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Show SEjZE ALL Neutrals Are Notified and Public Announcement Announce-ment Will Follow in a Day or Two; Declaration Declara-tion Will Be General and Cotton and Foodstuffs Food-stuffs Will Not Be Ex-cepted. Ex-cepted. GREAT INTEREST IN WASHINGTON Effort Will Be Made to Induce the Belligerents to Conform to International Interna-tional Law, Although Right of Blockade is Acknowledged. LONDON, Feb. 27, 6:50 p. m. Great Britain, France and their allies have advised neutral countries that they hold themselves at liberty to stop all shipping to and from Germany and the countries of her allies. Public announcement of this action will be made early next week, probably Monday. The text of the declaration will set forth that this decision is necessary neces-sary because of German submarine attacks, at-tacks, but that Great Britain and France will respect the HveB of crews and passengers in any steps they may take. The declaration is not a reply to the American representations looking to a cessation of German submarine activity and the admission of food to Germany for civilians. Tho declaration will not affect cargoes shipped before the date of this advice to neutrals. The exact date carried by the decimation has not been announced, but it is probably February 26 or 27. Terms Will Be General. No special articles of commerce will be mentioned in the British-French declaration. Cotton and foodstuffs, for example, will not be specified, but the terms will be general. The situation created will be entirely justified, according ac-cording to the English view, because of Germany's unprecedented action in attempting at-tempting a submarine blockade regardless regard-less of danger to the crews and passengers pas-sengers of Ehips. Shipping in the Baltic will not be affected except as Great Britain and her allies prevent supplies from entering enter-ing Norway, Sweden and Denmark for re-exportation to Germany. Holland, by making its prohibited export list conform with the British contraband list and by the creation of The Netherlands Nether-lands interseas trust to which virtually vir-tually all cargoes entering Holland are now consigned, with tho government guarantee that they will not be exported ex-ported to Germany has put its shipping ship-ping in a position which will be affected af-fected little by the declaration. It is believed here that the Scandinavian Scandi-navian countries doubtless will take similar action to insure continuation of supplies from America and elsewhere for home use. While Denmark, Sweden and Norway have repeatedly modified the lists of prohibited exports, their regulations for the prevention of reexportation re-exportation apparently have been unsatisfactory un-satisfactory to Great Britain, or the administration of the regulations has been unsatisfactory, as cargoes have" not moved to the Scandinavian countries with the same freedom as to Holland. FRENCH AGAINST ACCEPTANCE OF j AMERICAN PLAN PARIS, Feb. 2". 5:40 a. m. The ' French pmss is unanimous in declaring j that Groat Britain cannot accept the informal proposals, said to have been made by tne United States, that the embargo em-bargo on foodstuffs for Germany be raised provided Germany abandons her intention of destroying merchant fhips. The papers, however, express appreciation apprecia-tion of the spirit in which the proposals pro-posals wore made. Tho Matin declares such a step would be carrying altruism altogether too far. ! because ''every loaf whii'h a civilian was able to spare would be a loaf thrt , more for a soldier: in other words, the' (Continued on Page Twenty-ttiree.) I ALLIES TO SEIZE ALL SHIPS FOB GElflY (Continued from Fa.se One.) I allies ate asked to continue tho war and sacrifice the lives of their soldiers in order to save German civilians from want." German Reply Not Ready. BEXvLIN, Feb. 27 (via London. 7:5f p. m.) Germany's reply to the American Ameri-can note concerning the problems which have grown out of the establishment of the naval war zone around the British isles by the German government 13 not vet ready for delivery to Embassador Gerard. It had been hoped that the reply would be transmitted to the embassador em-bassador today, but it was found that additional time was required for consultations con-sultations among various departments before completing the final draft. The note, however, will soon be ready. GREAT INTEREST IN WASHINGTON OVER BLOCKADE WASHINGTON, Feb. 27. Confirmation Confirma-tion was lacking here tonight of a report re-port from London that neutral governments govern-ments had not been notified by Great Britain and her allies that a 'general blockade of German ports would be declared de-clared next week. Press dispatches to that effect aroused wide interest in official of-ficial and diplomatic circles, however, as to the probable course the United States government would pursue. Authorities on international law agree that a belligerent has the right to "blockade an enemy's ports with a competent com-petent force, ' ' and that neutrals are bound to respect that right. They divide di-vide such blockade into two class-en, simple or defaeto, and public. The latter lat-ter class is defined as one "where tho invesment is not actually established, but where also a public notification of the fact is made to neutral powers of the government or officers of state, declaring de-claring the blockade." Such a notification, it is added by the same authorities, is considered binding not only on a neutral state, but also upon its citizens. The result is to throw the burden of proof on the captured vessels ves-sels seized while attempting to enter a blockaded port. The blockade is held to be in force until formal notification of its withdrawal has been received. Date of Importance. The exact date of the issuance of the blockade notification, it is held, will be of tho utmost importance since a vessel sailing for a blockaded port in ignorance igno-rance of the fact. that it has been blockaded block-aded has been held not liable to condom-nation. condom-nation. A treaty of 1794 between Great Britain and the United States made this specific provision and proclamations issued is-sued in Washington declaring blockades during tho civil war follow thin theory. It has been the general international rule, it is said, for neutral vessels in ports to bo blockaded to be allowed at least fifteen dava after the blockade is announced in wliich to leave those ports without cargo. After that time they are subject to seizure. If the notification of the Anglo-French Anglo-French blockade of Gorman ports i& accepted ac-cepted by tho United States government govern-ment as in accordance with international interna-tional law, it is assumed that formal warning will bo given American ship owners and shippers in a proclamation by the president. Government officials refused tonight to discuss the matter in the absence of official confirmation of the British plan. It was made clear, however, that such notice when received would be subjected to rigorous inspection inspec-tion as to its conformity with international interna-tional precedent. New Problem Possible. Tt is noted here that the London dispatch dis-patch does not specifically designato the proposed British action as a "block-ado" "block-ado" and if the formal announcement observes the pa mo distinction in terms, new problem'- may arise. In a general way the British action might then be i "similar to the German "war zone" declaration dec-laration with the exceptirrj of the fact that it gives fiw.rnm'i'R that, the lives of those aboard vessels halted "will be respected. ' ' The British plan apparently ap-parently is more far-reaching than the German, however, since "nil 5-hipnin- to and from Grrnirmy and her p'lies " is a imed at. according to the London ;distiatch. while the German declaration i indica tes Brit if-h shipping onlv ns the I oh ire t of interference, n en I ml voesHs ; being endangered onlv because of tho difficulty in ascertnining their nation-nlitv nation-nlitv in the prescribe ones. Xo comment was obtainable on ihn phase of the prohlpm, but it is nmnc d the;p cviIT be nmong the rnn-dderntinns weighed bv "U'nhi'igtnn offmi;iI in determining de-termining (mon n n v course of nci ion -.vpnTl fbe official notifieation nf Ore'ut Britain 'f intentions is received. |