A MEAN ABANDONMENT.

Northern Advocate, 26 January 1911, Page 5

A MEAN ABANDONMENT.

ONLY ONE ALTERNATIVE.

LONDON, Jan. 25

The "Manchester Guardian" regards the Declaration of London as an unwise and mean abandonment of a principle which England has defended for a century, namely, that the onus of proof lay with the captor, while the Declaration of London lays the burden en the owner. If the Declaration can be made binding it will be as easy to secure the prohibition of capture of private property altogether. England has two courses—either to make the sea in war time British territory, involving enormous cost, or to secure complete freedom of the seas to commerce. POSSIBLE POSTPONEMENT. Some newspapers announce that the ratification of the Declaration of London will be postponed until the imperial Conference has discussed it. The "Berlin Post" declares that the campaign against the Declaration requires foreign powers to reckon w:th the peril that will arise if the ratification is refused and the old privateering rights reaffirmed. The' "Post" adds that the recent Br'tish naval manoeuvre showed that the sacrifice of an enemy's fleet woull make possible almost the complete destruction of the British mercantile marine. Such crippling of the mercantile marine would perpetually jeopardise British supremacy in the shipping trade. The "Daily Mail's" Ottawa correspondent reports that, owing to the meagre dispatches, the Declaration or London has attracted little attention. The general opinion is that the dominions should not be overlooked in a matter of this kind. Sir W. Laurier has not studied the matter, and before he comes to a definite decision Government experts will analyse the Declaration.

The South Australian Agent-General interviewed, said that the Declaration ought not to be ratified without due discussion.

CABLEGRAMS.

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