COMING TRADE WAR.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 114, 18 May 1918, Page 2

COMING TRADE WAR.

HUGE ENEMY COMBINE.

LONDON, April 27. Reuter's correspondent at Christiania states that he has learnt from an excellent source that a number of great German and Austro-Hungarian concerns, including the German Oriental the North German Lloyd, and Lohmann's, have formed a huge combine, named the Europaeische Handels Gesellschaft, at Bremen. Its objects are to control the Central Powers' import trade of war products, animals, vegetables, textiles, minerals, and raw materials from Russia, Persia, Manchuria, .China, Turkestan, Roumania, and Finland; to organise a union of all exporters in the above countries who did business with Germany before the war. also to cut off neutrals who deal with the Allies from the products of those countries and from; all commerce with the Central Powers.

The combine will also organise a boycott to undermine the financial and comercial position of pro-Ally neutrals, and "form a Central Powers commercial block,, including friendly neutrals. The company will be officially liquidated a year after peace is signed, but will continue unofficially. : The Times correspondent at Amsterdam states' that the Kaiser has sent the following message to the Reichsbank : "Your unparalleled financial successes are due to the victories which Divine grace has bestowed upon the lear 1 - and the fighters of our army and fleet. These will prove the foundation of a strong future. We are conquering both militarily and economically. ' "The message," says the Times, "contrasts with the lukewarm reception in England of the report of Lord Balfour of Burleigh's committee on. post-war ti-ade, which has not revived interest in the Paris resolutions."