a view to the detection of a concealed
enemy destination. Wherever there has been a reasonable ground for
suspecting the destination, the goods have been placed in charge of a
prize court. Doubtful consignments have been detained pending
satisfactory guarantees.

"Third, under agreement with bodies of representative merchants of
several neutral countries adjacent to Germany, stringent guarantees
have been exacted from importers. So far as possible all trade between
neutrals and Germany, whether arising from oversea or in the country
itself, is restricted.

"Fourth, by agreements with shipping lines and by vigorous use of the
power to refuse bunker coal in large proportions the neutral
mercantile marine which trades with Scandinavia and Holland has been
induced to agree to conditions designed to prevent the goods of these
ships from reaching Germany.

"Fifth, every effort is being made to introduce a system of rationing
which will insure that the neutrals concerned will import only such
quantities of articles as are specified as normally imported for their
own consumption."

The case of the Chicago meat packers, involving food consignments to
neutral European countries since the war's outbreak, came before a
British prize court before the American protest had been lodged.
Apparently the issues it raised dictated in some degree the
contentions Secretary Lansing made. The British authorities had seized
thirty-three vessels mainly bearing meat products valued at
$15,000,000, twenty-nine of which had been held without being
relegated for disposal to the prize courts. The remaining four
cargoes, held for ten months, and worth $2,500,000 were confiscated by
a British prize court on September 15, 1915. The goods were declared
forfeited to the Crown. One of the factors influencing the decision
was the sudden expansion in shipments of food products to the
Scandinavian countries immediately after the war began. The president
of the prize court, Sir Samuel Evans, asserted that incoming vessels
were carrying more than thirteen times the amount of goods to
Copenhagen--the destination of the four ships involved--above the
volume which under normal conditions arrived at that port. He cited
lard, the exportation of which by one American firm had increased
twentyfold to Copenhagen in three weeks after the war, and canned
meat, of which Denmark hitherto had only taken small quantities, yet
the seized vessels carried hundreds of thou