New-York tribune., 1916-07-20
Blockade Gives Fair Play
to Neutrals, official Says
Sir Frank Newncs, of Ship Detention Committee ellis
Americans System Which Strangles Germany In
terferes but Slightly with Bona Eide Shippers

one OF the great causes IN the fsil Oh
the mark. as il compels Germany 10
paw in gold and not in goods.
"When suspected goods are unloaoeo
from n ship they are at once put in.o
prize and the owner must pring az
action for their recovery. Such ACTIONS
are tried In the Admiralty Court ana
the goods released, condemned or dealt
with as the court deems just.
81 have already told sou OF the de-
sire Of the British government TO carry
out this blockade with as little incon,,
venience TO neutrals as possible; ana
| will now give you some of the ar
iangements made TO insure this;
II. Agreements have been made with
representative associations OF mer-
chants in neutral countries under when
they undertake that goods consigned
10 them will not be exported to uer-
many. nor be used in the manufacture
OF goods for export to Germany.
"The first Of these, the Ndherlands
Oversee Trust, WAS so successfui that
similar associations were formed IN
other countries. 80,
"2. Agreements have been made with
many shipping lines under which their
ships are allowed TO go forward even
if they carry contraband or goods
which our authorities suspect are Tor
the enemy, on their undertaking to re-
turn such goods to this country for the
prize court or 10 retain them in neu-
tral country until after the war.
Bunker Coal Restrictions.
"3. Bunker coal from any port in
the British Empire is refused to neu-
trail ships unless they agree that goods
they carry do not go to the enemy.
Both these classes of ships arc
called white ships and they are a
large and increasing number. Most
leading lines have made such arrange.
ments. I would strongly advise any OF
you when shipping goods to see that
the ship is white ship
At the suggestion of Mr.. skinner,
American Consul General in London, a
department has been opened in the
British Embassy at Washington 70
which an American exporter can go ana
give particulars of the nature OF the
goods he desires to export, and also the
name of the consignee. The depart
ment will at once cable here 70 the
contraband committee, who will cable
him whether his goods would pass the
blockade or not, and thus he can decide
whether TO ship them. Some American
lines will now only take goods which
have passed the Skinner scheme. -,
"Since war broke out certain neutral
countries have been importing a vastly
increased amount of certain goods be-
yond their pre-war requirements, ana
unless they were formerly importing
large quantities from Germany ana
Austria there is an overwhelming pre-
sumption that they were imported to
reexport to Germany.
Rationing.
"To avoid this the system OF ration
ing has been adopted under which the
import of a given article into neutral
country is limited to the amount of its
true domestic requirements. 1t IS a
very fair system, allowing any neutral
10 supply it's own wants.
"The net result of all these arrange
ments is that il any exporter has goods
held up he has only himself 10 blame;
and if any one doing business with
neutral countries will only comply with
the requirements | have outlined he
runs practically no risk.
at gives interesting cause for
thought if one were to consider the
positions as reversed, and whether II
the German feet was enforcing block
ade on England the neutral countries
would receive the consideration that
the British have shown TO them