Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-01-29
PLENTY Of WORK
At This TINE
Foreign Office Kept Busy With
Items Concerning War
Privileges.

LOnOOn Jan. ZS.-ln BRUSH Tor
eign office, which is in correspondence
with the Department of State in the
United States concerning the treat
ment of neutral shipping, is the most
interesting departmental headquarters
Of the government outside the war Of
flee and the admiralty.
Previous to the declaration of war,
the foreign office had it's work divided
according to geographical lines, but
with the wal so many special ques.
tons arose that the working force was
completely reOrganiZed with special
subjects-contraband, passports, citi-
zenship and treaties.
Much Work Ahead.
The usual conditions still swamp
some of these departments with work,
but gradually the business is being sys-
tematized and the under secretaries
expect that delays, which have been a
cause of much irritation, will be avoid
ed. In the c%ontraband department it
is believed many times the amount Of
business that, any other government
was ever called upon to do in this line
is being handled.
Sir Edward Grey has converted one
of the big waiting rooms at the foreign
office into quarters for this depart.
ment and scores of special clerks and
other employees have been designated
for duty there. The coordination of
the foreign office and the admiralty in
disp0sig of contraband cases has fire.
quently been hindered by red tape. But
steps have been taken to eliminate this
and from now on the foreign office
promises a speedier handling of such
cases.
Demands Time.
Francis Dyke Acland, ranking under
secretary of the foreign office, is often
OF duty from ten in the morning until
midnight. Telegraphers and code men
working in eight hour relays are on
duty throughout the twenty-four hours
and it is not unusual for the foreign
office to have $50 messages every
eight hours. Many of these are long
and their translation from code de.
mands time and hard work.
When it is taken into considera-
ton that Kirkwall, in the Orkney Is-
lands, and practically every port in
the south and west of England are
filled with ships held for investiga-
ton some idea a be formed of the
messages which must be exchanged
daily concerning suspected contra.
band held in the English Isles alone.
AS the navy is equally active in the
waters near all the colonies and the
French navy is guarding Mediter-
ranean trade against contraband des-
tined for the enemies of the Allies,
messages from all parts of the world
concerning shipping problems mono.
polizes the cables and indicate the
responsibilities entailed.
Many Messages Daily.
The United States. Sweden, Nor.
way, Denmark, Holland and Italy
have been especially affected by the
efforts of the allies to prevent con-
traband from reaching Germany and
sometimes representatives of all
these countries present grievances in
a single day. South American diplo-
matists and the representatives of
other neutrals less affected by the
rigorous policy of the. admiralty are
also frequent callers upon Sir Edward
Grey and his chief assistants.
= The suggestion in a published dis
patch from any section of the world
that some country has permitted an
act which might be regarded as a VIC.
lation of neutrality instantly inspires
a visit to the foreign office from the
representative CT the power mention
ed. ~
OF the European neutrals, the Meth.
erlands' minister, Mr.. Van Swinder.
en-, for years the Dutch representa-.
tive in Washington, has been most
persistent in keeping the position of
his government before the foreign of.
flee. As the neutral dinlomats en-.