New-York tribune., 1915-03-02
Premier Makes State
mentOf British Plan
for ReprisaI.
MAY STOP ALL
TRADE BY SEA
Kaiser's Answer to u. ).
Leaves Door Open for
Concessions.
NOT YET TIME
TO TALK PEACE
Prime Minister Says War Will
Cost England SS,500,000 a
Day by April |.

London. March If the combined
fleets OF Great Britain and France can
prevent it, no commodities Of any kind
except those now on the seas shall
henceforth until the conclusion Of the
war, reach or leave the shores OF Ger
many.
This is Englands answer TO Ger
manys submarine blockade, and IL ia
effective forthwith.
Premier Asquith, reading from
prepared statement, made this an
nouncement in the House Of Commons
this afternoon at session which will
be historic. Studiously avoiding the
terms BLOCKADE" and ''contraband"-
for these words occur nowhere in the
prepared statement--the Premier eX
planned that after this day the Allies
considered themselves justified in at
tempting, and would attempt, ito de-
tain and take into port ships carrying
goods of presumed enemy destination,
ownership or origin"
The Premier emphasized however,
that vessels and cargoes so seized were
not necessarily liable to conhscstion.
and begged tho patience of neutral
countries in the face of step through
which they were likely TO suffer. ue
added that in making such step the
Allies had acted in selfdefence.
Confident Of Right
I'VE are quite prepared Mr.. Asquth
went on. "to submit TO the arbitration
Of neutral opinion, and still more 10
the verdict of impartial history, that
in the circumstances In which we have
been placed we have been moderate n
we have been restrained; We have alb Y
stained from things that We were pro
voked and tempted to do. and we have
adopted policy which commends it
self 20 reason, to common sense and to
justice"
Mr. Asquith's Statement.
Premier Asquiths formal statement
was as follows:
Germany has declared the English
Channel. the north and west coasts OF
France and the waters around the
British Isles a war area. and has
officially given notice that all enemy
ships found in that area will be de
stroyed and that neutral vessels may
lie exposed to danger
Torpedoing at Sight.
This is in effect a claim to torpedo
at sight, without regard TO the safety
of the crew or passengers, any meT-
chant vessel under any flag. As it il
not in the power of the German Ad-
miralty to maintain any surface craft
in these waters, the attack can only
be delivered by submarine agency.
The law and customs of nations in
regard TO attacks on commerce have
always presumed that the first duty o.
the captor Of merchant vessel Is
bringing it before prize court, where
il may be tried and where regularities
of the capture may be challenged and
where neutrals may recover their
cargo. The sinking of prizes is in
itself questionable act, TO be resort
ed TO only in extraordinary circum-
stances and after provision has been
made for the safety of all crews and
passenger.
Obligation on Belligerent.
The responsibility Of discriminating
between neutral and enemy vessels and
between neutral and enemy cargoes OBJ
yiously rests with the attacking ship,
whose duty il is TO verify the status
of the vessel and cargo and to preserve
all papers before sinking or capturing
the ship. So also the humane duty 10
provide for the safety of crews Of mer-
chant vessels. whether neutral or en-
envy. Is an obligation on every bellig-
erent.
at is upon this basis that all pre-.
yous discussions of Law for regulat-
ing warfare have proceeded. The Ger
man submarine fulhls none Of these
obligations. She enjoys no local com
mand of the waters wherein she op-
crates. She does not take her captive
within the jurisdiction Of prize court.
She carries no prize crew, which eau
be put aboard prizes which she selZes.
She uses no effective means OF dis.
eliminating between neutral and enemy
vessels She does not receive on board
for safety the crew of the vessel she
sinks. Her methods of warfare. there
fore. are entirely outside the scope OF
any international instruments regulst-
ing operations against commerce ln
time OF war.
The German declaration substitutes
indiscrimnate destruction for regu
lated captures. Germany has adopted
this method against the peaceful trader
and the n-combatant with the avowsd
object of preventing commodities of all
kinds, including food for the civilian
population, from reaching or leaving
the British Isles or Northern France.
Her opponents are therefore driven to
frame retallatory measures in order in