BRITAIN'S BLOCKADE POLICY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 89, 8 January 1918, Page 9

BRITAIN'S BLOCKADE POLICY

FOODSTUFFS FOR GERMANY

VEHEMENT NEWSPAPER

PROTEST

Sincc the beginning of the war the •"'Morning Post" has advocated a more rigid blockade of all avenues for the accoss of supplies to Germany. The following vehement protest is published in its issue of October 3:—

"We desire to put this plain question to the Foreign Office: Is this country iu conflict with the United States over the blockade 'i- We are forced to nsk this question by the very remarkable information, which appears in the 'American Press. Thus, tor example, in the 'New York Times' of September 11 it is stated that the Danish liner Oscar 11, which was to have left New York on the previous Saturday with a largo cargo and 600 passengers, had been detained by the United States Government—'although'—and this is a most remarkable , passage—'her captain is nursing in his pocket British letters of assurance granting him free passage through the blockade.' ' It is added that this steamer belongs to a line of largo anfl fast boats which have been plying"between New York' and Copenhagen. / In the first year of tho .war, so it,-is stated, they carried to that port over 100,000,0001b. of bacon and- lard, 60,000,0001b. of cocoa, 15,C00,0001b, of oleo oil, and 33,000,000 lb. of dried fruit. Remarkable importations, indeed, for tho food-producing iDenmark! Before the war her total imports of bacon and lard from all sources were 2,000,0001b.. of cocoa 4,000,0001bi and • oleo oil 4,000,0001b., imd . of. dried fruit 6,000,0001b. Evi-dently-in the. first year-of- the war this line was carrying on a huge and. regular business in foodstuffs for Germany, with the permission—might we iise_ the word connivance.?—of Mr. Asquith's Government., But when, at last Mr. !Asquitli fell, as a consequence of; his lukewarm conduct .of the-war,- was.-the situation amended?. - Not,, if .we."aro to. believe this- correspondent of - the 'New York Times,'.. •.

Worse Still. "Not only does England allow, these skips to sail,' or so it is alleged, but she' supplies them, or allows them to be supplied, with the-best Welsh Coal. 'And 'the writer '• continues' England knows the facts, but cannot act' with a strong hand. Captain Cold, th© very able and cunning head of -the company in Copenhagen,- at the beginning of the War so 'cleverly 'bound England by agreements with his firm that-now-, although conditions have changed, England is pledged to-respect'these agree-' ments, her hands are tied, and,- 'whatever., happens, she must live up to her obligation's.' '. We used to be told hefore America entered the war that our blockade policy was dictated by the idelicacy.. of our relations with the United States.;, Now, when- 'America lias entered the war, the Americans tell us..that our policy is. dictated by no such considerations but by 'agreements which our Government havo entered into with individuals of .the type of Captain. Cold., Who...is this Captain Cold?. Ho'seems'to. have-a marvellous influence, upon our .Foreign Office, and it is : iiot. very long ago since lie'was over- in this country in .the " mission which included' his friend. Anderson,; of the East Asiatic .Company. Captam Cold is manager of. the United Shipping Company of Denmark, which like, tho East Asiatic ! Company,. has enjoyed a remarkable immunity from, submarines, although his ships have been running through waters .infested by. thcni. since the beginning of.the..war-. ■ "It- is.-6a.id to-have been this sa'mo Captain. Cold who persuaded our. For-, eign Office into, permitting goods to go through which ought to have been submitted to . the.'Prize -Court. Tho ships were allowed to go -through with--out unloading, on the/pretext, that-the?,; were' to be -stored in - warehouses-, in Copenhagen .until the end of the war. Now the only security the, Foreign Office had—or so . it. is ' currently, believed iii Denmark—was. . . Captain Cold's verbal guarantee that they would not he released without the sanction of the British authorities: But of whatvalue was a. pledge of this sort in such a' situation?" Either the pledge was. kept, in which- case the bulgingwarehouses of Copenhagen became a .substantial bait to'tempt a German invar fiion'. or it was broken secretly. How could the Foreign. Office be sure that it was kept? •; ■ . Mavy Helpless to Interfere. , , "We protested'strongly against, those agreements at the time, and stated ourreasons as plainly arid as forcibly as We could. AVo pointed out that/not only was' it'unworthy of- the. Foreign,

Office of a Great Power to enter into tradq agreements with foreign merchants, apart from their Governments, but that by tho very naturo of these agreements there was no real control or power of enforcement in the hands of our Government. They were, in fact, an abandonment of a real control —tho control of our navy—for a fictitious control, tho control of a paper agreement. And our premonitions have been justified by the facts. "Under those agreements Holland and Denmark have carried on an enormous trade in various commodities vital to the enomy, while our navy has stood by—as if under a spell—hopeless to interfere. It. is a terriblo consideration, that tho war might have been ended a year ago—and all tho subsequent suffering saved to this country and the world—if only our politicians had not broken the traditional and potent weapon of England's,greatness, its naval blockade. Wo have mentioned Holland in this connection with Denmark, and it appears that in the case of Holland also tlie Americans aro interfering to save lis from ourselves. According to a telegram which wo published yesterday, tho 'New York Times' states that Washington is dissatisfied with the arrangements which are alleged to have, been made for tho export of Dutch produce to Germany, and intends to prohibit food shipments from tho United States under this agreement. This agreement, or so it is stated, allows to Germany 75 per cent, of tins total export of butter, 66 2-3 per cent, of the export of cheese, and 75 per cent, of vegetables and eggs.

. Americans Active. "The Americans aro going to prevent, an .arrangement less injurious to tho Allies than wo have allowed. Or they are going to try' to prevent it. They mean to st<ip supplies going through from the United Statps.. Accordmg to the'., latest 1 telegrams 85 Dutch 6hips are now held up in' American harbours with approximately 300,000 tons of foodstuffs and cattle-food. That is something. But obviously tho 'Americans cannot prevent supplies going through from the British Empire. And that is what must happen—and no doubt is. happening—so long as these agreements are in force. Tho British Empire has fed, and may still be feeding, Germany through Holland. -It • seems to us. r that tho Allies aro " being sacrificed to. the amour propre of the Foreign Office, which is not bent on recovering its folicy, but on covering -up its mistakes, t persists upon pursuing a' policy which should never have been adopted, and. elevating a' blunder into an affair of honour. It is a most lamentable story, and we can only urge "again that our whole blockade policy be taken out of the hands cf its present controllers and drastically remodelled. It almost looks as if wo might yet losethe war by sheer ineptitude, although an indulgent Providence has loaded us with trumps and snowed us under with Allies."

■ The" Washington correspondent of tho "Morning Post" cabled on October 3

"The- State Department" is awaiting further information regarding the total prohibition by the British Government of all : to' northern neutrals except printed matter and personal effects, but' assumes that the proclamation is 'to be rigidly enforced, and that Germany will'be cut off from securing supplies through neutrals. If this is the-caso.it Will' harmonise the British and American methods. Since power was put in the President's hands ■ to institute, an embargo on exports trade, between tho United States and north-ern-neutrals has virtually ceased, and Germany's great base of supply in this country is closed. "The Dutch Minister and the special Dutch Commission are making strenuous efforts to secure the release of Dutch vessels -now in American ports, but the.American Government refuses, to. permit-their departure, because the guarantees it demands regarding the use to he made, of cargoes have not been furnished.- If the law is passed throwing open the coastwise trade to foreign ships the Dutch vessels now in these waters will undoubtedlv.be turned into the coastwiso trade, thus releasing an equivalent amount of American tonnage, for , transatlantic service, and increasing the American merchant marine, to that.effect.

■'[The State Department is curious to know what arrangements the British Government lias made respecting the agreements now ill force between Great Britain and the northern neutrals whereby some of their products are permitted to' 'he to Germany in consideration' of similar exports being ■made to England. If these agreements remain in force a considerable trade will- still be carried on, but if, as the Stato Department hopes, these agreements are : abrogated and complete interdiction is laid on trade' another .twist will-be givsn, to the rope, that 'is'slowly strangling Germany to death. The' United'. States holds one end of the rope and ( England the other, and the United States is not at all squeamish about using it."