New-York tribune., 1918-06-02

but as about % per cent of the imports
have come from Channel Europe, only
per cent will be excluded. Most man
ufactulcs of cotton come from Eu-
rope, so only about 9 per cent will be
excluded. In every case, of course,
even those goods cannot come from
Europe unless they are ready to be
loaded at convenient ports as back
haul cargoes.
AT the other extreme are toys. honey,
pencils and pencil holders, umbrellas,
poultry eggs and electric lamps. The
reduction in the imports will be about
o6 per cent; pencils and pencil leads,
GO per cent umbrellas, 72 per cent;
poultry eggs, GO per cent; electric
lamps rs per cent.
The lists have not been in effect long
enough to make it possible to deter
mine precisely what the effects will be-
Some manufacturers say that existing
stocks are such that there is no imme-
date cause for worry. Others are al
ready adjusting their business to the
new conditions. The effect on shipping
is also open to question AS the saw
ings in dead weight tonnage were csti
mated on the figures for the fiscal year
of 1916-1o17, and it is certain that
between the end of that year and the
making up Of the lists there had been
a considerable interruption of ocean
nsportation. it has been found i'm
possible to state what the exact saving
viii be. 1t is safe to say, however,
that it will be we'll up in the six fig
urcs.
Seek to Prevent Hardshps
The administration of the lists has
been done with the intention of pre-
venting any great hardship on i'm
porters In the case of restricted COM
moditles importers were required to
get the license numbers in advance and
cable them abroad. This caused a lit
tie delay, but it was taken in excellent
spirit on the whole Nominally, import
licenses were also required for goods
which are not named on the lists, but,
as the plan worked out, entry was al
lowed if license was applied for and
granted even after the goods had
landed on the dock in this country.
Two or three days ago, however, the
War Trade Board made an important
necessary for an importer of even un-
restricted goods to oct license in
advance and to have the license num-
ber cabled abroad.
This new practice will shut the door
on various German schemes and will
make it difficult for the Germans to
get flying start for postwar compe-
tition
AS soon as the first of the restricted
lists was published there were requests
for exceptions of various kinds. The
burden was placed on the petitioner
of showing the necessity for the cxcep-
ton, and clear cases received sympa-
thetic action. Some business men who
asked to have the lists amended with
drew their requests when they learned
the inside facts of the case-facts
usually having to do with shipping. In
still other cases, a plain recital of the
reasons for restricting commodities
was sufficient
Some men interested in the peanut
industry protested in good faith
against the exclusion of peanuts from
Asia. The opposition was overcome
by a letter to the trade, showing that
the 1918 domestic crop is expected to
reach 10000000o bushels, and that i'm
ports never have exceeded 100000
bushels, only a fraction of the increase
predicted in production here.
The significant paragraph of the let
ter was the Significant statement:
"The demand for shipping for mill
tary uses is so great that all dispensa-
bic commodities must be eliminated
from our import trade. In fact, it is
probably true that, with all dispensable
commodities eliminated and essential
imports pared down to the very bone
OF minimum requirements, there still
will remain shortage Of shipping to
satisfy the needs of military uses and
our essential industries during the re-
mander of this year"
That is the explanation of the re-
stricted lists, those in effect now and
those to follow there is not enough
shipping for military needs and essen
tal industries, to say nothing of other
industries. And, as the military pro-
gramme is now even more ambitious
than when that letter went out. and
there is an even greater comparative
shortage of shipping, it is not wild
statement that Uncle Sam has not vet
stripped to the waist for the fight.