The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-07-24

to soldiers Tn the IrencneS. There was also started an unusual trade in cop per "headstones'' for German graves. | The government by this time, how ever, had gotten wise and the grave | "stenes' were stepped and eenfiscat- ed:
 It Is freely asserted here that many | of the merchants who in the earlier | days of the war gave guarantees to l Great Britain openly announced after wards that they did not consider the guarantee binding inasmuch as Eng 1 land had ne right in international law | to ask for such agreements. The sit- iuation became so bad as te lead King iGustave to make this statement in a speech from the throne: |
 During the present conditions I have judged it appropriate to cause an investigation. to be made with re- gard to increased possibilities of legal prosecution against those entering in- to relations with foreign states injuri- ous to our country, or dishonesty pro- fitting from the bad times" 7 This state of affairs also led to the creation in Sweden of British com mercial secret service. Swedish mer- chants say there are several hundreds of these agents now in Sweden and that every imported article is traced to the ultimate consumer. These agents also have prepared the Swed- ish ''black lists" for Great Britain. Nc Swedish concern which ordinarily sells to Germany can get any sort of goods, through the English blockade. If a Swedish manufacturing concern sells brass lamps to Germany it can- not get tin from overseas to make milk separators even for Russia. des- bite the fact that the latter country is an ally of Great Britain.
 Manufacturers assert that the Brt- tsh authorities in measuring ma- terials to be allowed Sweden overlook
 the fact that Russia has come into the Swedish market for hundreds, or products and manufactures formerly
 bought from Germany. They claim to
 be seriously handicapped in filling
 Russian and Japanese contracts be-
 cause England will not let the neces-
 sary raw materials "out of bondage"
 One of the most aggravated cases
 of this sort has had to do with the
 import of two tons of antimony to be used by a Swedish manufacturing con-
 cern building paper-making machin- cry for Finland, Russia and Japan.
 This antimony originally was bought in the United States. When the Brit ish Legation was applied to for a H. cense to pass the antimony through the blockade the Swedish importer was rather suggestively asked why he had not purchased the antimony in Great Britain. He replied that it was cheaper In America, but believing it might facilitate matters if he bought on the British market he cancelled
 the American order and bought at 8 higher rate in London. He then ap- piled anew for license. The inn porter, the manufacturing concern and the Russian. Finnish and Jap | anese firms for which the machines | were intended all were approved by l the British Legation but the applca-
 ton for the import license has been pending four months without any sign of action. The Swedish manu- facturer submitted a ldetailed state ment as to how every ounce of anti
 mony was to be used-an for allied
 nations of Great Britain.
 l "Thus you see," said this manufac-
 turer, If you are son the English
 blacklist you don't get anything. and
 if you are not on the English black list still you don't get anything. What
 are we to do?" l The Swedish importers have also discovered that the English have a
 sellers black list" If the goods are bought from a firm in North or South
 America which also sells to Germany they are detained in Great Britain and probably will remain there until l the end of the war.
 l fc in Ina
 last six months Great Britain has
 seized from one line of Swedish steamers in the South American trade S7 per cent of their cargoes. allowing ,l'only 13 per cent to come through. These cargoes consisted principally of
 coffee, cocoa, hides and wool
 The British have been able abso- ] lutely to control all cargoes carried in 1 Danish and Norwegian ships by threats not to allow such steamers bunker coals. Also no steamer is all lowed to load goods in England for Scandinavia unless assured of a re- tturn cargo.
 | Roughly, the import situation with respect to Sweden (and applying all J most similarly to the two other Scan dinavian stately is as follows:
 I Coal;-Sweden imports most from Germany, Norway, and Denmark from Engiand-very limited quantity com ing to latter countries.
 T Cotton:-Coming through in small quantities when consigned directly to
 spinners. No cotton allowed to deal- lers. N
 II Copper:-Restricted similarly to cotton-must go direct to consumer. I Coffee:-Import practically prohi- } bited by Great Britain. It is said ! Great Britain now holds at least 25 . ) 900 tons of coffee assigned to Swe- den, valued at between $6,000, 900 and 7,000,0 900. Great Britain claims l, Sweden has coffee enough for this year. The Swedes admit there is suf- , ficient in the country but the specu- lators have it all.
 l Cocoa:--Imports practically stop ped for this year. England claims Sweden imported in three months an l amount. equal to that ordinarily con- } sumed in two years.
 Il Corn. wheat and other grains, fats for margarine, lard bacon and pork } all imports are handled by the Swedish governments food commis. . sion. Very limited amount allowed : to come through. One cargo now t held in Great Britain because Swedish 5 government will not give guarantee. : demanded.
 ! Brass, tin and other metals-com , ing in slowly when consigned to ulti r mate consumer, this consumer not tt