CO129-426 - Public Offices - 1915 — Page 316

Copy.

(24158)

N.L.11793.

Admiralty.

1st March, 1915.

311

Sir,

Confidential.

10535

IREC

REG 5 MAR 15

With reference to your letter 1.348/1915 of the

9th ultimo, enclosing a copy of a letter from the

Colonial Office relative to the proposed measures for

preventing the supply of coal to enemy cruisers from

the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies, I am command -

ed by My Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to acquaint

you, for the information of the Secretary of State for

Foreign Affairs, that they appreciate the difficulties

mentioned in the Colonial Office letter of February 3rd.

Their Lordships, however, consider American competition

to be of no great account in view of the great distance

involved and the high freights prevailing at the present

time, combined with the difficulty in securing tonnage.

Further, the Japanese Government have shown themselves

extremely willing to meet the view of the Foreign Office

in this matter so that no difficulty need be anticipated

from them in the event of it being found necessary to

carry the threat of prohibition into execution.

2.

I am to inform you that experience in South America

has shown that the only effective method of preventing

enemy