THE BLACK LIST

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2932, 18 November 1916, Page 10

THE BLACK LIST

SUPPRESSING ENEMY TRADE AN INCIDENT FROM JAPAN Readers of the official AW Zealand r 6 h 'T l many il,us trations •' ,lo f ?- 0i "» h " ,g character of Britain's black list, one of the 'weapons forged by the Imperial authorities lor the destruction of enemy trade and the strengthening of the blockade of the Central Powers. The "black list'' covers an extraordinarily wide field, and ? l' a ?p ? lorci - u o{Rce and the Board of Irade have long anns f or enemy traders. An incident bearing upon the point is related by Mr. J H W»?lin°?' "f h ° rece ! lt| y returned to Wellington from a visit to Japan. uiing August last the municipal authorities m Tokio summoned three prominent doctors to the city officers v d th« B v"l tb r nt I thor ' WOra by tho British Embassy of beiii" collected with a. German firm doinn- business m Japan. _ Two of the doctors ere piofessors in the Imperial Urate rsity of Tokio, and tho third doctor ivas,superintendent of a hospital. l£ pi +1 Japancso citizens by birth £g a " busies' 0 in Tho Japanese professional men cvip'lis v n f I '° , tlo ! lbt about tlie efficacy t>f tho list, and tliey hastened to make their explanations. "Whereas the British authorities appear to bo under the impression that I am directly or indirectly connected with the business of Geisei and Gilbert, a foreign firm 'under the direction of German subjects in Jokio, wrote one oP the doctors, "and whereas the British authorities lm-c ro . forred the matter to the Japanese authorities concerned, I would say that if my name is included in the binck list as threatened by the British authorities, it will not only impair my reputation- as a doctor, but will m'ar mv family name. Further, the statement wll cause the public to think I -m acting against the popular iv <h, besides being a traitor, how can .. remain passive on this point?" Tho (mtor did not remain passive, and was able to announce that ho laid sold nis shares audi severed all connection with the German firm. The rra r fScntlemen took similar action. # Ihe incident, attracted some . attention m Japan, and several newspapers protested that Britain was g o in<' too far ill threatening to apply the black list to Japanese citizens in their own country. One Japanese newspaper, tho "Kokomin," carefully put all the blame upon the Government in J'okio. "Britain has prohibited trading with the enemy, and similar measures have been adopted 1 by Russia and France," it said. "The last-named two countries, however, are not. enforcing the measures with such strict thoroughness as Great Britain. So long as war is waged not merely on tho battlefield, but also In' means of economic pressure, as in the. present war, the Allies will probably bo justified Mi taking tho oncniy trading measures they have adopted. It, is desirable, therefore, that this shmil dbe done, as far as possible, within the limits of not injuring the interests or feelings of otter people. It must- therefore be regarded as the height of absurdity that Japanese officials, in their eagerness to please the British authorities, should make a false representation to them, casting discredit- on Japanese of respectable standing. This should be regarded as another instance of the incompetency of the present Government." The protest could hardly have been made more tactfully.