The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-19

tries now occupied with f,Sfilling orders
 from belligerent or neutral nations, prin-
 eipally on account of the war, is driven
 to its full capacity.
 The Question of Neutrality
 At the time of the war between Russia
 and Japan, Russia approached the lead
 ing shipbuilding industries of the United states with offers to purchase a number of submarines. At that time the United
 States conformed strictly to the princi- pies of neutrality. But there was no
 thought, either in the minds of the ad-
 ministration at Washington or of the
 American shipbuilders. that the execution of an order for submarines designed for
 belligerent nation with which the United
 States was at peace was violation of
 the spirit or of the written law of neu-
 trality.
 The order was accepted. The shipbuild-
 CTS who received the contract demon
 strated by actual experiment that it was
 possible to construct submarine in three
 weeks time. In the trade there has been a suspicion that in the contract MT.
 Schwab made with the British war of
 flee it was provided that some of the
 material which was to be assembled in
 Great Britain into perfected submarine
 form was promised to be made and de-
 livered within three weeks time. That
 suspicion may be unfounded and it is now
 of no consequence whether 1t was well
 founded or not. But demonstration has
 heen made by American shipbuilders that
 1t is possible to construct a complete sub-
 marine in three weeks time
 Under Her Own Steam One of the submarines ordered by Rus sia of American shipbuilders was com pieted within short time and an exper- mental test of the boat working under her own steam was made with completely satisfactory results. Russia gladly ac- cepted these American products and there was at no time any question of the right of American manufacturers to accept and execute the order. Of course. manufac- turers or shipbuilders who accept orders from belligerent nations also accept the risks.
 Probably there will be no further em- bargo, moral or forcible, placed by the government upon the export of any com modities which belligerent nations may or der in the United States. The great au- thorities upon international law and espe-
 cially that department of it which relates to neutrality, are without exceptio, con. vinced that the law of nations does not provide that a government can prohibit on neutrality grounds the export of con- traband of war. Professor Toolsey of
 Yale, worthy heir of his fathers world Wide reputation as an authority upon in- ternational law, has recently asserted that neutrals have rights as we'll as du. ties. and that it is well within the rights or the citizens of a neutral country to sell commodities to belligerent nations which are recognized as contraband of war. Ii they do this they subject the contra md
 to the danger of capture and confiscatior and cannot turn to the government foI protection.
 Probably many of the orders which the great industries are now occupied ir
 iiillng will have been exported or ready
 Tor export by early spring. Some of then VIII require long time to complete when these orders are met they are sure to be immediately followed by others
 The establishment of very great credits lh New York, of which announcement,
 mas Just been made, is sufficient proof that heavy demands by belligerent ant neutral nations upon the United States accustomed by the European war will not chly continue but be increased until the war ends. After peace comes there VII De other demands, some of them of q financial character and some of them with intent to secure material with which tt make good the waste and devastation O, war.