CONTRABAND CHECK

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20184, 29 February 1940, Page 5

CONTRABAND CHECK

RIGHTS OF ALLIES NEUTRALS’ IMPORTS GUARANTEES GIVEN (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 11.30 a.m. RUGBY, Feb. 28. The Minister of Economic Warfare, Mr. R. H. Cross, in the House of Commons to-day said that the whole trade of the countries concerned in.the war was covered by various war trade agreements. The Allies were entitled to seize any contraband goods suspected of going to an enemy destination. He said that imports going to neutral countries could be detained unless assurances were given that they were not going to Germany. The Allies had had, therefore, to obtain guarantees that such imports would be used exclusively for the domestic requirements of the countries concerned. Domestic Origin “Regarding goods produced in neutral countries, it is usually stipulated that goods of purely domestic origin may be exported to both belligerents on the peace-time levels, and as these are goods which have not passed through our patrols, we have not the same control as we have of their overseas imports,” said the Minister. “It must be remembered that the maintenance of such exports is vital to the economic life of the neutral countries concerned, and in many cases we ourselves benefit from such exports to at least as great, if not a greater degree, Germany.” The Minister concluded: “There is nothing in these war trade agreements preventing us from exercising our full belligerent rights in respect to any consignments in regard to which we have evidence of enemy destination.”