Show UI I S I e SUPPLY PPl f CREDIT IN SPAIN PAIN I IT IS CUTOFF T ff Spanish Ships in in Hiding Fearing Hun U- U Boats U-Boats Boats if C Cargoes argues r Are re J oye I According to Contract By International News Newa Service A April p r i 1 S. S WASHINGTON S Supplies u tl P P l 1 i C s 5 purchased in Spain by hy General Pershing for American expeditionary forces in France ha have YC not been released The financial credit for Franco France promised promised prom prom- is d h by Spain in hi return for Cor prom I the privilege of or importing American cotton I Ihas l has not been granted Tho The United States Stales has not be been heln n permitted permitted per per- to benefit b by the a agreement be between bo- bo tw tween een Washington ton and Madrid ladrid signed by representatives of the two governments governments govern govern- o ments on March 7 Threats to sink ink Spanish ships and German political propaganda in Madrid arc are held to be bf responsible Semiofficial reports received hero loday today revealed that Spanish ships such suchs is s at one time lime represented the thc proudest merchant fleet on the high seas ar arenow are now hid hiding inS inS' In the sheltered harbors of or Vigo rigo Cadiz and Barcelona Their owners owners owners own own- ers will not permit them to sail trough through fear rear that the threat of ot the German submarine submarine sub sub- sUh 1 marine commanders will be executed It is doubted In official circles that I the lh Madrid goVernment will prove sufficiently sufficiently suf suf- strong stron to make a serious de defense defense do- do for tor Its ri rights as a neutral SUf-j SUf With full tull expectation that the trade agreement concluded here a month ago o would be promptly ratified in Madrid I rho war board Imm Immediately provided I the Spanish ships detained In port with bunker coal I Exports which Spain wanted and badly adly needed were also all released under the license system and even more moro generously generously gen gen- I roush than the terms of the agreement agreement agree agree- ment required During March 10 0 percent per percent cent more moro cotton collon was allowed to Sout go So out ut than had been contemplated under the reciprocal arrangement Large Larg-e shipments of railway ship equipment find and great quantities of or machine oil oils were ere also released STATE DEPT INDIGNANT There Thero was both surprise and indignation indig indig- nation lation at the state department and the war ar trade board when the French rench government gov Sov government reported that the tho section of the he agreement nt under which France was to 0 be given financial credit In Spain had hadnot hadnot not lot become effective e The French had hadnot hadnot not lot asked for tor a loan but Spanish noney money was to be made mado available for tor forthe the he purchase of army supplies suppliers in Spain upon securities furnished by the th French government Tho Thu United States had agreed to l let t Spain obtain our om supplies only upon I agreement l that the credit bo ho made mad Available Next came the information hut that the supplies of or beans beana ean blankets and ind mules purchased by General Pershing for the army forc forces s wore were not lot moving mo It had been agreed these thel commodities and the tho mules would bo bu released In return for tOI bunker coal which was already being supplied the Spanish ships hips and for the Jean Amex railway materials which Spain was being permitted to take tako out SPAIN SPAI N IS SI SILENT LENT All efforts to get an official ex explanation ex- ex from th the Spanish government have nave Ulve been without result Confidential reports however reveal cal that German Influences are u at the bottom of ot all tho the thole delay le a and trouble Ten rea r n days ago when the Spanish ship Montevideo was a a. short hort distance out of Jf Cadiz Cadix bound for CUI the United States StateN the vessel veasel was stopped b by a u. German submarine commander The vessel car- car Continued on page 2 2 U. U S. S SUPPLY Continued from pa pages 1 t. tied red nothing of ot a contraband character but bul was ordered back to port under penalty of at being sent to the tho bottom In an attempt to explain this action acton the German representative at Barcelona Barcelona Barce Barce- lona said aid no Spanish ships would bo be allowed to return to American ports as they would be seized in tho the same manner that Dutch ships had been taken The war trade boara board immediately immedi had an official announcement made that was a guarantee against seizure The German authorities got around this by renewing their threat to sink all al Spanish ships en engaged aged in carry ing commodities obtainable only ony under un under der the tho recent trade agreements The Tue result was that but hut few ships have havo left ler the Spanish port since that timo SHIPMENTS HELD UP liP It I was said officially by the war trade reports that the wharves in the United States where t ships are accustomed to load are arc now plied piled pied high with commerce which cannot be moved lack of ships These great geat i quantities of or cotton coton and I wore mentioned as evidence of the desire desiro de- de sire siro of tho the United States to keep Us Its Is part of or the agreement Reports show that cotton coton mills mis in inthe tho the vicinity of or Barcelona had less than tan two weeks' weeks supply of ot raw material on hand ten days ago Many thousands of persons in Spain are afforded a livelihood by the tho ind industry and the effect ef of- teat feet of discontent which comes with wih idleness and hunger it i is thought may soon produce a serious situation The Tho final demand of the Gorman German diplomatic representatives Is understood under under- stood Ito bo be against ratification of or the reciprocal agreement which both France and the United States Prior to the receipt of or this information tion ton it had been understood hero here her all al necessary approval had been given Spanish Ambassador Senor J J. JUnno declined to make mako any comment upon th the State department officials of or- also maintained silence on the ground gound that negotiations had been nan nan- or-I or V died through the te war trade board |