY 1t.
TROUBLE OVER SHIPPING.
Foreign Trade Advisers Suspend
Conferences- Page to Inquire
About Memorandum.

Washington, May ZZ.-lne ueter-
mination of the United States Gov
ernment not to recognize or be bound
by the provisions of the British Or
der in council, which declared an
embargo on all commercial inter-
course directly with Germany, as well
as inward or outward-bound through
neutral countries, was manifested in
several ways to-day.
The foreign trade advisers of the
State department announced that
they had decided to suspend all con-
ferences with British embassy effici-
ais here with reference to the infor-
NAL arrangements which had been in
progress, not only to assist American
cotton exporters in obtaining pay
ment for cargoes detained, but also
to secure for American importers
American owned goods now in Ger
many, contracted for before the or
der in council went into effect. Sec
retary Bryan said this step had been
taken in order to secure a better un-
.derstanding with the British Govern
ment as to the capacity in which the
foreign trade advisers were acting.
Ambassador Page at London was
instructed also to inquire of the
British foreign office the meaning of
the statement made in the memoran-
dunn issued on Thursday that the
terms of an agreement between Am
erican cotton representative and the
British Government were acceptable
to the United States Government.
Sir CeciPs Views
Sir Cecil Spring-Rice, the British
ambassador here, called on Secretary
Bryan during the day to explain also
that he always had understood the
United States Government was not
to be considered as having recogniz-
ed the British order in council.
The decision of the trade advisers
to suspend their conferences, how
ever, was reached before the British
foreign office memorandum was is
sued and based on differences of a
practical character as to the ship
ment of American-owned goods from
Germany through neutral countries.
The text of the trade advisers state
ment follows:
Suspension of the conferences was
announced by the department in the
following statement. "In view of
the differences in the official confer
ences between Sir Walter Crawford,
the commercial adviser of the Bri-
tish embassy, and Robert F. Rose
and w. B. Fleming, the trade advis-
ers of the department of State, who
have been in personal capacity rep
resenting the importers of the United
States, Mr.. Rose and Mr.. Fleming
have decided that they cannot con-
tinue these conferences until certain
of the difficulties have been removed,
and they have therefore made full
report of what has taken place to
the department of State and will
await it's action"
American Owned Goods
While officials of the department
were reticent concerning differences
referred to by the trade advisers,
these are understood to relate to cor
rspondence between British officials
and the advisers offering a plan for
the treatment of the American-own-
ed goods. Originally the time limit
for the shipment out of Germany of
American goods ordered before
March l was set for June /, but the
British Government announced that
period had been extended until June
Is.
In granting that, British officials
are understood to have referred to it
as concession to the United States
and this, as we'll as other features of
the plan whereby American-owned
goods were to be shipped through
neutral ports from Germany to the
United States, were of such charac-
ter as to cause the State department