Bisbee daily review., 1916-07-23

number of criticisms which the pub lication of a list of S7 American in dividuals and firms with which Eng fish firms are forbidden to do busi- ness under tn etrading with the enc my act, has met with in America and here, Laming Worthington Evans. chief of the department of foreign trade of the foreign office. made the following statement to the Associated Press today:
 One Point of View
 "The statutory list has been com piled from one point of view only. namely, to prohibit British citizens from supporting firms which are strengthening our enemies. The test applied before putting a firm domi- ciled in America on the statutory list is this:
 "Is the firm by it's business opera tions strengthening our enemies? If so then British firms may not sup port it.
 Tt is one of the principal lessons of the world war that the strength ofa belligerent does not consist only in the resources and supplies avail able in its own territories, but also on which she can draw for supplies.
 "Can It Fairly?"
 "Can it then be said fairly that when the British government is fully aware of these activities it should do nothing to frustrate them? Can it be claimed fairly that. instead of en- deayoring to frustrate they. they should be ctually assisted by British firms, British cables, British banks and British shipping lines.
 Tt is true that big business is done with German affiliations over the world, firms which have attained great proportions. and to cut off this by means Of the blacklist means a certain amount of inevitable loss. But the government considered that the loss to British trade would be much less than the loss caused to the enc my, and besides that, the sacrifice involved is necessary in the interests of the allies.
 Beyond Dispute?
 Moreover, from strictly legal points of view, the blacklist system is a piece of purely domestic legislation which simply prohibits British sub jects from dealing with certain per sons. The right of any government to impose such prohibition on its own nationals is hardly open to dis pute.
 Objection has been taken to the unpleasant publicity given the iis, but without such publicity. far more damage would be likely to result tC trade. Before the adoption of the stat utory blacklist, there was an unOffi- cial blacklist in existence. EXperi ence has shown that uncertainty or the part of both British and neutra traders as to who is and who is moi on the blacklist would be more in jurious to commerce than the publ cation of the blacklist which enables everyone to know exactly where h' is. It is for this reason that step. are being taken to give the list a! | much publicity as possible.
 'In trade matters nothing inter feres with business so much as un certainty and it was to avoid thi' | general interference that the polio! of prohibition with the firms listed was adopted.
 Tt has been said that it was ; blunder to publish the list when French loan was under way. Clearly l it would have been a blunder to in | clude the friends of our French al lies, but it is suggested that thii blunder has been committed. Look a the list. Who are included? Is ther' one among them who has not showr in unmistakable measure that his sym pathies, and more still. his active ser | vices, are given not to our Frencl allies and ourselves, but to our enc | mics.
 Only "Enemies" Included "It is indeed only those who have shown unmistakably that they ar' enemies. or acting for enemies, whC are included. So we need not feai 1 that the friends of our French allie, will be prejudiced in those firms. 'I see it is said in the city tha | opinion is not unanimous. That ma, be well so, for the city is put to in the course of its business, and nat | urally unless the city knows the fact' upon which the including of any par ticular firms in the statutory list i' | based. it may sometimes see mere! | the inconvenience and not the jus | tice or necessity.
 "All the facts were careful! | weighed before the decision was ar rived at and I have no doubt ther' is not a name on the list which i not there on evidence that fully jus