TRADE WITH ENEMY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14936, 14 June 1919, Page 3

TRADE WITH ENEMY

PARIS, May 4.— Upon the pretext of calling attention to French commercial inactivity abroad, the Matin bitterly describes American and British efforts, to do business wilh Germany and other enemy nations, including Russia. "The excellent American business men wearing khaki, and m the guise of official missions, are preparing the ground for fxoutful operations," the Matin observes. "The National Association of American Manufacturers has opened important negotiations at Berlin with German industrial . magnates, and the National City Bank of New York has installed bi'anches m Holland and Switzerland with the object of facilitating commercial deals with Germany. The Merchandise Interchange Company, recently organised m America, established m office m Berlin m March for the, exportation of German products artd the importation of raw materials. In the same month the National Metal and Chemical Bank of Engiland bought, all the capital stock of the German, firm of Bessler, Wechter, and Co. The British authorities do not appeal 1 to enforce rigidly the order agamst giving passports ito neutrals who have travelled m Germany since the armistice, whereas the French still insist upon its rigorous application. The economic action of the Germans and that of the Americans and British lend themselves to striking commercial rapprochement. The ' British and Americans are seeking to colonise Germany m a business way, just as the Germans colonised: Russia, with the difference that the former's activities extend into Russia as well as into Bulgaria and Rumania."