U.S.A. NEUTRALITY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 September 1939, Page 7

U.S.A. NEUTRALITY

VIEWS OF SENATOR BORAH RETURN TO INTERNATIONAL LAW. DOLLAR-STERLING EXCHANGE UNSETTLED. By Telegraph—P--«s Association—Copyright WASHINGTON, September 18. Following on President Roosevelt's invitation to Republican leaders to par ticipate in a conference of the nation's leaders at the White House to consider America's neutrality programme, Senator Borah said that apparently the increasing Russian-Japanese friendship might, change the Administration’s desire for a cash-and-carry policy and lead President Roosevelt to seek a re turn to international law. entailing the abandonment of all the neutrality le gislation. This. Senator Borah said, he would prefer to some things which might be offered. Mr W. Green, president of the Federation of Labour, said the federation would be active at the special session of Congress to urge strict neutrality and the prevention of war profiteering. The American “Law Journal.” in an editorial, says the United States neutrality law conflicts with the international neutrality law as it was previously understood and applied. It adds that the United States while a noncombatant in the last war refused, despite a German protest, to depart from neutrality at it was previously undern stood in international law. The journal quotes the first volume of Kent’s commentaries, 1826 in which it is held to be shown that neutrals may lawfully sell or carry to belligerents contraband, subject to the right, of seizure in transit. The fact that there is only one German ship taking refuge in tho United States, compared with 83 when the United States declared war in 1917 is interpreted in Washington as an indication that Germany fears that the United States will enter the present war. Mr Morgenthau,. United States Sec - retary to the Treasury, has announced that the .variation between the New York rate and the official rate for sterling is such that the Treasury is not risking one dollar on foreign exchange transactions. It , had a very unsettling effect on United States importers and exporters, and the British and American Governments were in communication about it, he said. —By Radio. JOINT SESSION PRESIDENT TO APPEAR IN PERSON. (Received This Day, 9.10 a.m.) WASHINGTON, September 19. . President Roosevelt has announced that he is planning to appear in person at a joint session of the Senate and tho House of Representatives at 2 p.m. on Thursday and will request revision of the neutrality law.