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cessation of hostilities, however, the export restrictions began to be relaxed, until the time came when only arms, ammunition, etc.
The War Trade remained subject to licence on exportation. Department was wound up, in common with other war-time Departments, and the Imports and Exports Licensing Section became a unit of the
Board of Trade.
bst-War Control.
10. In 1919 the Board of Trade issued an open general licence authorising exportation without specific licence of cartridges, charges, etc., industrial explosives, double-barrelled guns and
This was subsequently sporting rifles to certain destinations.
modified, at the instance of the Foreign Office, in view of the provisions of the Arms Traffic Convention of the 10th September, 1919; and the revised open general licence excepted consignments to destinations within the prohibited areas specified in that Convention. (See paragraph 12 below).
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11. On the 24th March, 1921, the residue of the war-time Orders prohibiting the export of war material was replaced by a new Order defining, more closely than was done in the Acts of Parliament, the kinds of material whose export was prohibited, and making, for
The definition the first time, specific provision for licences. included fifteen classes of war material, which, although not quite so comprehensive, were substantially the same as classes (i) to (xv) of the list in the existing Order (see Appendix (B)), and by a further Order made on the 13th December, 1921, the prohibition was
This last Order remained extended to shipment as ship's stores.
in force until 1931, when the ratification of the Ethiopian Arms Traffic Treaty, 1930, made it necessary to prohibit the export to Abyssinia of arms, including certain articles not subject to the requirements of a specific licence, viz., bayonets, swords and
As the power lances, and of aircraft (see paragraph 16 below).
to prohibit export to a specified country applied only where there were actual or threatened hostilities, a special Order prohibiting
A new general Order the export to Abyssinia could not be made. was, therefore, made on the 19th May, 1931, extending the export
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