Evening star., 1919-03-11
LIFT CENSORSHIP
REGARDING TRADE
U. S. and Britain Reach
Agreement-France Delays
General Removal.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


all censorship upon commercial mes
sages would be put into operation this
week were set aside today by the re-
cefpt of word that the Paris eco
nomic conference was not in full ac-
cord on the subject and that for the
present what is known as the double
censorship as between Great Britain
and the United States would be elm
mated.
Therefore. effective on Thursday of
this week, Great Britain, through
whose hands the majority of the
messages destined for Europe and
Africa as well as Asia have passed,
VIII no longer delete any cabiegram
originating in the United States, and
which American censors have passed.
while the United States in turn will
exercise no censorship or interfere in
any way with messages coming from
the United Kingdom, and which the
British censors have approved.
Partially Relieves Situation.
This only partially relieves the sit
uation and is somewhat of disap-
pointment to the authorities here,
who had expected to be able to elm
sending of messages of commercial
character. Indeed, the United States
Navy Department recommended such
action at the same time that the
censorship on outgoing and incom-
ing press dispatches was lifted, but
neither the British nor the French
would agree to it.
Now the British and Americans are
united in believing the censorship
should be lifted entirely, but the
French are interposing objections.
The whole thing is still under dis
cussion in Paris, and the arrange
ment, which is effective this week, is
as much as Great Sritain and the
United States themselves can do for
the, present to assist business men to
get their messages through promptly.
Owing to the congested condition of
breakdown of the cable facilities due
to storms on land, wires and lack of
repair ships, bad weather and other
there are delays now of
from four to five days in the trans
mission of messages through England
situation as between Great Britain
and neutral countries has also got
SO bad that the men at the British
terminus of the Atlantic cables have
found ii more rapid to mail messages
from London to Holland, Sweden and
Paris.
So as the situation stands now with
all the physical delays inevitable un-
der present conditions, the existence
of a censorship must delay still fur
ther the reading and checking up on
messages. Business men
are protesting that this more than
any other factor is delaying a re-
of normal conditions in
world trade and that until foreign
trade can be restored there will be
little relief for much of the unem-
ployment in the United States.
The American delegation at Paris
backed by the British, continues to
press for the raising of the economic
and IL is believed here that
the sudden settlement OF the military
and naval conditions which shall rem
der Germany impotent is an answer
to the argument that the only way to
make Germany sign the peace treaty
as dictated by the allies is by holding
the economic weapon of blockade
over her bead.
England and the United States do
not share that view, but they are now
evidently prepared to put into effect
at once measures that will absolutely
insure Germany's capftulation with
the expectation that the complete lift
Ing OF the blockade will thefeupou be
effective at once.
Copyright, 1919, by the n, Y. Evening Post ,