ENEMY TRADE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 198, 10 May 1918, Page 7

ENEMY TRADE

AMERICA'S FIRM ACTION

NO LEAKAGES ALLOWED

'A lengthy notice iii this woek's Gazette deals with tho restriction of imports into'tho United Stats, fro.goods may be sent into the Ihiitcd States now ( Without license, and tho legulations require that raw materials of various-kinds shall bo forwarded to specified organisations on behalf of ths real consignees. The reasons for those arrangements are set forth in a -memorandum that has been issued by tho American Bureau ofImports. ",Tho most effective manner in which this .weapon of import control may bo used'against tho "enemy is the prevention «f trading, with/ firms of pro-enemy character," sta.tes the Bureau. "No commerce, of course, exists between the United States and tho 'countries with which wo aro at war. - Unfortunately, however, largely due to. the foresightedness of our. enemy in. long sears of. preparation, inidividuals and firms are 'established throughout tho world whoso ■controlling motive, is the advancement of German interests. Still more unfortunate is tho fact that such agencies have existed in our own land. To stamp out nil activities among such agencies, and to safeguard our well-intentioned citizens from dealing with them, we must procoed with, the utmost promptness and Vigour. The forms of activity of these concerns and the subtle and intricate methods pursued by them are innumerable, but are invariably directed, either by furnishing . inform.ilijn, smuggling supplies through the blockade, providing orcdits, or hoarding for postwar purposes, to give aid and comfort to the enemy. "Before the advent (if the United States into the' war Great Britain, [~m her Allies found it necessity tq Surround the importation into this Country of toinmoditiis controlled by them with various safeguards in the -form of .ftunrimteesand agreements procured from importers. Now -that we have entered the ttar, and established our export and import 'control, our Allies have very willingly relinquished to us the. duty of seeing .that the. imports! coming. forward to us are -used by our own legitimate purposes, mid aro not re-exported to proGerman firms ; in 'neutral countries to' trickle through, either, physically or in the form of; credits, to' Germany, l or accumulated to fostbr Germany's commerco after the war. , :

"To accomplish these results the War Trade-Hoard,'through its liureau of Imports, "has adopted certain regulations'in connection with the importation of many iof thes9 raw materials, to which it- is 'tho duty of every" patriotic American citizen to give complete ;nd .wliolcIhearteil ..support.. Organisations haw been voluntarily created in many of the trades," suoh as rubber, wool, jute, tin, etc., to act as consignees when required, nnd to perform other duties in connection with importations, under and wy direction" of the' War Trade Board.

"Every' effort will be made to administer these regulations 'with ■ the t lightest possible detriment to legitimate usiness interests, but when it is considered that the transmittal of a few Jiounds of rubber or copper to Germany 3nay cost the lives of scores of our men at the front, and that each day's supply of wool, or food, or mouey, to the enemy means another day's war with' its accompanying toll of lives, the very thought of hesitancy or weakness is inconceivable. The policy will !be 'safety first' for our soldiers, regardless of every other consideration.. Persons and firms in this country as well as abroad who before our entrance into the war had littlo, sympathy with the wartime commercial safeguards of the Allies must'be tausjht that theso are now matters of the first importance to this_ country, and violators of present restrictions meed expect no favours, regardless of how important such individuals or firms may be in the business world. The time- has como when all must realise that the war is not limited to combating the enemy on the battlefields at Prance, but must be carried into our everyday transactions of life, and that our business practice must bo remoulded where Decenary to meet existing;conditions.. "It 'is 'unnecessary to mention other ten-able results which may bo obtained hy-this import control, such as the gathering of trade information, or the iconservation of tonnage by elimination of non-essentials."