The Dominion. MONDAY, JANUARY 17, 1916. TIGHTENING THE GRIP

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2670, 17 January 1916, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, JANUARY 17, 1916. TIGHTENING THE GRIP

Lord Lansdowne's announcement that the British Government is gradually tightening up the precautions against the enemy securing cocoa through neutrals seems to bo generally regarded as an indication that additional measures are to be adopted with the object of making the blockade of Germany still more effective. The Government has been vigorously criticised from time to time for laxity in this matter. It certainly cannot be justly accused of making a rash or reckless use of our sea power as far as strangling the enemy's trade is v concerned; but it is only fair to a'dmit that great difficulties have to be overcome. The claims of neutrals cannot be entirely disregarded. The Government has made every eifort to avoid friction, and has given the fullest considera- j tion to the representations which have been made by the United States and other non-belligerent nations. But no matter how anxious we may be not to give cause for offence, we cannot afford to forget that we are fighting for our national existence. We are entitled' to make the fullest legitimate use of ouv naval supreniacy for the purpose of making it increasingly difficult for the enemy to continue the struggle. When, in February_ last, Germany declared that she intended to wage a relent-' less submarine war against all Brit-' ish merchantmen, Britain and her Allies first began to tighten their grip. They made it known that they held themselves free to detain and take into port all ships carrying, goods of presumed enemy origin, ownership, or destination, that no vessel which sailed from a German port would be allowed to proceed, and that no vessel would De permitted to sail to any German port. This meant a very considerable increase in the economic pressure on Germany. Britain may have acted too slowly and too cautiously in freeing herself from hampering restrictions on the exercise of her sea power, but she has at last shown that she does not intend to allow her hands to be tied by a slavish respect for juridical niceties while engaged in a desperate struggle with a Power that has shown the utmost contempt for the dictates of international law and the laws of humanity.

In the hoptf of causing trouble between Britain and neutral Powers, especially the United .States, the Germans have endeavoured to create the impression tbat Britain is making use of the bjockade for the purpose of increasing her own exports to the neutral States of Northern Europe at the expense of America. Some interesting facts, which completely refute this German lie, are contained in a recent White Paper giving Sir Edward Grey's reply to a request from the American Ambassador asking for information as to the amount of certain exports from Great Britain to Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Italy during the first four months of 1915, as compared with the same period o! the two previous years. The British Foreign Minister declares that everything in the statistics he quotes tends to show that the United States mercantile community has made profits proportionately ' equal to or greater than those of the mercantile community oi Great Britain in respect of those demands which have inevitably arisen in Scandinavia and the Netherlands as a consequence of the closing of German ports. He states that the total volume of United States trade with those countries has increased MOO per cent. In support of this assertion, he refers to a table in the United States official monthly summary of foreign commerce showing that the tnt'.tl iucfntwe ill the iinriod unife* J.'evm.jsaa 145*653,0Q0 dotes., .Tiieua-i

can be no doubt that, in spite of nil precautious, largo quantities of American goods are reaching Germany through neutral countries. To prevent this without undue interference with the legitimate trade of neutrals is an extremely difficult problem. Britain has made agreements with the Governments of the Netherlands and Scandinavia with the object of allowing these States to carry on their trade as freely as possible on condition that they take effective measures to prevent, the goods they receive from being passed on to enemy countries. Some authorities hold that these agreements must tend to weaken our grip on Germany's throat, because of the ! evasions which are possible on account of the goods passing through many hands, but tho Government contend that such is not the case to any material extent. In replying to vigorous attacks made by Lord Portsmouth on certain aspects of our naval policy, Loud Lansdoavue recently laid it down that the test in these matters is success or failure. He states that reports from all sides as to the economic pressure to which Germany is subjected, as to the manner in which trade formerly in German hands is now pasing into other hands, and as to file statistics of German _ trade generally, prove that the efforts of the Government have been by no means so unsuccessful as Loud Portsmouth seemed to think. Lord <:r realises that we are fighti. for our lives, and must neglect' no precautions, but he reminds those who "airily treat these questions as if there were no neutrals in existence" that they make a very great mistake. In common justice, and in order that our own diplomatic path may not be too rugged, we should, he says, spare no effort to minimise the hardship and inconvenience which the war has brought to people who have no connection with the struggle, and to reduce friction as much as possible.