America

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 196, 27 January 1915, Page 5

America

UNCLE SAM'S ATTITUDE. PLEASES NEITHER SIDE. London, January 25. The Spectator expresses alarm at the way Britain and the United States ate drifting towards the danger of a collision. While praising the good feeling shown by prominent American citizens, the Spectator deplores the callousness of the Washington authorities towards the British cause, comparing the present situation with the arrest of Slidell Mason in 1801, when a British statesman was just as much at fault as the American statesman are nxiw. The Chronicle commenting on the article deprecates the alarmist tone, pointing out that relations with Washington are exceedingly cordial, and predicting that they will easily bear the strain of the Daeia incident Danish messages state that the feeling in Berlin against the United States is very bitter. The Germans hotly resent the American criticism of the air raid and accuse the United States of wholesale trading with the Allies. HYDROPLANES SOLD TO THE ALLIES. CAUSES TROUBLE WITH GERMANY. KAISER'S BELATED DISCOVERY' OF A CONVENTION. Washington, January 25. Germany has vigorously protested against America shipping hydroplanes to the Allies. Germany relies on The Hague Convention, article 8. Germany has decided to intern the collier Porto Rico.

THE GOVERNMENT CRITICISED. MR. BRYAN'S COMPLETE REPLY. AMERICA'S UNENTTORCABLE DEMANDS. BRITISH POLICY ENDORSED. Received 26, 10.40 p.m. New York, January 26. Senator Stone, representing Missouri, where there is a large German population, adversely criticised the Government's partiality for the Allies. Mr. Bryan lengthily replied. He defended the censorship of wireless as against cable communication, explaining that the former might be used by warships at sea, making neutral territory a possible base for naval operations. He denied discrimination in the matter of trade in contraband. Some .doctrines bearing harshly on neutrals were tlie outgrowth of the United States' policy when she was a belligerent. Moroever, Britain's control of the sea made it the duty of belligerents, not of neutrals, to prevent contraband reaching the enemy. Tiie United States in the past had placed an embargo on articles useful for the manufacture of ammunition, and could not without embarrassment deal with tlio seizure of copper, although vigorous representation had been made to secure its release.' It was also difficult to argue against the inclusion of petrol, rubber, and wool as contraband. America had no power to prevent the sale of ammunition to belligerents. Mr. Bryan refuted conclusively the sale of huge quantities of dum-dums to England. The Government, he said, would disapprove of a war loan, as being inconsistent with neutrality. Also, the removal of money might embarrass the Government in case it needed to borrow.

STRAINING THE LAWS OF NEUTRALITY. AMERICA SHIPS FOOD TO , GERMANY. Received 26, 10.40 p.m. London, January 26. The Morning Post says a test case is preparing, which, if allowed to proceed, will prove more serious to the Allies than the Dacia case, namely, the case of the Wilhelmina, from New York, a vessel reputedly German-owned, which was allowed to clear for Hamburg with food supplies for, allegedly, the civilian population. The consignee is an American resident of Germany. The presumption is that if the food is consumed by civilians, it releases an equal quantity for the troops.

"A SCRAP OF PAPER." GERMAN CHANCELLOR EXPLAINS THE PHRASE. Received 21, 1.20 a.m. New York, January 26. Dr. Bethmann Hollweg, the German Chancellor, interviewed, explains that the "scrap of paper" phrase simply meant that the treaty had lapsed owing to Belgium's forfeiture of neutrality. Britain's intervention, he said, was due to her desire not to see a victorious and stronger Germany emerge from the war. England had destroyed a considerable part of the neutrals' trade.