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Show VIOLATION - OF 1 NEUTMUTY IS CHARGE IDE German and Austro-Hun-garian Embassies Complain Com-plain Parts of Submarines Are Built Over Here. STATE DEPARTMENT TO INVESTIGATE If Accusation Is True Shipment Ship-ment Will Not Be Allowed ' Until Supreme Court Decides Question. WASHINGTON, Feb. 20. Eeuewed complaints were made today to the state department in behalf of the German Ger-man and the Austro-Hungarian embassies em-bassies that submarines were being built ill the United States and shipped in sections to Canada for reshipment to England. Secretary Bryan promised prom-ised an official investigation. Charles M". Schwab, president of the Bethlehem Steel company and owner of the Union Iron Works, is said to have cancelled similar contracts with the British government several months ago after a conference with Secretary Bryan Bry-an on the theory that they constituted a violation of the neutrality laws. . Naval officers detailed at various private pri-vate yards where contracts for the various var-ious governments are being executed re cently reported to Secretary Daniels that the Union Iron Works of San IJrancisco and the Tore River Ship-building Ship-building company of Quincy, Mass., were building ten submarines each, in addition to those they have under construction con-struction for the United States. It was said these had been contracted for by Great Britain before the outbreak of hostilities and could not be delivered until the war was over. No Shipments Made. The inspectors reported that none of these boats could be completed for several sev-eral months, and that none of their component parts have been shipped by ine ouuaL'js. So tar as the officials here know, no breach of the agreement between Mr. Schwab and the government is contemplated, contem-plated, but it was made evident that, notwithstanding the legal opinion secured se-cured bv the steel company affirming its right to ship parts of war vessels to belligerents, the government will not permit this to be done without appealing appeal-ing to the supreme court if the courts are invoked by the shipbuilders. In a statement on the subject the German embassy says: iiT'ho .-,1a, ,ta nf TJ.fihohpm Hud the Union Iron Works at San Francisco are, according to reliable information, sending the component parts of submarines sub-marines ordered by the British government govern-ment to Canada. Submarines for England Eng-land also are being buiit at Bostua and Seattle. "The attention of the United States department of state," the statement continues, "has been drawn to these facts by the German and Austro-llun-garian embassies as being in contradiction contra-diction with the laws of neutrality." |