THE MUNITION TRADE AND PATRIOTISM

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3053, 14 April 1917, Page 9

THE MUNITION TRADE AND PATRIOTISM

There are obvious and weighty .'bisons against' Government, ownership of all munition factories (says the American "Outlook'.'), but it is plain thaithe regulation of the manufacture, and sale of ammunition and other sinews of war by private ..enterprise is not sufficiently rigid. The discovery of,the vio* lation of the- United States embargo* against the shipment, of arms and ammunition to Mexico which led to the arrest of Senor Juan T. Burns, Car« ranza's Cpnsul-G.eneral "in New York, is a case in point. Burns's alleged guilt was discovered because a cable broke by which'a : crane was lifting from the deck of.: the Ward Line steamer Esperanza-"to 'the dock atVer'ai, Cruz an ip.nocent-looking case supposedly containiiic hardware. The case foil, hurst open.-'and/the hardware was found to ho rifle cartridges. This led to the discovery that many other cases described as 'containing" typewriters, pianos, and ice-cream freezers also con-! tained cartridges or arms. Another shipment of war materials in disguise was intercepted on its way to Mexican' ports. Botli these were mado in violation of President Wilson's embargo, and wero made at; "a! time when the Mexican-American joint oonvniission was trying, to acfiust the delicate situation growing out of thd open hostilities of'last'June. There, will always- he munition makers and jobbers to whom profits mean more than patriotism, hut the -administration of the regulations governinc their business ought to be made so efficient that it will be impossible for any oils to sell ammunition to forcjencrs at >. time when there "is an evident possibility that' it will be used to. kill the countrymen of tho munition venders..-:■