The Cordova daily times., 1922-11-01
FLOATING MINES STILL DANGER
 BALTIC SEA

most of the people of America and Europe. For the crews of ships ply ing in the Baltic Sea, however, it might almost as we'll be in full I blast.
 | Tn some respects, indeed, these sailors would be better off if the Allied armies were still at grips r.ith the Germans on the Western front, for in those days they received .at bonuses for braving the dan gers of torpedoes and floating mines. Today they drive their ships through fields of drifting mines and are glad of the opportunity to get a berth even at ordinary wages.
 Treaty Not Fulfilled
 The Treaty of Versailles con- tained lengthy and complicated pro- visions for ridding the seas of the thousands of floating mines planted during the war, and to a certain extent these provisions have been carried out. Reports just recei' sentatives in the great ports of Northern Europe indicate, however, that in some localities, particularly the smaller bodies of water to the north, the danger from mines is practically as great as at any time 1 during the war. In certain parts of the Baltic, for example, no attempt whatever, has been made to remove them.
 Reporting from Hamburg, Consul Maurice Walk quotes the Hansa, Germany's best known nautical pub ilication:
 "Even during the war it was rec ognized that long after it's cessation the danger from mines would con- tinue for many years" says the periodical "This has turned out to be the case, at least so far as con- cerns the Baltic and the Bay of Finland. In these frequently navi- gated waters large fields of mines are still lying untouched; mines lhave been torn loose from their an chors and are a constant menace to shipping.
 Some Fields Cleared
 "The, work of clearing up these mines has been pursued industrious ly along the coast of Finland but only the northern part of the Bay of Finland up to Hogland may be sweeping also has been undertaken in the Gulf of Bothnia, and the Fin nish Coast is practically free. The work will be continued in the Gulf of Bothnia, between the coasts of Finland and Sweden. this fall" l If Finland has done excellent work 1 in eliminating the mine danger, how ever, the states bordering the south ern part of the Gulf of Finland and the eastern and northern parts of the Baltic have done practically no mine-sweeping on a large scale. Just west of the important port of Reval, in Esthonia, for example, lies a great mine field entirely untouched. This field extends northwest into the territorial waters of Finland and in a westerly direction to the Baltic. As the path, two or three miles wide along the coast of Esthonia, is too dangerous, it is not used by Finland ships, which keep to the north and west in the waters of Finland and Sweden A large Ger man mine-sweeping fleet is occu- pied in clearing this field at the present time.
 Soviet Disturbed
 The Soviet Government, with it's dream of developing a great for eign trade, is much disturbed over this problem. In the near future conference will assemble in Pet rograd to discuss ways and means of clearing the mines from the in- ner part of the Gulf of Finland. The Bolshevist foreign trade au- thorities are eager to establish an unimpeded route to Petrograd as quickly as possible, so that ships may come and go without danger. This action, they believe, will do fn nid in hn