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Show ' oo KAISER AMENDS PRIZE RULES Washington, April 22. Press dis patches from Berlin announcing important im-portant amendments to the German prixe rules were noted at the state department today with some concern While officials will await the text of these amendments before making an statements for publication, appre hension is expressed privately that if the new rules are correctly outlined in the disnatcbr-K thev mark a nntahio advance by Cermany towards the absolute ab-solute exclusion of neutral commerce from the high seas This comeB, It is pointed our, just at the moment when all of the neutral powers have been bringing press-ire to bear on th allied powers to abate the severity of the blockade rnles and prize laws, as embodied In the recent British orders or-ders in council. Increases Difficulties. Difficulty in maintaining the right of neutral nations to ship conditional contraband to other neutral powers Is foreseen by officials as a result of adoption of a German prize rule of the same provision as that in the British Brit-ish orders In council regarding goods consigned ' to order." over which there has been so much discussion. The United States government has consistently held that this usual com- merclal process Is perfectly legitimate legiti-mate and that before goods consigned i"to order"' can be seized the belligerent belliger-ent government attempting to make the seizure must assume the burden of proof that thp goods are unneutral or are Intended for the enemy's government. gov-ernment. Officials are even more concerned over the reported new German rule that a ship with conditional contraband contra-band bound for a neutral port shall hp liable to capture, and that the cond;-tional cond;-tional contraband may be confiscated without regard to the consigne w hen the ship is destined for a neufnri coun-trv from which the nations at war with Germany obtain conditional contraband arti ;lea New Note In Preparation. A reflection of the views of th American government on this subject probably will appear in the note to be addressed to Germany in regard to th case of the American ship William P. Frye. which was sunk In the South Atlantic bv the. (lerman rrnicnr Pr-inr Eitel Friedrich. J Th tate department has for some time had under consideration the last German proposition to send this cas before a prize court and to pay for the ship and cargo If the Tacts developed de-veloped were those stated in the United Uni-ted States' note of complaint. Because Be-cause n condition of the acceptance of this offer Is recognition of the continued con-tinued existence In full effect of the old treaty of trade and commerce between be-tween the United States and Prussia of 182R the answer has been delayed in order to make sure that such "an admission In regard to the treaty would not seriously injure the claim of the United States to reparation nn other accounts. Extension of the German prize rules probably will re suit in hastening the dispatch of the reply. |