THE "BLACK LIST "

Marlborough Express, Volume L, Issue 217, 23 September 1916, Page 6

THE "BLACK LIST "

AMERICA'S STRONG PROTEST

TEXT OF TilK NOTE TO BRITAIN

At. various .tifiies-during."tlio war differences of pinion havo_ arisen -between Britain ;'«d the United State;*, and other nan tails as to tho effect or British vra measures upon the rights of neutrals, bnr> to ftu- these have haa no vn-v scriOTK J-esults. That trouble has been ivvokte'i is certainly, not Germany's fault. The Lusitama, tlw Apoani, tho iWtschland, the mails question, many aspects ot the blockade, and othco- incidents have- been, ■.seized upon by the enemy wad use* with -fcho o-reak'..^'.. energy in tho eiiori; .to ombroil ' Kritain with fresh •enemies. Th'ti "black list" is one ot tho latest, and in tome ways one oi ifck© most inttc-wting of these pegs upon which Germany is trying to h&Yi"- trouble. The. American Goy- • eramont, in July, sent an emphatic Not© to the Bi-5.i--i.sh Government dealing with the "black list question ; and as the maltw- ha« not been closed yet, the text of this important document makes interesting reading. Tho Note is ns follwvs:— -. "The anßOunpeniont that his x»imtamic Maiest'/'s Government has placed tho' nam« of certain persons, firms, and eorpo.vations in tho United States upon a prospective 'blacK list,.and has 'forbidden all financial or commcTcial dealings between them ana citizens of Great Britain, has bee« received with tits most painful sur•oriso by the people and Government <jf tho 'United States, and seoms to the Government-, of ,the United States to embody a policy of arbitrary interference with neutral • trade against which it is tho duty to protest in the most decided levins. "The scope &ud effect of the policy are extraordinary. British steamship companies will »not accept cargoes ] from the proscribed firms or persons or transport their poods to any port., and steaftship ' Hne -tinder neutral.; ownership im.d« ::■■■ tand that if they ;scoept freight, ir-nn them they are likely to be "denied coal at British t>ovt« I jaiul excluded f:-'.nn other privileges j which they hiw* usually enjoyed and J may themsf-lviv. he put upon tho blade i list Neutral /-ankers refuse loans -fco those on tho fist, and neutr.xl merchants decline to contract; -for their goods, fearing sr Uke proscription. . "It appears that British . officials regard the prohibitions of; tho black list a;j applicable.-' to domestic commercial transactions in foreign countries •as well as in Groat. Britain and-her. dependenclcr,, for . Americans doing business in foreign ' countries have been put on notice that their dealings with blask-listed firms are to bo regarded as subject to veto by. tihe British .Government. By the, samc^pnn•ciple Americans in tho United States might be made subject to similar punitive action if they were found dealing with n-rxy of their own countrymen whose ii-anes fold thus born listed.

UNITED STATES TO INSIST ON

JtMttHTS.

"The harsh find even disastrous, ■effects of this policy upon tho trade of the United S-fca-tes and iipo-p the neutral rights upon which it will no!; •■fail to insist art-, obvious. Upon the list of those proscribed andjn effect .shut out frnm tli.Pi general commerce of the world n;a.y bo found American ■concerns which a.re engaged in large commercial operations as importers •of foreign products and materials and a,s distributoi-s'of American pro•ducts and manufactures to foreign countries, .and which constitute important channels through which Aiu<*rican trade. reaoTies the outside •world. Their foreign affiliations anay ha'/e been -fostered for many years, and when once broken cannot easily or promptly bo re-established. •Other concerns may be put upon the list at any timtv ;,iikT without' notice. "It is imdorsttiod that additions to -the proscription may be made 'whenever on account, of enemy n.a.tionality or enemy association of such parsons or 'bodies of persons it appears to His Majesty expixlient to do so.' The possibilities of liiideserved injury American citizwis from buch mea:sure,s, nrhitrarily taken, and of «e-rious and incalculable interruptions -of American trade are without limifc.

"it lias been'stated -on •• behalf-of His Majesty's Government that these measures ■• were- aimed only at'/ tjhe enemies of Great -Britain,-.and j&ohM l>e adopted and enforced with"'.airict regard to the rights of neutrals and with the least possible detriment to neutral trade, but it' is evident that they are inevitably and essentially ii>■oonsistent with the rights of the citizens of all the JUttions not involved in war The Government of the United States bejrs to remind the- Government of His Britannic- Majesty that citizens of the United States aro entirely Avithin tflieir rights in attempting to trade with the people or tho •Governments of any of the nations now at war. subject only to well-de-iinrd international practices and ■understandings, which the Government of tho United States deems the Crovernmeiit of Great Britain to havtv too lightly and too frequently disregarded. BLOCKADE BREACHES PENALISED. "Tliere r.ro well-known reniediej and penalties for breaches of block ado where tho blockade is real and in fact effective, for trade in contrahand, for every unnoutral act by whomsoever attempted. The Government of nhe United States cannot consent to see those remedies ami perValtie;- altered or" extended at the will of ii single Power or group of Towers to tlie injiuy of its own , ■citizens or in <.k>vogstio« of its own ; rights. , . - i ! "Conspicuous, among the principles which ilie civilised nations of v thtj world h ;ve acet»pted for tho, safeguarding of the rights of neutrals is jn-.l and honorable principle that neu.iraLs may m>h. be condemni-d nor thfiir ■j.'.no'hi 'confiscated except upon fair ru!,]udiratkui ana after an opportunity io bo lioard in prize courts or else .vhere. Such safeguards tho ,

I States .to • consent to sue its _ citizens i put upon ;in ex pa-rto bLick ifet with- J ! out."calling the attention of His !Ma;jcxity's (.Jovernr.ient in the gravest terms to the many serious conse(iuences to netU-aX riglit and neutral relations which such an' act mus*' neoessaril,y iai'oive. It hoiies and believes -that- His Ma-jesiyV _Gover;».inent, xii it»" natural..aßsoiistion-.-in- a sli:gje* pressing; object of policy, lias acted1 without a lull realisation of the many i:iidesired and uiidesiraMts results that untight ensue/

A Gnzoi-ta lUxtraoitlinary lias be«ri issued' contitining ji list of tfie1 nani<«!. of certain companies, firmsy and persons tdeciarcl to be enomies; also rorcoving the names of others from thj [list. Tijie list begins with the ■nxrrstsa !oi' a number of',German bunks, irr- | eluding- the Jteutschiv ÜBerseeiscßr j.Bank (Banco Aleniaar Transalantico), ;Bazilianischc Bank fi?r Dontschland", ißarico do »rshilo y Alema-nia, and (Banco Alwnan Antibguenol; firms !\v-ith Danish,, Spaiu'sh, German, and Portuguese names in South America-; nrms with Greek, German-, and French, names m Greece; firms witli Japanese and English: ttaaios in Japaji; a firm wiih'a. Chinese namovin Korea, a, large number of firms with German, -mxl Dutch- names in Holland; and wifcli Dutch, German, .md one English name in the Netherlands Indies; Norwegian- (some sardniv yackers) and Gorman names of firms trading in Norway: firms with. Arabic parries'trading in Persia:- firms fcradinj.', under -S-paaiish and German names in Spain and the Canary'lslands; and under Swedish names in Sweden.

The trading firms, in- the United States who are on ihe black list number nearly 90, and most of thorn have titles in the English language, but some have German; or German Jewish, names. There is a brief list of names of firms which have been removed. Importers dealing or corresponding with ,-houses in neutrar countries will require to have %o list by them for reference.