Norwich bulletin., 1916-04-21
Forecast of Note
 of Entente Allies
REPLYING TO AMERICAN PRO-
 TEST AGAINST BLocADE
LONG AND TECHNICAL
Said to Treat Subject on a Purely Legal Basis, Relying Largely on Preeedents Laid Down by United States During the Civil War.

Washington, April 2O.-According to authentic information reaching Wash ington. Great Britain and France. in their joint note replying to the Ameri- can protest against interferences with neutral trade, make no attempt to dis pute principles contended for by the United States but insist that those principles have been given legal in depreciation and application by the al. lies in their blockade of Germany and Austria.
 Relies on Precedents-
 This note, which will be handed to the state department withi nthe next day or two by the British or French ambassador, is understood to be lang and extremely technical, treating the whole subject on a purely legal basis and relying largely upon the prece- dents laid down by the United States in the Civil war. It is said the allies assume that the United States gov ernment does not contend that it has the right to ship goods without re- striction into Germany or Austria through contiguous neutral countries, such as Holland, Sweden and Denmark. Limiting of Imports Into Neutral Countries.
 The concession of the right to block ] ade an enemy country which is uni versalIy regarded as necessarily car N admission of goods to the neutral country, evidently destined to he trans ferred to the enemy. Consequently 1t ' is contended that a neutral country. | be of use to Grmany and Austria to | tn amount normally consumed in the | neutral country.
 Right to Search Vessels. Moreover it is argued that an incl | dent to the exercise of this right of | regulation of imports is the right to ] search vessels approaching the neutral country. In this connection the allies hold that while in early days 1t was ! possible to conduct such a search al ! sea. conditions of modern sea traffic have made this impossible: hence j. has become necessary to take tho neutral ship to the nearest convenient por' where the cargo Tuay be eNsrrinei This IS the exploitation offered for thu lapparCnt unreasonable diversion oi many ships from their regular cours,
 and what has been complained Of as ar
 unnecessary delay in SC .rca.
 Ships Papers Are Not Reliable. | Another polE: made by the allies i. that the character of ships paper. have changed completely owing to thu
 modern commercial methods so tha no longer can they be relied upon [; ! supriy a.. the evidence ne .cssrry tS
 es-'ll'sn the character of a cargo ana Us liability SO seizuT-.
 | The practice Of Corsivning goods (,
 order or to iudIvidugls in neutral Coun tries who are not the real consumer
 of the goods but are actually distrib
 utin- agents and foTwa-Ge~S to the cn
 tmy countries. the allies insist. ha
 made it necessary in cases where neut ral ships are detained to refer thei 1 cases to prize courts for examination l l instead of accepting the ships paper
 at their face value.
 . Prize Courts Governed by Internations Law.
 Complaint by the United States tha , the prize courts cannot be recognize as competCnt to render final decision the cases of sized or detained vessel and carSoes is met by reference to tn
 recent decision in England to the ef , feet that prize courts must he govern
 ed by the principles of internations
 order and where orders in council con
 fiict the latter must give way. Right of Appeal. There is also. it is pointed out. a
 acknowledgment of the right of . neutral power whose shin is seized
 appeal to the highest judicial tribun;
 and even to take up the case diplomat - Ideally, if dissatisfied. This. it is point s ed out, was the position assumed | - the United States during the Civil ws = { m lne lslil.rus ItEInuul cases. Wnt z the British government waited tirS . years for a decision of the TritC State supreme court in the SprinGbC
 case.
 Il Finishing Touches to be Added. $ Some finishing touches are to - added to the joint note upon the IT Q ceipt of further data by cable fro
 London and Paris and the docume, if then will be presented to Secretal
 I TauSfupr by Ann ba ss1 dorS JrrSSer-1r IT and SpTing-RiCe, and arrangemen
 made for it's simultaneous publicatiC
 in Europe and America
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