Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-08-05
PREPARED TO REFUTE
BRITISH ASSUMPTION
State Department. Has Elaborate Sta
tistics Covering Recent Claim as
to Increased Expectations.
TO BE USED IN WILSON'S REPLY
England Has Insisted That Many
Goods Shipped to Neutral COun-
tries Have Been Finding Their
Way Into Germany and Austria.

WASHINGTON. August 4.--The state
! department has assembled elaborate
statistics to refute the British assun,n-
ton that increased expor,a,iops FROM
the United states to neutral Euronean
countries indicate that some OF these
goods nnd their way into Germany and
austria. The figures will he included
| III preliminary draft being prepared
for President Wilson. of the replv to
the three British notes made nuhlic
! yesterday.
HAS MADE STI-Dy
! OF TRADE CONDITIONS
| The state Department has made a
study OF trade conditions between tho
United States and neutral Europea n
countries and the Department OF Com
| merce has investigated Scandinavian
and Dutch trade. 4 report on the for
eign trade of Great Britain for the six
/ months ended June 30. also has been
| received from Consul General skinner
at London. 1t shows that exports TO
the scandinavian countries and Hol- :
land have increased since the war be-
gan along the same lines as American
exports to those countries
The report also shows that while
Great Britains exports decreased in the
| first six months Of 1915, as COMPARED to
the same period of 1914. imports in
! creased Re-exports during June. the
i first month during which the British
order in council was fully effective,
showed an increase of s2.9n4S3S
In cotton, one Of the much disputed
articles in the trade Great Britain's
imports increased by l.3l4.5eo centals
! OF liz pounds each. OF the re-exports
| OF cotton Consul General Skinner said {:
Holland and Sweden each took about
five times as much cotton in June. 1915.
a in June, 1914. and during the past
| half year Sweden received 1883 CEN
tails and Holland 259.62S centals Of cot
| ton as against 1852 ccntals and 1873
centals respectively in the same period
of 1915"
Large increases in all lines of cot
ton goods and cotton yarns from Great
Britain to Sweden, Norway Denmark
and the Netherlands during the first
six months OF 1915 are shown. De-
spite a general decrease in exports Of
manufacture copper. Great Britain
sent Norway 81 tons in 1918 as against
forty-eight tons in 1914. Increased
American copper exports TO Scandi-
| navian countries have been cited by
Great Britain to sustain her contcn-
tion.
DETERMINED TO PRESS
INFORMAL NEGOTIATIONS
Encouraged by the announcement
from London that a part of the cargo
of the steamer Neches had been re-
leased. officials determined to-day to
press informal negotiations to secure
an agreement that would release all
the vast quantity OF American bound
commodities on Rotterdam docks. The
British note in the Nechcs case set
forth that II II is alleged that in par
ticular cases and special circumstances
| hardshps may be indicted on citizens
OF neutral countries, His Majesty's
| government are ready in such cases to
examine the facts in spirit OF con-
sideration for neutrals."
In line with this assurance. the for
eiEn trade advisers of the State Depart
| ment are forwarding to London aff1-
davits covering hundreds OF individual
cases in which they allege that hard
ships are being inflicted. The State
Department is hopeful OF results in
many OF these cases.