The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-10-18
FLOATING MINES IMPERIL SHIPS
 IN BALTIC
Death Dealing Explosives Are Still Afoat in Trade Routes of Baltic.
By HARRY l.. ROGERS. lnterna tionaI News Service Staff Cor
 rCSnnndfIrf

respondent.
 w Washin gton, D. C., Oct. 1S.-Except TOT the taxes, the war is over for most of the people of America and Eueope. For the crews of ships plying in the Baltic Sea, however it might almost as well be in full blast.
 In some respects indeed, these sail ors would be better off if the Allied armies were still at grips with the Iermans on the Western front. for in those days they received fat bonuses for braving the dangers 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
 Ine treaty or Versailles contained lengthy and complicated provisions for r1dding the seas of the thousands Of toattng mines planted during the war and to 8 certain extent these provisions have been carried out. Re ports just received here from Amer ican consular representatives in the great ports of Northern Europe indi- cate: however. that in some localities, particularly the smaller bodies Of wa ter to the north. the danger from mines is practically as great as at any time during the war In certain narts or the Baltic. for example, no at move them.
 Reporting from Hamburg, Consul Maurice Walk quotes the Hansa Ger ton:
 Even during the war it was recog- nized that long after its cessation the danger from mines would continue for many years" says the periodical,
 This has turned out to be the oase at least so far as concerns the Baltic and the Bay of Finland In these fi frequently navigated waters largo fields of mines are still lying un- touched; mines have been torn loose from their anchors and are a constant menace to shipping.
 n
 mines has been pursued industriously along the coast of Finland. but only Cne northern part of the Bay of Fin land up to Hogland may be consdd- also has been undertaken in the Gulf or Rothnfa. and the Finnish coast is practically free. The work will be tween the coas sts of Finland and SxUe- den, this fa1l''
 If Finland has done excellent work m ehrnlnat1ng the mine danger. how ever. the states bordering the south ern part of the Gulf of Finland and the eastern and northern part of the Baltic have done practically no mine of the important port of Revai. in TTs. honia, for example, lies a great n1ina neId 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 Hoa9t oI E'stnonla, IS too dangerou it IS not used by Finnish ships, which Keep to the north and west in the waters of Finland and Sweden. A large German mine-sweeping fleet Is occupied in clearing this field at the present time.
 Soviet Disturbed
 The Soviet Government with ita dream of devloping a. great foreign tfade. Is much disturbed over this problem. In the near future a con- ference will assemble in Petrosrad to d1scuss ways and means of clearine the mines from the inner part of the cur of Finland The Bolshevisf for- e1gn trade authorities are eager to es tabllsh an unimpeded route to Petro- grad as quickly as possible, so that ships may come and go without dan ger. This action, they believe wifi do much to aid in the revival of Russian trade.