CONTRABAND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 232, 5 October 1904, Page 3

CONTRABAND.

BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER REMAINS FIRM. NEGOTIATIONS PROCEEDING. (Received Oct. 4, 10.16 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 4. The negotiations which are proceeding on the subject ol' contraband {) l' war, uiitl its definition, still continue actively. Lord Lan.sdowue is exceedingly firm in his demand. DEALERS IN CONTRAHAND. The Brussels Soir published a letter from a. correspondent u,t Chemulpho which desyrvcs- attention, remarks the London Times, not so much on account of the pretended authenticity of Hie facts alleged uh because of the publicity they gain from being printed in. the most widely circulated journal in Belgium. The writer asserts that local English and American traders are amassing rapid fortunes by dealing in contraband of war. Since last February, it is assvrted, four iiiitis'n vessels, with a total of 2;-S,OOO tons, entered Chemul-pho from Wei-hai-wei, as well as from llralis:i. and Indian ports with cargoes of rice and other provisions, guns, revolvers, and railway material for the strategic line of railway from Fusan to Seoul. When unloaded those vessels proceed to .Japanese ports, and embark troops, ami it was thanks to English ships that the Japanese landed their first army corps. The Japanese are said to be even more enterprising, and aim at getting into their hands the entire control of the victualling of the Japanese army. The locul souic.es- oi supply in Korea, while sufficient for a small lorce, are totally inadequate for the support of the army which Japan eventually ihopes to land. Hence an American company has been formed, with a capital of £1,000,000, with the object of transporting barley from San Francisco and Puget Sound, and it is hoped that this cereal will eventually supplant rice as the staple food in both China and Japan. The first American whips were said to be leaving towards the end of June.