The Hattiesburg news., 1915-09-28
SWEDEN INSISTS ON
FREEDOM OF SEAS
If AGREEMENT is REACHED WITH
ENGLAND IT WILL BE
INCLUDED.
(Bg Associated Press.)

| >O~-fo
factory understanding regarding
Swedish imports and the transit OF
supplies to Germany, this understand
ing will not be reached through any
Swedish concession or alterations oil
her demands to be treated as a neu
tral nation enjoying the freedom Of
the seas, according to the statement
made today to The Associated Press
by Eric de Trolle, president of the
Royal Trade Commission, former min
lister of foreign affairs, and at present
member of the English-Swedish com.
mission engaged in attempting to set.
tie the trade dispute.
Sweden cannot and will not sur
render to English demands restrictine
her commerce." said de Trolle. "in
order to help England in her indus
trial war against Germany. If she
did this,1 not only would Sweden suf-
fer industriously herself, but she
would become virtually an ally of Eng
land. The last consideration is the
more important since Sweden would
no longer be strictly neutral nation.
IF she permits the transit of sup
plies between England and Russia and
joins in any attempt to prevent the
transit of supplies to Germany she
is becoming an important base of sup
plies for the allies and is at the same
time really entering into the war
against. Germany. Sweden's modest
desire Is to be allowed to carry on her
normal industry and to observe a
strict neutrality-which means help.
ing neither side in a military or in
dustrial way, to the exclusion of the
other. In this point of view she diff
fers with the United States which is
supplying England alone. Sweden
does not consider this real neutral
ity. Her position, from which she
will not recede is an absolutely neu-
trail attitude toward all combattants.
1T is logical, therefore, that we
should hold up supplies destined for
Russia while England's stoppage of
our imports of raw materials inter-
feres with our industry and trade with
Germany. We are sorry that Russia
Is forced to wait for her supplies
which have accumulated here but
while our ships are being held in Eng
land prize courts, we think the action
entirely justifiable.
IF it were only a commercial uues-
tion, Sweden might find it possible to
yield to England's demands, but since
1t is primarily a political question of
not allying ourselves with either side,
We cannot yield. We are, however,
not hopeless regarding the solution
Of our dispute with England. Sweden
Is not unconscious of the English
view point or the necessity which
compels her to adopt her present atti-
tude regarding the shipping of ma
terials to Germany. She wishes to
restrict our imports as much as pos
sible. Both our members and the Eng.
lish members of the commission have
recently made proposals which may
lead to c satisfactory adjustment Of
the question of restricting our i'm
ports.
There is no quarrel about the ex.
port to Germany of our own home
manufactures or of the articles which
are not placed on the Swedish pro-
hibitory list-although England may
think that the export is excessive.
But | may say, without violating the
secrecy of the negotiations which are
still under way, that the chief OBJ
stacle is the question of the excep-
tions which we are bound to make to
our prohibitory export list in the way
Of special licenses. granted to Ger
many. In order to get supplies which
are absolutely necessary to us, we
must give in exchange TO Germany
some of the articles on our forbidden
list. It troubles the English because
we cannot produce Statistics showing
the exact amount and character OIL
goods shipped to Germany under
these conditions. The publication of
such figures would lead to obvious
Moreover, we cannot guarantee, as
England would like to- have us do,
hat supplies will not under any con-
iitions be sent into Germany. Not
'nly would we suffer from not being
lble to get what we need from Ger
many, but we would then be partisan
o England.
"As to the assertion that our i'm
'orts have increased beyond our own
apacity for consumption since the
eginning of the war. this ia NOT gem