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Show DEFEND SEIZURE OF" COPPERJNJRANSIT British Embassy Dlicutse Subject With State Department at Washington Washington, Nov. 23. To maintain main-tain successfully her right to selzo or detain cargoes of American cop per carried on nn Amerlcnn or other neutral vessel to a neutral country such as Italy or Holland, fJ-eat Britain Bri-tain finds It necessary to establish the probability that tho copper actually actu-ally is destined for Oermany or Austria Aus-tria or ion Turkey. Ono mean" of establishing thla probability Is to demonstrate that thore has been nn Increase In tho Imports of copper Into any neutral country in excess of tho normal re qulrcments of that country ns tending to provo that the surplus copper, or n corresponding quunllty already In the country, has been allowed to pass across Its borders Into a belligerent country. Tho Hrltlnh country has been collecting col-lecting statistics on this subject and today Sir Cecil Sprlngltlco tho British Brit-ish ambassador hero, spent tho best part of nn hour with Acting Secretary Secre-tary Lansing nt ho state department going over tho figures. According to Mr. Lansing, tho figures Beem to show that tho state of tho copter trade of tho neutral European cjun. tries waB quite abnormnl, thoigh thore was no general Increase! or decrease. Tho wholo subject of tho right of tho llrltlsh government to Interfere with these copper shipments Is stlU under consideration by tho state do-pnrtmei do-pnrtmei . In connection with arguments argu-ments presented on the snmo subject by Counsel for tho four American copper producing companies protesting protest-ing ngnlnst the detention of tl.olr products. |