Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-09-16
U. S. Sitting British Order Re-
straining Commerce to
Scandinavians and Dutch.
EMBASSY HERE CONTENDS
NO CHANGE is WROUGHT
Holds View Shipments Covered by
Letters of Assurance Will
Not Be Stopped.

While the State Department is
investigating the latest British
order restraining commerce to
Norway, Sweden, Denmark and
Holland, officials are in some
doubt as to whether it affects
American goods already covered
by letters of assurance through
the operation of the Netherlands
overseas trust.
: British embassy officials say it does
not. They say that no change so fun
damental as that reported in London
dispatches could possibly have been
made without notification to them
here.
Cablegram Only Information.
The only official information before
the State Departments cablegram
from Consul General Skinner dated
September 11-seems to support the
view that the new order actually
works no change, for 1t says "it is pre-
sumed that American goods already
covered by letters of assurance will
not be stopped"
The message from Consul General
Skinner follows:
Announcement has been made that
no further export licenses or other ia
cilities will be given until October l,
or until further notice, by the British
government for the shipment of the
following goods to the countries
named:
'Denmark-Animal oils and fats,
apricot kernels, borate of lime. borax
and boron compounds, bristles, egg
yolk and albumen, grass seeds. hair,
meat, sago. starches. sulphur, pow
cered tale, tapioca, tea, vegetable
fbers, vegetable oils and oil seeds (ex-
Guiding soya seeds).
''Norway-Beef castings, borax and
borax compounds, cocoa, coffee, nickel
pitch, sheepskins, powdered tale, tar
and tar oil.
"Sweden-Antimony, apricot kernels,
binder twine. bristles, carnauba, wax,
casing. cocoa, cerkwood, coffee, dried
fruit. gums Except shellac), hair,
honey, leather. margarine traw mate
rails used in manufacture of, meat,
peach kernels, plum kernels, rice, rosin,
spices, starches. sisaI, steel (high
SPEEDY, tea, turpentine and turpentine
oil.
Observation-Disclosures, bristles, eggs,
egg yolk and egg albumen. fish oil, fruit,
nuts and kernels. gums hair. honey
matches. pitch. preserved and canned
goods. sulphur. spirits, spices. starches,
rubber and baiate. powdered tale. tar,
vegetable fibers and yeast.
the shipment of goods named are di-
rected to communicate with the war
trade department.. The FOREGOING re-
strictions have been agreed to by the
allies and applied to shipments from
the United States. The articles mem
toned are those which have been sup
piled to the countries concerned in guam
titles alleged to exceed the normal re-
quirements of such countries. AS stocks
decline articles will be removed from
the list Of prohibition.
The Netherlands Overseas Trust
has been advised to issue no further
permits for goods covered by this no.
tice- II is presumed that American
goods already covered by letters of as
surance will not be stopped
Absolutely no change of policy has
been made by England in months, ac-
cording to officials of the British en-
bassy.
The plan to allow only enough i'm
ports into neutral states contiguous
to Germany to provide them with such
a stock of goods al they consumed be-
fore the war, the British officials say,
has been in operation for many months.
lHey point out tHdI WneH the maxi
mum stock in any country is reached
no more letters of assurance" are
given to Americans and no more Ii
censes are given to British exporters.
Curtails U. s. Shipments.
LONDON. September IA tdelayed).-
The plan of rationing the neutral coun-
tries of Norway, Sweden. Denmark and
under which no further licenses
will be granted for the present to Brit
ish exporters. has been extended to ap-
ply to the United States by the ex-
pedients Of refusing to allow the Meth
erlands Oversee Trust to accept fur
declining to grant letters Of assurance
for American shipments destined for
these countries.
In consequence, American shipments
for Holland will be stopped absolutely.
while the regular transportation COM
panies trading between the United
States and Scandinavia will not take
cargoes without assurances of their in
nocent destination by the authorities.
tramp steamers are hard
ing in the prize court of any cargo
they might accept.
Two Reasons for Action.
Neutral diplomats here believe two
reasons induced the British government
to take this action. The first Is the SIM
plicity of the plan. which enables the
to control supplies at the
source The second is the growing bill
with which Great Britain is being
pressed by neutral governments for
demurrage and other expenses incurred
by taking suspected ships Into kirkwall
and other ports for examination.
SO far as is known, no machinery exists
at present for adjusting these claims, as
many Of these cargoes never actually
reach the prize court. When shippers ask
for compensation they are referred to the
prize court, which thus far has declined
to consider their claims on the ground
that they have no standing in court.
q. 8. Inquiry Is Expected.
1t is expected that Washington will
make an inquiry in regard to this mat
ter, especially as to the Amarican schoon-
ers which were taken into Lerwick and
released after being detained for several
weeks. No charges were preferred against
them.
Another blockade measure which also
probably will interest Washington is the
recent Arrangement under which bureaus
were set up In England and France for
granting licenses for exchange OF goods