The Johnson City comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1916-1917, 1916-09-14
As
TRADE WEAPON
BRITISH ADMITS OPENING MAILS
NO LONGER WAR PURPOSE
STRONG PROTEST CERTAIN
AN EXTENSION OF THE BRITISH
MAIL CENSORSHIP

Washington, Sept. S.-EXtension OF
the British mail censorship from iJs
original purpose Of destroying all
rade to or from Germany to the field
of providing data for Great Britain
right for commercial supremacy is
seen here in admission made by Da-
yid I.luyd-George, the war secretary,
before Parliament, just received IN
full in this country. L.oyd-GeofSe
"It is the pactice to communicate
to other departments concerned any
information on matters of public in
terest which may be obtained through
the censorship for such use to be
made of it'll as the particular depart
ment may consider advisable. The
government is perfectly within rights
in using any information which comes
to it in these conditions for any pub
lie and natniontl purposes
This statement, made recently in re
sponse to questions by members OF
the House of Commons. created a stir
there. 1t apparently had been CEN
sored out of cable dispatches to the
United States. When asked about the
matter tonight Secretary Lansing
said it had been called to the atten-
ton of the state department officially
but declined to make any comment at
this time.
It is understood, however, that the
department will take a most serious
view of Lloyd Georges Interpretation
of the British war Offices power, and
will protest more vigorously than eY-
er against interference with neutral
mails on the high seas. Although the
American government has contendtd
strongly against the wholesale detan-
ton and seizures of mail between
neutral countries, as in violation 0i
international law, so far there has
been no formal charge that improper
use was being made of information
cleaned from opening neutral CORE
spondence.
Officials here already were veXed
at England's long delay in answering
the American censorship note of May
26. and it is probable that any inquiry
into the new development will eE-
press that feeling. A brief prelimin-
ary note was received July 90, but it
was inConclusive.
1t is pointed out that the war min
ister's attitude appears OF be in flat
contradiction to that expressed ny
Lord Robert Cecil, minister of trade,
and reiterated emphaticaly in his
statement August 25, saying:
It cannot be emphasized too
strongly that the general and statisti-
cal information extracted from trade
letters. which has proved 50 inya!u-
able to His Majesty's government In
checking the supply of material sent
through neutral to enemy countries
and suppressing the export of enemy
goods, is used for these purposes sole
/ ly and never for the purpose of sub
sitting allied trade for neutral.
Lloyd-George's statement arose, not
in connection with enemy trade ol
imports to neutral countries, but en-
tisely in regard to an attempt to builo
I'D a protective tariff wall for new
British industry against competitor
by importations from neutral coun'
try. Some days before Andrew 30
mar Law had requested a pound eX
port tax on palm nut kernels iron
British West Africa to all places, bl
England. where new industry hat
been built up to replace the lost Ger
man markets. During his argumen
he said that information Indicate
that competition would come frol
, that source and that the export ia
would be necessary to preserve tn
t industry to the country.
! Later a member of Parliament ask
e ed Lloyd-George whether he wa
aware that when the censorship wa
f instituted. we were told it was defif
Il itely and solely for the object Of pr
+ venting information getting to I'll
enemy which would be of advantae
to them and that otherwise the fre'
dom of discussion and the secrecy
. correspondence would not be infrini
A ed" The war minister replied th
he did not know what principle WI
n laid down, but that the governme
10 could use any information thus seeu
D ed for any public national purpose.
- Questions at once flashed from Sc
,s eral parts of the chamber. 9Re me
a. ber asked him if it was necessary "
h. divulge private letters which the ce
t. sor has thought it necessary to stoI
* Another wanted to know whether
is the intention of the department.