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Show BRITISH POLICY IS ASSAILED I Holds English Government for Far Reaching and Severe Restraint on International Interna-tional Trade. HIGH SEA RIGHTS Stability of United States May Prove Rock of Credit for the World. St. Louis, Jan 21. Among those who discussed the points raised in the address of Professor Moore was Carman F Randolph of New York "All things considered." he said, "we mav hold the British government responsible for the far-reacbing and severe restraint on international trade At home It imposes niout searching prohibitions on trade with the enemy. At sea, it holds up whatever what-ever neutral goods it chooses to call contraband, and chooses to suspect of ultimate enemy destination "Concerning British policy as a Whole I am by no means persuaded that it will hasten peace or proe a decisive factor in the war. We understand un-derstand that if the allios shall finally final-ly ring Germany with hostile nations and complete a state of siege by effectively ef-fectively blocking her ports, she may lawfully bar evcn hospital supplies land milk for babies. So long as tbe allies do not besiege Germany, they cannot lawfully enforce the terrible law of siege, even so far as to de-tormlne de-tormlne for themselves what neutraJ goods shall be excluded. Rights on High Sea "With so much of British commercial commer-cial policy as is executed on British territory, the United States has. broadly speaking, no legal concern. In whatever indirect damage our people peo-ple may suffer by reason of prohibitions prohibi-tions against trading with the enemy, there is no infringment of our legal tights Nor aro these rights invaded by whatever pressure Great Britain may bring to bear on neutral Btates to bar transit to enemy territory, though all these matters may be subjects sub-jects of diplomatic negotiations In British policy exploited on the hlli seas the commercial rights of the United States are deeplj involved. "The particular interests of the United States are quite sufficient to warrant a strong but temperate demand de-mand for a proper respect for neutral commerce and the United States will. In maintaining their trade at as high n level as a just regard for belligerent Interests permit, serve the larger and permanent interests of the world. Rock of Credit for World. "The United States may be trusted to vindicate its commercial rights and embrace iL commercial opportunities opportu-nities durinc the war. In so doing it will lend to advance it financial strength to a point where it ma;, servo the world Keen-eed states men in both camps realize how seriously seri-ously the financial adjustment may be prejudiced if desperate militarism shall be suffered to Impair the financial fi-nancial stability of the United States This stability may prove the rock of credit for the world "The duty of the moment is to back the government's effort to lessen les-sen the war hazards of foreign trade. Of the preliminary notes lately ex changed by the Lnited Stater? and Greal Britain, I have only to say that they should tend to lessen the vexing vex-ing of our Atlantic commerce and the rigor of embargoes. If the British government is to make up the list of contraband in disregard of just neutral neu-tral rights and protests, we may expect ex-pect Its progressive extension; militarism mili-tarism will score another point against the law of nations in this war which began with a blazing violation vio-lation of one of the most sacred of all neutral rights Belgium's right to peace." Redfield Reviews Department Work. Secretary of Commerce Redfield in his address reviewed the work of the department of commerce In promoting I foreign trade. He said that Bifltce May. 1014, the department has sta tioned eight commercial attaches abroad, though then theje were none, that one is about to go to Petrograd and another io Melbourne. The department, ho continued now has in mind the development of cooperating co-operating branches of the. bureau of foreign and domestic commerce all over the country In the thought that in time every chamber of commerce mav become affiliated with the bureau and keep In constant touch with it Revision of Statistics. "An important phase of the work of this bureau is that in connection with the revision of export and import im-port statistics at the New York custom cus-tom house. Material inaccuracies exist ex-ist In both classes of statistics On the export side there are large discrepancies dis-crepancies botween the published sta- I tistics and the actual facts Our exports ex-ports are understated. This under- 'statement may may amount to 10 per I cent, an error sufficient to throw our balance at times from the favorable to the unfavorable side "This subject is of exceeding importance. im-portance. It affects commercial, financial fi-nancial and political activities. Arguments Ar-guments made from an apparent ad verse balance sometimes would not bo made if that balance were known i not to be ad erse. A considerable part of the error I arises from the failure of shippers to do their part in preparing accurate accur-ate and complete manifests. " |