1939-12-09 — Page 10

ECONOMY SALE

NOW PROCEEDING

It's a Big Saving Opportunity that everybod, will take im- mediate advantage of! All prices of the New

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BARGAINS FOR MEN

SMA ↑ FELT HATS

(Eritish Make)

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$5.95 ea.

“WARDS” FUR FELT HATS

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INEXPENSIVE SATISFYING

Bringing Up Father

AN

THE CHINA MAIL, DECEMBER 9, 1939

'ECONOMIC COVENTRY'

FOR GERMANY

(By A SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE)

There is a certain poetical fitness in the Ministry of Economic Warfare, that fourth arm of the national offensive, being housed the in the London School of Economics, breeding ground of so many economists.

The tall and youthful-looking Minister, Mr. Ronald H. Cross, with his gentle cour- tesy, hardly gives one at first sight the economic idea of a stern and unbending warrior. Only when one persuades him to talk of the manifold activities of his Min- istry does one begin to grasp the inexor- able strangle-hold which, through the me- dium of the Royal Navy, has been establish- ed on the trade of Germany. economic sense

one

warfare'

**In

13 Cross perhaps

a misicading term." Mr. 'told me, "for every, one of our war activi- ties has its economic aspect, and the Min- istry of Economie. Warfare certainly does Our not attempt to run the whole war. main object is to ensure that essential sup- plles do not reach Germany."

HOW IT WORKS

"Much the same job as the Ministry of Blockade in the last war?"

case,

We need also to know the names of the actual consignces-consignments 'to or der only rouse our worst suspicions, and in actual fact such shipments made after to-morrow will be liable to seizure,

PROBLEM OF MEASURES

"The time taken to release a ship var- ies from a few hours to two or three weeks, or possibly even longer. It depends on the nature of the cargo. Just what the aver- age is it would be difficult to say, but one big ship with a complicated cargo of hun-.

could dreds of items on board clearly raise any average considerably. Last week cleven ships were delayed only a few hours. Of the 34 vessels which were in the con- trol bases two days ago only 36 had been there as long as a week. The remaining 58 had been there for at the most a few days, a few and some of them hours.

"I have referred to the advantage of get- ting manifests in advance. Shipowners could also expedite matters considerably if the manifests contained in every case the net weight In metric tons, after deducing the weight of the package. One section of the Ministry has so far been engaged sole- ly on the task of converting all kinds of into the common weights and measures unit of metric tons. If this were done in the manifests this particular section of the Ministry could be dispensed with."

1

probably only

CAN YOU ANSWER THIS?

"Yes. Much of the work of the Ministry consists of an examination of all ships and cargoes brought or putting in to the con- traband control bases and ports. We have an elaborate system of determining whe- ther or not there is prima facie evidence of goods being destined for Germany. but 1 am sure that you will realise that I ought

Glancing at the large map which cover- not to describe this in too much detail,

ed most of one wall of the room, I suggest. "Broadly, we take into account not only

ed that the Minister and his staff must be the normal imports of the neutrals adja-

re-learning a good deal of geography.

"but cent to Germany, but also what we know

"That is so." agreed Mr. Cross, of the consignor or consignee of each par-

what has impressed us most is the amaz- ticular cargo. The manifest of every shiping range of commodities of which some of entering a contraband control base or pass- ing through a port is reviewed by several sections of the Ministry of Economic War- fare. each section working from its own particular angle; the comments of all these sections are then laid before the Contra- band Committee, which meets daily and de- cides what ought to be done about every item in every cargo.

"'Innocuous items are released. Items In respect of which there is evidence that they are destined for Germany are seized and brought in due course before the Prize Court. Doubtful items are detained pend- ing further inquiry.

THE DWINDLING STREAM "The British Contraband Control has in the first ten weeks of the war detained more which than

of commodities 427,000 tons otherwise would have reached the enemy.

But it is important to remember that this is not the sum total of Germany's loss. It must not be assumed that she has had the tonnage represented in the difference be- tween this and her normal imports. That has been stopped. These figures merely re- present what the shippers have tried to get through, and, though they are up to all the is think of, the amount dodges they can steadily decreasing.

"It can correctly be assumed that our control is daily getting more and not less efficient, yet though we stopped 70,000 tons in the first week of the war and 100,000 tons In th second, the figure has steadily de- clined until last week there were only 6,500 tons to stop. We shall not get anything like the real picture until the statistics for this period of the various countries are available."

ELIMINATING DELAYS

at

I referred to the complaints, both home and abroad, that ships were being detained an inordinate time.

us (other than the experts in the various commodities) had never heard-things in which we had been trading perhaps for gen- erations and yet which are not even names That and the to the ordinary person.. extraordinary range of weights and mea. sures which I have already mentioned, instance" (this with "Have you, for broad smlle), "ever heard of a 'lierce of hog-buney?' I confess I hadn't until I came to the Ministry."

B

Mr. Cross mentioned that the Ministry are working in the closest co-operation with the French authorities. Gibraltar, for instance. is a control base, but as there are no very great facilities there for unloading cargo. vessels are often passed on to one of the French bases, and those figures, of course, do not come into the British statistics,

toking He referred to the negotiations

view blace with neutral countries with a to minimising the delay and reducing in- while convenience to international trade, maintaining effective contraband control, and said the Ministry. are hoping to intro- duce at an early date the system of "na- vicerts" which proved so useful in the last

war.

is

spend being

A "navicert" is in effect a free pass giv- en to approved consignments the ultimate destination of which has been established as being neutral. This enables the con

to signment to go through sublect only formal vertification. The "navlcert" saves much delay as it is given before the con- signment is shipped, and if all his cargo ship thus passed, the -master of the

will not have to knows that he

while inquiries are precious time exporting

made.

In regard to the future, Mr. Cross said: "In the long run I look for a wider scope of action. I visualise Germany being placed in a kind of economic Coventry. This means cutting off her trade in all directions. We might, for example, outbid her in markets where she buvs, and undercut her in mar

In fact, economic kets where she sells.

the warfare has a far wider scope than mere enforcement of contraband control.

with "But this Ministry is concerned British exports only to the extent of pre- venting goods being exported in such a way that, unknown to the exporter, they might I ultimately reach an enemy destination. entirely agree that our export trade is of "Here I would say that shipowners tan, the utmost importance, but it is not in and are, giving us considerable help by general a matter for the Ministry of Eco- nomic Warfare. It would be of great as- preparing their manifests in the form most suitable to our system. Where manifests sistance to our Commercial Enquiries Sec- are sent in advance and proved to contain tion if the public could be induced to ap- no contraband, the ship is detained only a preciate that fact, as at present they are

day, short time, perhaps only one very

often approached with inquiries which are though this would be a very exceptional i quite outside their scope."

"Those delays, so far as they are avoid. able, are, I hope, a thing of the past," said Mr. Cro95. "From the outset I have held the strongly that delay must be re- Ministry, of duced to a minimum. The course, was a new Ministry, and naturally took a little time to settle down. Also, as I have said, the process of 'vetting' ships and cargoes is very elaborate. But we have improved our system, and delays are now greatly reduced.

By George McManus

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