The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1918-02-15
TRADE BOARD in
FULLER CONTROL
President Wilson Issues New
Proclamation Affecting All
Exports to All Countries.

Washington, Feb. 15.-By new
proclamation, today President Wilson
placed all exports to all countries un-
der license by the war trade board
after tomorrow.
The proclamation also applies the
license system to all imports and thus
places the entire foreign commerce of
the country under the license system
of the war trade board. 1t is one of
the steps of reducing ocean carriage
of nonessentials to release ships for
transportation of troops and war ma
terials.
Effective Saturday.
The following explanatory statement
was issued by the war trade board:
THE president has today issued two
proclamations which will become ef-
fective tomorrow. The purpose and
effect of these proclamations are to
subject to control by license the entire
foreign commerce of the United States,
and from and after Feb. 16, 1918, no
commodities may be exported from
this country or imported into this
country except under license.
THE president has heretofore issued
several pr0clamations controlling GER
tain exports under the provisions of
title vii of the espionage act, and one
proclamation controlling the importa-
tion of certain commodities under the
provisions of section IL of the trading
with the enemy act The military sit
uation and the tonnage situation have
made increasingly apparent the neces-
sty of inStituting complete ana
thorough going control of all our ex-
ports and imports.
Need Every Ton.
"The transportation of our armies
to France and the maintenance of a
continued flow of the supplies and mu-
nitions needed to maintain them in
fighting trim require the use of every
ton of shipping which can possibly be
devoted to these purposes. This de-
mand must be met, and if it becomes
necessary to curtail our exports or
imports, these are measures which are
forced upon us by the critical tonnage
situation and the necessity of availing
ourselves of every possible means of
maintaining our armies in France"
"The Limitation of experts is neces-
sary also to conserve the products OF
this country for the use of our own
people and the peoples of the nations
associated with us in the war; We
must dispose of this surplus in such
a way as to aid, as far as possible.
those countries to the south which
nave always uNpNliuSu uHoii uo' W.
must also dispose of our surplus in
such a way that Germany and her
allies win derive no benefit there
from; and we must secure for our
selves in return shipping and sup
plies urgently needed.
One Purpose-Winning War.
"The PRONUNCIATION Of these two
proclamations do not mean an en-
barge on exports or aAprohibition of
imports, but places in the hands of
the president the power to regulate,
which he will exercise through the
war trade board and the treasury de-
partment. This power will be exer-
cised with the single purpose of win
ming the war. and every effort will be
made to avoid unnecessary interfer-
ence with our foreign trade and to
impose upon our exporters and i'm
porters no restrictions except those
involved in the accomplishment of
definite and necessary objects.
"As heretofore, licenses for the ex-
port or import of coin, bullion, cur
rency, evidences of debt or of owner.
ship of property, and transfers of
credit, will be issued by the treasury
department; licenses for all other ex-
ports and imports including merchan-
disc, bunkers, ships supplies, etc.
will be issued by the war trade
board"