Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-06-09
FOOD IMPORTS
ARE FORBIDDEN
Stocks on Hand Sufficient to
Supply Demand for
Some Time.
GOODS MUST BE LICENSED
Not Enough Shipping Available
for Military Needs and En-
sential Industries.
GOODS MUST BE LICENSED
tBy Associated Prcs.I

diet. About 5000 commodities. as i'm
portant a paper. furs. tobacco leaf
cotton and WOODEN manufactures
baskets. glass and glassware. fish.
meats. furniture and stone and as
uncsscntial as fans. pcrfumery. dice.
truf,cs, edible birds nests and a few
hundred other edible substances which
nobody has had the hardihood to clas-
sify. are coming 10 the country less
freely than in prewar days Lists Of
restricted Imports. issued 10y the War
Trade Board. with tho advice or tho
shipping Board. arc in force. and the
ZEN barge" is on.
One immediate result Of tho working
Of the lists Will b. a few lost motions
~ shipping. These lists make il nee
essary for tho business world here and
ciscw here. TO readiust Itself to new
conditions. Tina; readiuStnient will in
evita bly, be reflected for time in
shipping. There VIII be a sort OF nc
tween hay and grass" season the
same kind Of period that many stores
have when changing over from one
season 10 another. There is no DOUBT
however that whatever the disar-
ranSement may bc. IL viii he com
para;iroly uGimportant In the cn,,
the United States VIII be able 10 EN-
ploy hundreds Of thousands of dead
weight tons more economically than ~
present and supply the soldiers ana
the allies in France with less trouble
The new plan Of control isr't an
embargo at all in the sense that tn.
famous measure of JcTersons tim.
was. II isn't So sweeping and so en-
10 \ M OF
: hundred years ago. people are SPELL
:.tG the word backwards and calling Il
deris!vely the U-Grab-Me act. IL hasn't
sealed our ports. /, was not designed
10 put the country on a basis of self
suii.ciency. The restricted lists now
/ IN force are not nearly so broad in
scope as the English prohibition lists,
/ whteh' have cut down the imports more
! ,i.an 30 per cent.
! England has stripped 20 the waist
one of the Shipping Board officials has
/ put il. and VIC arc simply taking OFF
| our coat"
| More restrictions are in sight. how
ever. and they will tend 10 make our
condition more like EnEiand's than it
| is now. There have been many guesscs
! as TO what will be included In some
leases business men who have con-
tferred with government officials in
! Washington on trade questions have
assumed that restrictions were certain
! 70 follow. AS matter OF fact, there
have been conferences which have been
called TO clear up disputed or doubtful
points. and other conferences have
/ heen part Of general plan of action
/ Hardly anybody not engaged i'll the
actual preparation of the restricted
/ lists. or the administration Of them
Knows how the next one looks to-day
Nobody at all not even the heads OF
| the bureaus most directly concerned
'can say what the list wiil look Xix q
in the final form.
! Behind the restricted lists OF imports
IS the United states shipping Bo>rd
acting in conjunction with many other
| boards and departments. While ono di-
vision of the Shipping Board has been
building ships and buying and other
wise Obtaining them. another division
mas been studying tonnage in its rela :
ton to commodities. The first inter-
mediate and final efforts of all divi-
SONS have been TO get more ships and
! shipping. At the same time there has
been an effort not to disturb existing
! international balances
me great difference between the alb
soluie embargo of Jefferson's time and
the present restricted lists is due, nor
only TO changed industrial conditions
hnt 10 the presence of hundreds OF
thousands OF American troops in
france and our obligations TO them
ana 10 our cobellgcrcnts. Thore is i,
i.constant stream of ships 10 England
ana France. Once over there and un-
| loaded. the ships cargo space is avail
aole In great quantities. Why should
! lt not be utilized on the return trip
| why should the ships be sent back in
oaiiast! The government answers in
effect:
ihere Is no reason why the Sims
should not bring back something use
iul,~4 our hrst desire is to get food
ana other supplies TO our soldiers and
the allies as rapidly as possible and
I as plcntifuliy as possible. That means
that we must not only send the ships
| over effectively. but we must have
them back here promptly for other
cargoes. If necessary, well have them
| come back in ballast IL we can save
time that way. IFS
IMPORTS PERMISSIBLE
| IL GOODS ARE READY
I'VE prefer, however. to have the
ships bring back things that we need,
and TO keep up our trade with friendly
\ nations. If you will have your goods
ready at European ports where vessels
| are, unloading and get the goods
abroad with reasonable speed the
! ships will do their part for commerce
and. will serve the nations at the same
time We arc willing 10 tell you where
the ships will unload 1t Is up TO
you to be ready with your goods. We
cannot afford to send ships to ports
for goods. but we should like TO have
you send goods to ports for ships"
That is the unofficial language for
the general clauses which arc part
Of the restricted lists. The exact read
Ling ;ofs the clauses in the second of tho
! Continued on Tenth Page.)