NICKEL SMUGGLING .PLOT

Evening Star, Issue 16350, 16 February 1917, Page 5

NICKEL SMUGGLING .PLOT

ARRESTS- IX CANADA. \Vhat. is believed to bo an important conspiracy to secure Canadian nickel and got it into the bands of German agent's in tire ■United States was unearthed at Quebec on > December 28 with tbe nrre-L of seven ErenchCr.nadians employed at tlio Quebec arneaal, who c.ro charged with stealing nickel from the Government institution there. At the eamo time nearly three tons of stolen nickel wio seized, which had been incited into ingots and packed into whisky barrels, ready to export to German agents in the United Slates. A prominent Montreal firm, composed of naturalised Gerrnan-Canadians, n is also implicated in the plot. 1-nrthcT arrests were expected, and tbs officers of the Military Intelligence Department stated that they hoped to round -on the whole business of the illicit export, of t cnadian nickel, which is desperately needed by the Germans. It is stated that for some tuns pari the Dominion police have suspected the existence of a plot to secure Canadian nickel mid smuggle it out of the country to German ttgenb in the United States for export to Germany, probably by the, Deutschland submarine mute. It is thought that some of the cargoes of nickel carried tint vessel were probably stolen Canadian nickel smuggled into the Stales in this wnv. Sir I’t-rcv Sherwood, brad of tire Dominion police, started the inquiry. The trail soon led to a German firm at Montreal, while it was discovered that large quantities of cupronickel had been stolen from Quebec arsenal The operations of the group of illicit nickel dealers had been watched by tho military authorities for seme time past, and led to tha sudden denouement in the arrest of tho seven conspirators. It is hoped that these revelations will put an end to the possibilirv of getting t-anadian nickel for enemy use.