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Show DAN B. SHIELDS, attorney attor-ney general, who acted as peacemaker in fish and game office row. j t !- i w J 1 1 GERMANS HAMPER THE WORK OF RELIEF f Cancel Safe Conduct of Ships for Belgium Loaded Load-ed With Food. BERLIN", Feb. 16, 4 p. m., via 'London, Feb. 17, 1:57 a. m. Brand Wbitlock, United States minister min-ister to Belgium, will continue to remain in Brussels in his diplomatic diplo-matic capacity. Belgian relief work will still go on under the auspices of the men now in charge of its administration. administra-tion. ! LONDON, Feb. 16, 8:55 p. m. While restoring American control to the relief work in Belgium, the Germans are still hampering the work by restricting the movements of relief ships and their cargoes. car-goes. They have canceled the safe conducts con-ducts formerly given those vesseJs, reports re-ports received here say, and have absolutely abso-lutely prohibited the transport of vessels ves-sels of merchandise between Great Britain Brit-ain and Holland. The Germans permit vessels to approach ap-proach and leave Rotterdam by the North sea, but this passageway is so full of British and German mines as to be hazardous and almost impracticable.! The purchasing activities of the commission com-mission overseas, amounting to 100,000 tons of foodstuffs monthly, already has been suspended for a fortnight. Obstructions Ob-structions raised by the Germans have held up 160,000 tons of foodstuffs. Under Un-der existing conditions the suspension means that more than 75,000 tons has been lost to the hungry people of Belgium, Bel-gium, while the demurrage and other charges on detained ships exceeds 50,-000, 50,-000, and increases' at the rate of 5000 daily. ! The report that Brand "Whitlock, : American minister to Belgium, had been compelled to lower the American flag at Brussels was received here, but it was not confirmed and, on the other hand, the news reaching relief circles here ; from Brussels gives no indications that Minister Whitlock is not carrying on his usual functions. The commission consented to the reversal re-versal of the German decision on the definite understanding that its functions func-tions and activities be continued unrestricted unre-stricted on the former basis. On this assumption the control of the Americans Ameri-cans over the relief operations continues as heretofore, and no change will be made unless the presence of the Americans Ameri-cans is made impossible by further German Ger-man action. |