SWEDISH FEELING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1553, 20 May 1916, Page 4

SWEDISH FEELING.

In a recent letter from Stockholm, TVli* Robert Cro/.ier Long said the movement to drive Sweden to Germany's side had declined, hut there was much uproar over the formation of a Transit Company to supervise all Anglo-Russian trade, via, Sweden. He proceeds ; —“The conditions which led to the Transit Company’s formation are these. The Swedish decree forbidding transit of goods on Sweden’s own export prohibition list and our export prohibition threatened a complete deadlock. A modus vivendi, which never took the form of a. definite agreement, was reached. England gave licenses for export to Sweden of goods on the export prohibition list in exchange for Swedish licenses permitting transit to Russia. Merchandise was matched against merchandise, sometimes by value, sometimes by weight. Without a special organ this system would not work. Hundreds of applications for licenses had to be handled by our Stockholm Legation ; there was no suitable machinery for controlling them ; and there was no guarantee that Kngland, in exchange for licenses to export to Sweden, was getting the promised consideration —transit to Russia. The system led to abuse. Goods cannot go between England and Russia op a through bill of lading. They go to Sweden. The further forwarding Is in the hands of agents, who are often pot Swedish subjects, but subjects of belligerent Powers, Russian subjects of non-Russian race with no moral allegiance to Russia, and others whose only interest in the war is profit. Such profit can he made by arranging that goods from England to Russia, and vice versa, shall not reach their destinafon, but shall reach Germany. The bills of lading are negotiable. Germans, being most in need, pay the best prices, and the agent explains to his. Russian employer that the goods went astray, or were never despatched. Only a system of control could stop this abuse. Apart from the abuse, the mere handling and checking of licenses required an organisation. The organisation is the Transit Cmupany”