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Show BRITISH STEAMSHIPS IIOUK CHANGE Former Coal Cruisers Ask to Be Considered Hereafter Here-after as Merchantmen WASHINCTON Dec 17 Two B t sh steamships which have been supply ng B t sh u sers in the Car bbean sea w th coal and provis ons ha e represent ed to Colonel Goethals at Panama that they have ended the r serv ce as naval auxiliaries and des re to be cons &&&& as merchantmen As such they would be perm tted to load fuel and suppl es n the canal zone for a voy age to a Brit sh port Secretary Garr son today called upon Colonel Goethals for ev dence as to whether the masters of these vessels are act ng n good fa th It was sa I at the depart nent that upon rece pt ot th s ev dence clearances as merchant men m all probab 1 ty would be granted the ships, as ne ther had been charged w th violation of neutral ty Even though the ships had passed through the canal with s ppl es for belligerent cruisers the r cargoes were not taken on at an Amer can port and under the Hay Pauncetote treaty vessels of com n erce and of war of all nat ons n times of peace and of war are granted passage on an equal bas s Off c als here today v ew ed the flurry occas oned by Colonel Goethals s re quest for naval vessels to protect the neutral ty of the canal as a closed n cident The colonel n a supplemental report sa d that except for the n proper send ng of a wireless message b a Br t sh coll er ho 1 new of uo v o lations The Brit sh embassador called at the state depart nent to g ve assur ances that there had been no ntent onal v olat ons of neutral tv by Brit sh ves sels and that the Br t sh essels were anx ous to scrup lously observe the rules preser bed bv the Un te 1 States The cru ser Tacoma o dered to the canal zone n response to Colonel Goe thals s request left Guantanamo Cuba today for Colon Secretary Dan els an nounced that orders would meet the cruiser to a d the canal zone author t es in any manner needed to observe neu tral ty and that if necessary other ships would be sent to the canal for th s duty COLO'S Dec 17 Golonel George W Goethals governor of the Panama canal zone accompan ed by Mrs Goethals lett for the Un ted ctates today on a month s leave of absence He will spend Ghr stmas w th his children Afterwards Colonel Gotehals w 11 at tend the sesS ons of the congress onal appropr ations comn ttee n Wa6h ng ton and in. January will vis t New York to be present at the tr al of John Burke formerly m charge of the com m ssary depa tment m the canal zone who s under ind ctment cha ged w th bribery and consp racy to defra d the go ernment |