New-York tribune., 1918-03-15
Germany Coercing Neigh
bors by Destroying
Food Carriers
knifes After-War
Trade Competition
Seeks to Drag Other Ma.
tions Down to Own Pow
erty of Tonnage

WASHINGTON, March 14.-Ger-
manys latest campaign of ruthlessness
against neutral shipping is attributed
by the War Trade Board in state
ment tonight to a deliberate plan for
cutting off Tire north European nations
from American and Allied food sup
Plies, and thereby reducing them
through starvation to political and
economic dependence upon the Teu-
tonic war lords
While the board makes no reference
10 the determination of the United
States and Great Britain, disclosed to-
day, to take over Dutch ships in Amer
lean and Allied ports unless the Meth
erlands government accepts a pending
economic agreement, it's statement
throws interesting light upon the stu
alton which led to this decision.
The hope is expressed that the neu
trails will contrast the respective at
titudes of the United States and Ger
mans toward the problem of feeding
them. Following is the statement:
"Germany's war leaders are using
the submarine war weapon to prevent
fulfillment OF American agreements
to feed and relieve European neutrals
Evidence Is Convincing
"a mass of cumulative evidence and
indications in the possession of the
War Trade Board show that Germany
is employing the submarine menace to
prevent neighbor neutrals receiving
any food or favors at the hands of
the United States and it's associates in
the war and to eoerce these neutrals
through starvation into political and
economic dependence upon Germany,
munications of it's opponents-Ger-
many's ostensible aim in proclaiming
the ruthless submarine campaign.
Further indications tend to show
that the submarines are being used
along similar dog-in-the -manger lines
to destroy neutral shipping without re-
gard to its employment in order. to
weaken prospective neutral competitors
after the war and to drag down neutral
tonnage as far as possible toward a
position of equality Cor inferiority)
with the German mercantile marine,
which has lost between 40 and so per
cent of its ocean tonnage, so that the
neutral trader may be equally as badly
off as his German rival for tonnage
in the afterthe-war race for commerce.
"The intent of the Germans to pre-
vent neutrals receiving food and sup
plies under relief agreements concluded
with the United States is illustrated by
the German veto placed upon the tenn
porary modus vivendi with Holland
providing for the provisioning of that
country.
Policy of Starvation
1.-TWO food ships loaded with sup
plies for the Netherlands, along with
eleven Belgian relief ships, have been
waiting in American ports for weeks
unable to sail because of the refusal
Of Germany to permit an equivalent
amount of tonnage leaving Dutch har-
bors, the obvious plan of the German
authorities being to gather all Dutch
ships into home harbors and then pre-
torpedo any vessel leaving Holland
waters. To relieve the food ;ituation
in Holland, the War Trade Board has
finally authorized the transshpment of
the food in question from the two
Dutch steamers to the Holland liner
Nieuw Amsterdam, which is sailing
shortly
"The present campaign of threats
and intimidation against the Scan
neutrals now carried on in the
semi official North German Gazette
and other organs of the German press
is obviously intended to frighten the
northern neutrals from completing
agreements which benefit the neutrals
quite as much as the United States and
its associates.
"Now success of the earnest efforts
of the United States government to
rush shipments of bread grain to
Switzerland is threatened by the action
of German submarines which, accord
ing to now fully confirmed reports from
Switzerland, have made start on a
new policy of ruthlessness by sinking
the neutral Spanish steamer Sardinero,
secured with great difficulty to carry
food to that country.
Deliberate Breach of Faith
"The torpedoing of the Sardinero.
carrying nearly 1000 tons of cereals
for Switzerland, can by no stretch of
the imagination be brought within the
scope of Germany's proclaimed subma-
rine policy, since the vessel was en-
gagged not in an enemy, but in o sup
posedly safe trade for a neutral state.
was en- route to port to which Ger
many had explicitly promised to leave
open safe 1assage and was torpedoed
outside the prohibited zone
"To add to the deliberateness of the
offence, the Sardinero was DESTROYED
after the submarine commander had
made thorough examination of the
ships papers and convinced himself of
the nature and destination of the cargo,
so that no plea of q 'mistake' cap ha
entered by Germany. The evident in
tent and result of the act was to pre-
vent Switze rland, whose urgent and i'm
mediate need CT food is we'll known to
Germany, from receiving the American
grain. 10 destroy a Spanish ship for
a, after-the,war trade, and to raise by
this much the relative value and i'm
portance of each German shin atloat
at the end of the war.
by the Swiss s-American agreement
of December 5, the Allies guaranteed
to Switzerland for it's admittedly ur-
gent needs an eight months apply Of
100000 tons of cereals. subject to the