PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3120, 26 June 1917, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Some tokens have been given of late that Norway's patience under "Germany's criminal attacks upon "her shipping is, not inexhaustible, and it will at least bo further and heavily strained by the revelation reported to-day. A circumstantial account is given of the discovery in Norway of large depots of explosives and infernal machines, some of them ingeniously contrived for tho destruction of ships, which are believed to have come from Germany. A German baron and three Finns are said to-be included in_ the conspirators arrested. The originating centre of tho conspiracy is hardly likely to admit of doubt, and it is quite possible ,that the outcome of the inquiries, now in' progress may bo to compel Norway to face tho remedy of war. The issue has been frankly discussed in the Norwegian newspapers in recent days, and it is recognised that continued neutrality may becomo • impossible. Ono of the principal _ 'Norwegian newspapers, the Christiania lideiis Tcgn, thinks war inveitablo. It remarked recently: We do not know any one m this conntry who does not want peace maintained, but tho majority of Norwegians do not understand how it is possible. Compare Germany's submarine war, which is causing the loss of lives and great suffering, with the manner ■of proceeding of the other belligerents. Tho reports that a united Scandinavia is able to pre-' vent war havo no real foundation. They only delude, and the present is too serious a time to withhold the truth from the people. All responsible men must keenly ponder, so as to prevent us from being slowly driven into a paralysing famine. No man in Norway, and no party, will forfeit any of his rights, and should that attitude lead to further injustice against the small ill-treated country, we are not responsible before God and before the world. 1 /' If the features of tho German conspiracy now reported are correctly indicated, self-respecting Norwegians will be driven to the conclusion that continued neutrality is impossible. At one time Germany would no doubt have counted upon Sweden to act as a check on Norway, but it is improbable that the pro-Germans would prevail in Sweden to-day if the issue were forced in that country. An Amsterdam correspondent of the London Daily Chronicle stated recently that the extreme shortage of food in Sweden, caused by too_ lavish exports to Germany, combined with the strong pro-German sympathies of the Court and of the aristocracy, havo brought about a state of popular discontent that even threatens the existence of the dynasty.

A good deal has been heard recently about tho useful service America will render to her Allies in supplying them, as timo goes on, with increased quantities of foodstuffs and other essentials, apart from the export of manufactured munitions which has already reached enormous proportions. The fact' should not be overlooked that she is at tlio same time in a position to considerably tighten the blockade of Germany. The belief certainly obtains in the United States that it is possible, by reducing tho volume of exports to neutral countries adjacent to Germany, to materially reduce the volume of. supplies entering tho latter country, and President Wilson and his Government are acting upon this view. A few days ago it was announced that President Wir.soN had decided to enforce an embargo on all exports within 48 hours, "in order to stop the drain on America." It was added that this action would prevent tho export of grain and othor essentials to uentralsexcept under license and that an Export Council, 'including Mit. Hoovek, would determine what articles might be exported and what countries should bo entitled to receive the exports. This action is undoubtedly intended to supplement and reinforce the blockade of Germany, for which the British Navy is chiefly responsible. ' £• 77 •£ if In Britain tho fact has never been concealed that the blockade left some sources of supply open to Germany. It will bo rcmemborod that whon in

March last Lord Roiiert Cecil (Minister of Blockade) nmclo a long statement in the Houso of Commons ou the working of tho blockade, he did not claim that it was completely effective. What he did claim was, briefly, that everything possible had been done to limit the importations of neutral countries adjoining Germany to tho volume of their own requirements, and that somothing had been done to reduce the exportation to Germany from these countries of goods of their own production. Newspaper and other' discussions which preceded the imposition of tho American embargo made it manifest that public opinion in tho United States favoured a moro drastic curtailment of German supplies through neutral channels than Britain, owing to her consideration for neutrals, had been able, or willing, to impose. It is, of course, obvious that the position is considerably altered l>y the addition of the greatest of all the neutral nations to the group of Powers intent on blockading Germany. No discredit to tho British Navy or to the British Government is implied in the fact that the accession of America makes a more effective blockade possible. It may bo observed, however, that tho opinions whioh now predominate and are freely expressed in the United States on tho subject of blockade and the regulation of neutral trado are calculated to console those people in Allied countries who found American criticism of the British "black list" policy hard to bear.

The policy which has taken shapo in the embargo is based on tho consideration that America is feeding Germany so long as she ships foodstuffs and other oxports to neutrals in Germany's neighbourhood. Tho purpose of tho embargo, a Washington correspondent of tho New York Times stated rcccntly, is admittedly to provent Switzerland, Holland, and the Scandinavian oountries from shipping their American imports to Germany or from selling their own products to Germany and then living on what they buy from the United States. When the embargo proposal was submitted to the Senate only a few members of that body raised objections. The general opinion is, according to tho correspondent, that America las full control over her own trade and, in time of war especially, can use it as her own foreign interests require. It is held that no international law is involved in American legislation over its own oxports, even 'if that legislation should have a direct bearing on the prosecution of the war. At present, it is stated, the Scandinavian countries obtain most_ of their food supplies from the United States, but their export of native products to\ Germany has brought these countries "under a cloud of suspicion which has made itself permanently felt under Great Britain's blockade' application." Tho last monthly summary of the Department of Commerce, it is added, reveals the probable effectiveness of ' an American embargo against neutrals, though it shows also that tho British blockade has already materially curtailed surplus shipments to them from the United States. Somo of the minority of objectors have contended that America is proposing to black-list whole countries for exercising the right' to trade with Germany which tho United States "diplomatically proved? that all neutrals possess, but protests of this character havo. in general been resolutely swopt aside. It is regarded, and quite reasonably, as a full answer to all such objections that tho United States is obviously entitled to so adjust its trado that it will no longer be helping the enemy. "Theso neutrals have a legal right to trade with Germany," remarks ono American journal, "but American citizens no longer possess that right and they must not exerciso it by a subterfuge." * # * *

Switzerland, amongst other neutrals, is sai3 to be seriously perturbed over the American embargo, and ono newspaper finds an explanation in tho fact that the_ embargo will interfere seriously with tho very lucrative trade Switzerland has been carrying on with belligerents. "Our exports to Switzerland in February of this year," it states, "were valued at £563,000. ■ Tho total in 1913, tho last year beforo the war, was only, £165,000. It is possible, of course, that some of the increase is attributable to the fact that other sources' of supply are cut off. _ But the indications are that Switzerland, has been buying extensively for tho purpose of selling to Germany and Austria at fancy prices. Swiss exports to Germany in the year before tho war were approximately £400,000, and were £3,000,000 in 1915. Tho total is believed to have been much higher last year. Shipments from Switzerland to Austria beforo the war were annually less than £50,000. They were more than £1,100,000 in 1915, with no totals of last year's trade made public. There seems no reason to doubt that millions of dollars' worth of food, chemicals, cotton, brass, leather, and sugar have reached Germany and Austria through Switzerland. Similar conditions are reported as true of Sweden and Denmark, though the traffic has not been so extensive. A little has gono to Germany by way of Holland, but not much. 5 ' As a whole it seems likely that the American embargo will to a valuable extent reinforce tho British blockade of enemy countries.

An example of the British blockade policy as it applies to agreements with neutrals-regarding the disposal of their own products appears in tho dispute between Britain and Holland, which is reported to-day. Holland has undertaken to export half of her potato surplus to Britain'and half to Germany. America, apparently, will not be content with such a compromise, but will demand in return for continuing to trade with ti neutral country that the latter shall cease sending exports to Germany. Obviously the enforcement of such a, policy, or even any material axlvanco in that direction from the position now reached, would bo a considerable gain to the hntentc.

"I am opposed to uniformity of school boots after the third standard, said Mr. A. G. Patereon at last night 9 meeting of tho School Committees Association. "If a teacher has originality of thought he should not bo hampered by uniform books, which would be given a very insular form by the Education Department and the Government Printing Olhce Uiiifonnily of school books would not make for success in the education ol our children." Mr. A. Sando said lie took quite the opposite view. The lack or uniformity in, school books meant a serious tax on tho pockets of parents and an unnecessary strain upon the minds of tho children. The best minds connected with New. Zealand's education svsfccm would bo üblo to produce an entirely suitable set of school books, which would provide a eonnd ™sis for tlio general education of tho children. Fronuont changes of books did not. benefit tho children, tho teaclnsrs, or tho pa-renta.