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Show SAY NEW YORK BANKERS KNEW OF BLACKLIST British Foreign Office Refuses Re-fuses to Confirm or Deny Rumor; Is Admitted Unofficially. LONDON, July 2(5, 7:16 p. m. The foreign for-eign trade department of the foreign office of-fice declines either to confirm or deny the story printed here today to the effect that New York banks were consulted by the British officials before the blacklist was published. Unofficially, it is admitted that it is possible some such steps may have been taken, but the department hee directly concerned has no knowledge of such negotiations. ne-gotiations. Steps already are oeing taken here by the foreign trade department: to consult directly with a number of firms on the list in an effort to secure their removal. re-moval. The government is anxious to expedite such inquiries and declares that no obstacles will be placed in the way of any firm desiring to prove its innocence. Effect Is Discussed. It Is not expected that the blacklist controversy will assume the form of a protest before the return of Walter Hiries Page, the American embassador, who is going to the United States on a vacation. While the theory prevails in government circles that the act is purely a piece of domestic legislation, a number of neutral diplomats here hold that the act directly affects the comity of nations. na-tions. These diplomats cite two treaties- in support of their argument the first between be-tween the United States and the Han-sea Han-sea tic republic, providing for reciprocal trade relations between the two countries under guarantees that no discrimination shall be permitted, and the second the treaty between the lUnited States and Great Britain of 1815, providing trade facilities for inhabitants and traders of I both countries under guarantees that no discrimination shall be allowed. Mail Case Undecided. Embassador Page will take home undecided un-decided the mail detention issue, but carries car-ries the promise that a reply to the American representations will be forthcoming forth-coming soon. Almost every day the American diplomatic representatives here have been carrying complaints with regard re-gard to the operation of the mail censorship censor-ship to tiie foreign office. S. S. McClure, the American publisher, who was detained for some time by the British authorities on his arrival at Liverpool on- the American liner Philadelphia, Phila-delphia, must return to the United States Saturday on board the same vessel. In the meanwhile he is sojourning at an unnamed un-named watering place inland "for his health," according to a statement made by government officials today. The British home office declined to grant a permit for Mr. McClure to stay in England. |