The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-20

hampered by British espionage naturally incite the Swedes to make things as un- comfortable as possible for the ennis saries of the allies.
 The case of Owen Philpotts, one of the British commercial attaches in Sweden, is always cited by anti-English Swedes as a typical instance of Britain's bullying propensities. MT. Philpotts formerly
 British consul at Vienna, was left in that capital in charge of British interests after the declaration of war. Although enjoy ing comparative freedom he was subject ed to strict surveillance by the Vienna authorities and finally given few hours to cross the frontier as the alternative to being arrested as a spy. There was no evidence that he had attempted espion- age of any kind but he suffered because of the universal hatred of all English men.
 MT. Philpotts eventually arrived at Gothenburg, the principal Swedish port for transatlantic steamers, and took up the duties of commercial attache. lie haunted the docks, traced cargoes, shad- owed suspicious agents and generally act ed with such aggressive energy that he speedily became the most unpopular for eigner in that part of Sweden.
 The Gothenburg newspapers denounced him as the English spy, and he was caricatured in a local revue. One news paper published an advertisement With flaring headlines offering a reward of 25 krona (about $625) for the best pho tograph of the spy Philpotts." The next
 morning MT. Philpotts residence was be- sieged by all the professional and anna teur photographers of Gothenburg, rein forced by number of old men and boys who had borrowed or hired cameras and taken lessons in photography over night When his Britannia majesty's commer- | -sx l. .xl nr%c.lr hot artists he seized the nearest-a youth who was about to press the button sna shed his camera and took him away by the scrugg of the neck for private chastisement. He forgot the thousand and one other photographers who secured excellent pictures of a British official in the act of assaulting a free-born Swede All of which had wide circulation in the pro-G German press of Sweden.
 MT. Philpotts was removed to Stock
 holm and narrowly escaped dismissal from the country He is still the target for abuse by newspapers which demand that the government take energetic ac- tion against British insolence" and the attempt to dictate to neutral nation. OTHER GRIEVANCES
 The Swedes have number of other grievances against Great Britain Inter 1 ference with foreign trade is the great | est, but they complain almost as bitterly about the treatment of Swedes who visit l England. It is true that this country has 1 furnished German agents who, because ] of their neutral passports, were utilized ] just as the Germans utilized Dutchmen and Swiss citizens to go to England as spies The result is that all Swedes en- tering the United Kingdom are subjected l to greater scrutiny than the average Nor wegian or Dane. Some have been turned back at Newcastle Others have been ] quietly deported from London. The Swedes say this is part of Brtain's re-
 taliatory policy intended to show her dis
 pleasure at Sweden's refusal to facilitate
 the transit of goods to Russia
 l A British commission sat in Stockholm 1 for nearly six months trying to arrange l a transit scheme whereby the freight route to Russia across Sweden could be kept open It failed. Today, limited amount of merchandise and war material | passes through the country to the Fin nish frontier but the Swedes will not bind themselves by 8 general agreement sim | liar to that which prevails in Holland oi Denmark
 They refuse to give pledges that goods l entering Sweden from the Atlantic Will not find their way to Germany. Englanc 1 has tried to put on the screw by curtail' | ing the coal supply-a vital matter-pu 1 the Swedes stubborn'y hold their. ground
 Factories have shut down fer lack o fuel. the street lighting in some town' has been diminished 50 per cent and thu
 usual quantity of coal sold to the pool ] of Malmo at less than cost prices Is no
 available this winter Belgian coal Of Tn ferior quality is being imported Iron
 Germany and American collieis are hep
 ing relieve the stringency, but the SWeue'
 still feel the weight of Britains displeas