The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-03-16
WILL DRAW GORDON
AROUND GERMANY
British Plan to Make the Blockade
Complete Austria and Turkey
Are Not Included.

LONDON. March l6.-Great Britain
made known to the world Yesterday III
a formal proclamation. signed in coun-
ell bN the king and issued from Buck
ingham palace. how she proposes to
sever all the arteries OF sea commerce
TO and from Germany during the pc
Rod Of the war. As III Premier As
quith $ speech forecasting the order,
| the term blockade is not used and
no prohibited area is defined. Never
| thelcss tho text Of the order makes
| plain England S purpose - to prevent
commodities of any kind from reaching
| or leaving Germany during the war.
| British officials last night frankly
called the movement a blockade, the
! foreign office describing it as an effec
tive blockade, differing from the eff
| fectivc hockades of history only in
| that the property seized VIII not be
contiscated outright but sold, the pro
cceds eventually going 10 the owncrs.
! In the last clausc- Of the defamation
| is the proposal most interesting to neu-
trails. This is a tlat agreement to lift
| the blockade in ease any nation
will certify that the ships flying its
flag shall not carry goods To Germany,
or originating therein or belonging TO
subjects Of the German empire
1t is notable that the order declares
no intention to capture ships of Ger
many allies. Austria and Turkey, the
reason being. no doubt that the meas
ure j. avovc1ly a reprisal against the
German Submarine warfare However
2 Gordon of ships will he maintained
to shut eff the commerce of German
ports and regulate trade in the war
zone. although ships voya9ing east
ward across the Atlantic will. il is OK
pectcd, be seized before they reach the
North sea. When 4 neutral vessel j,
heidi mp. i'm all case. except where
there is 81 false declaration Of dcStina
tIon, on other attempt at subterfu9a
the cargo only win he seized. pruvid
I'll it IL not contraband.
\ ropv OF the ordcr-iu-couuciI was
handed 10 the American cnrnasaadol
last might for transmission to Wash
, in@tom. Tho foreign Office emphasize
! the fact that wide discretion is allow
r eel prize courts handling neutral claims
Prominent officials urge upon ncutra
r. governments to bear in mind tina
: many power, are conferred by the or
der or the officers iutIustcd with tn
disposition Of detained cargoe& and in
, >tructions will hC given these men L
. net with the greatest dispatch. consist
- eat with the proper performance .
their ta>ks
? The elasticity of tho order in so IA
- it affects neutraIs is pointed out h
!, the foreign office. which has called N
i tWtion from the first announcement o
@ til" repriaad policy to the fact that tn
I regulations are not inflexible wher
n the lights Of ucutrals are concerne,
II While the order is absolute in "a ia
g as ships to and from German ports IN
y concerned. using the word .tmust i
Istipulatiu@ how Goods shall Toe ia
1t charged in English ports. the PROV
l. Siop> concerning carg0cS destined t,
D. neutral ports set forth that the
> may be required to discharge
o. British ports. This language Is typict
,c Of tb" general attitude of British of
u cial0 toward neutral trade.