ing to the same officers as heretofore and on the same terms of employment. Should any officer, operator, or employee desire to leave the service, he should give notice as heretofore to the proper officer, so that there may be no interruption or impairment of the service to the public.

I earnestly request the loyal cooperation of all officers, operators, and employees, and the public, in order that the service rendered shall not only be maintained at a high standard, but improved wherever possible. It is the purpose to coordinate and unify these services so that they may be operated as a national system with due regard to the interests of the public and the owners of the properties.

No changes will be made until after the most careful consideration of all the facts. When deemed advisable to make changes, due announcement will be made. Nothing contained in this order shall be construed to affect in any way the censorship of marine cables now conducted under the direction of the Secretary of the Navy under Executive order of September 26, 1918.

TRADE RESTRICTIONS.

Executive order creating Exports Council, June 22, 1917.

[Official Bulletin, No. 40, p. 4; War Trade Board, Rules and Regulations,

EXECUTIVE ORDER.

No. 1, p. 5.]

By virtue of authority vested in me by Title VII of the act approved June 15, 1917, entitled, "An act to punish acts of interference with the foreign relations, the neutrality, and the foreign commerce of the United States, to punish espionage and better to enforce the criminal laws of the United States, and for other purposes," I hereby vest in the Secretary of Commerce the executive administration of all instructions issued by the President under said Title VII and of the proclamations thereunder, and the said Secretary is hereby authorized and directed to take such measures as may be necessary to administer and execute the same and to grant or refuse export licenses thereunder in accordance with those instructions.1

I hereby establish an Exports Council, to be composed of the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Food Administrator, and I hereby authorize and direct the said Exports Council, thus constituted, to formulate, for the consideration and approval of the President, policies and make the recommendations necessary to carry out the purposes of this act.2

(Signed)

THE WHITE HOUSE, 22 June, 1917.

WOODROW WILSON.

1 This authority was superseded by that of the Exports Administration Board, created by Executive order, August 21, 1917 (W. T. B. Rules and Reg., No. 1, p. 11), which in turn was superseded by the War Trade Board, created by Executive order, October 12 1917 (Ibid., No. 1, p. 42).

2 Superseded by the War Trade Council, similarly constituted, with addition of the chairman of the Shipping Board, created by Executive order, October 12, 1917 (W. T. B., Rules and Reg., No. 1, p. 43).

General policies of the War Trade Board as set forth in the first annual report, dated December 31, 1917.1

[Journal W. T. B., 7: 15.]

The War Trade Board on February 25 issued the following statement:

The general policies followed by the War Trade Board and an outline of the board's labors for 1917 in the control of export and import trade are indicated in the first annual report to the President, which the board now makes public.

The mobilization of the economic arm of the United States and the effective use of trade restraints upon the central powers is here revealed in action. The language of the report shows a desire to proceed by agreement and negotiation with other countries and to avoid even the appearance of coercion or retaliation in the board's relations with neutrals.2

With German traders and German comforters in neutral countries, however, there is no compromise indicated, but relentless isolation. The language of the report gives these intimations of policies and results:

"The activities of the board are roughly divisible into three spheres-those relating to the control of exports,3 those relating to the control of imports, and those relating to enemy trade.5

"The board has sought, first, to conserve for ourselves and for those associated with us in the war such commodities as are required to maintain adequately the economic life of the several nations and to carry out their war programs. Other objects sought have been to prevent our commodities reaching the enemy directly or indirectly, as by releasing like goods for the enemy, and to prevent commercial transactions between persons within the United States and an enemy or an ally of the enemy."

In undertaking to supply the food and other vital wants of neutral peoples, under carefully considered agreements, the board has desired "to prevent acute suffering in those countries and to prevent them from falling under the economic power of the enemy." These trade agreements the board has regarded as being particularly important in the case of those European neutrals which are in trade relations with the enemy. Against these European neutrals, the report goes on to say, "temporary embargoes have been enforced pending the securing of information indispensable to permit the board to issue licenses."

An agreement has been concluded with Switzerland, assuring to the Swiss the periodic receipt of a stipulated grain ration and of other articles required to maintain the economic existence of the people of Switzerland. "The Swiss Government, on the other hand, gives satisfactory assurances against exportation to our enemies of imported commodities and agrees to limit, in certain other respects, her trading with the enemy."

1 British Report on same subject, supra, p. 91.

2 Regulations requisitioning Netherland's ships, supra, p. 166; Bunker Coal Regulations, supra, p. 202.

Infra, p. 195.

Infra, p. 199.

Trading with the Enemy Act, October 6, 1917. W. T. B., Rules and Reg., No. 1, p. 31), section 2, c, gives the President power to declare persons wherever resident who are "natives, citizens, or subjects" of enemy countries, and not citizens of the United States, "enemies." Proclamations of February 5, 1918, and May 31, 1918, declared sev eral classes of such persons "enemies," the latter including those who might be "included in a publication issued by the War Trade Board of the United States of America, entitled 'Enemy Trading List.'" (Sec. 4.)

Enemy trading List, No. 1, with names and addresses of some 1,600 firms, classified alphabetically under 20 countries, mostly neutral, was published October 6, 1917. A supplement of November 15, 1918, removed some 200 names and added some 1,400.

Enemy Trading List, No. 2, with some 4,500 names, classified under 29 countries, was issued March 15, 1918, and was followed by fortnightly cumulative supplements of removals and additions.

Enemy Trading List, No. 3, with some 5,000 names classified under 30 countries, was issued December 13, 1918.

Agreement with Switzerland, Procedure for obtaining licenses, W. T. B. Rules and Reg., No. 2, p. 42.

116506-19-13

A still more definite achievement is discoverable in the board's references to the northern European neutrals, where temporary embargoes are in force pending the conclusion of comprehensive agreements. The report continues:

"Their exports of foodstuffs to the central powers have declined from last year's corresponding exports in amounts estimated at from 65 to 85 per cent, depending on the neutral, and there has been a decrease in the export of many other important commodities.

"In November, 1917, we became party to Great Britain's tentative agreement with Norway, as a result of which action on our part 1,400,000 tons dead-weight of Norwegian shipping were chartered into the service of the United States and Great Britain for the period of the war. Shortly following, temporary agreements were concluded with Holland and with Sweden. That with Holland gives us the use for periods up to 90 days, of 450,000 tons dead-weight of her shipping which had heretofore, for a long period, lain idle. The agreement with Sweden gives us the use for three months of tonnage estimated at 250,000 tons dead-weight which had not theretofore been employed in services useful to us.

"Specific accomplishments of this character are, however, far from constituting a full measure of the results achieved by the War Trade Board. The elimination of enemy advantage from our trade and, to a considerable extent, from that of the world, the securing and conserving of commodities essential to ourselves and those associated with us in the war, the bringing of shipping generally into the services most useful to us-these results can not be accurately stated or appraised at the present time, nor have they been accomplished by any single act or agreement."

The report explains the use of bunker coal licenses 2 as being intended to assure the utilization of America's restricted supply of fuel primarily by ships performing services useful to the United States and its associates in the war.

Abolition of calls at Halifax for ships sailing between United States and European neutral ports which is foreshadowed in a paragraph dealing with the endeavors of the board to reduce the necessary control machinery over sailings has since been accomplished; "letters of assurance," heretofore issued by the British Embassy, are also no longer required.

The extent of the business under the control of the board may be gathered from the fact that the Bureau of Exports has handled approximately 425,000 applications for licenses to export and was, at the date of the report, passing upon between four and five thousand applications per day.

The Bureau of Imports, of more recent formation, has received, to January 1, 5,279 applications for licenses to import, upon which 4,719 licenses, covering commodities of an aggregate value of $237,810,949, had actually been issued.

In order to guide merchants in their transactions with foreigners, there was published in October an "Enemy Trading List," containing the names of individuals and associations in neutral countries who were enemies or allies of enemies. This list is not a fixed and unchanged classification, but is subject to constant revision, and the board has been able to remove from the original list many firms who have cleared themselves of the taint of enemy character.

The personnel of the War Trade Board amounts to 1,526, the report shows. The total financial obligation incurred up to December 31 is $541,498.80. The board is now housed in a number of detached buildings, but a new two-story building is nearing completion, which, with its 204,552 feet of floor space, will presently house all the bureaus at a great advantage in time and labor.

The membership of the War Trade Board at present is as follows:

Vance C. McCormick, chairman, representative of the Secretary of State.

Albert Strauss, representative of the Secretary of the Treasury.

Alonzo E. Taylor, representative of the Secretary of Agriculture.

Clarence M. Woolley, representative of the Secretary of Commerce.

Beaver White, representative of the Food Administrator.

Frank C. Munson and Edwin F. Gay, representatives of the United States Shipping Board.

Thomas L. Chadbourne, counselor, and representative of the Secretary of State.

1 Agreement with Norway, April 13, 1918 (Official Bulletin, May 27, 1918, Am. Jounr. Int. Law, Supp. 12: 246); Denmark, Sept. 18, 1918 (W. T. B. Journ., 14: 6); Spain, March 7, 1918 (W. T. B. Journ. 8: 3); Procedure for obtaining licenses for export to Netherlands, March 15, 1918, and for Sweden, March 23, 1918 (W. T. B., Rules and Reg., No. 2, pp. 33,34).

2 Infra, p. 202.

Proclamation prohibiting export of coal, food, grains, meats, steel, and other commodities, except by license, July 9, 1917.1

[Official Bulletin, No. 50, p. 3; War Trade Board, Rules and Regulations, No. 1, p. 6.]

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. A PROCLA

MATION.2

Whereas Congress has enacted, and the President has on the 15th day of June, 1917, approved, a law which contains the following provisions:

Whenever during the present war the President shall find that the public safety shall so require, and shall make proclamation thereof, it shall be unlawful to export from or ship from or take out of the United States to any country named in such proclamation any article or articles mentioned in such proclamation, except at such time

1 Lists of commodities requiring export licenses under the proclamation were pub-lished July 9, 1917, August 6, 1917, O.tɔbər 22, 1917. (W. T. B., Rules and Reg. No. 1,. pp. 9, 10, 52.)

A Proclamation of August 27, 1917, prohibited the export of specified comin¬dities held to include every article of commerce, (Ibid. No. 1, p. 26) to certain countries neigh-boring Germany and of other specified commodities to the remaining countries. (Ibid. No. 1, p. 12.) This "conservation list" was published September 18, 1917, and amended October 22, 1917. (Ibid. No. 1, pp. 26, 50.) The list as published May 17, 1918, con.. tained some 1,500 commodities, alphabetically arranged. (Ibid. No. 2, p. 13.)

A Proclamation of September 7, 1917, prohibited the export of coin, bullion, and currency to certain countries except with the consent of the Federal Reserve Board subject to the approval of the Se retary of the Treasury. (Ibid. No. 1, p. 22.)

A Proclamation of November 28, 1917, extended the "conservation" list. (W. T. B. Journ., 2:4.)

A Proclamation of February 14, 1918 extended the "license" requirement to include all commodities (infra, p. 197).

Special license regulations have been frequently issued with reference to particular commodities, such as wool, cotton, silk, coin, bullion, coal, etc. or with reference to par-ticular countries such as Switzerland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Greece, The Allies, Canada, etc. These latter special regulations have sometimes resulted from the conclusion of international agreements.

* Immediately after issuing the embargo proclamation, President Wilson made the following statement:

In controlling by license the export of certain indispensable commodities from the United States, the Government has first and chiefly in view the amelioration of the food conditions which have arisen or are likely to arise in our own country before new crops are harvested. Not only is the conservation of our prime food and fodder supplies a matter which vitally concerns our own people, but the retention of an adequate supply of raw materials is essential to our program of military and naval construction and the continuance of our necessary domestic activities. We shall, therefore, similarly safeguard all our fundamental supplies.

It is obviously the duty of the United States in liberating any surplus products over and above our own domestic needs to consider first the necessities of all the nations engaged in war against the Central Empires. As to neutral nations, however, we also recognize our duty. The Government does not wish to hamper them. On the contrary, it wishes and intends, by all fair and equitable means, to cooperate with them in their difficult task of adding from our available surpluses to their own domestic supply and of meeting their pressing necessities or deficits. In considering the deficits of food supplies, the Government means only to fulfill its obvious obligation to assure itself that neutrals are husbanding their own resources and that our supplies will not become available, either directly or indirectly, to feed the enemy.

WOODROW WILSON.

(Official Bulletin, No. 50, p. 3, W. T. B., Rules and Reg., No. 1, p. 7.)

or times, and under such regulations and orders, and subject to such limitations and exceptions as the President shall prescribe, until otherwise ordered by the President or by Congress: Provided, however, That no preference shall be given to the ports of one State over those of another.

Any person who shall export, ship, or take out, or deliver or attempt to deliver for export, shipment, or taking out, any article in violation of this title, or of any regulation or order made hereunder, shall be fined not more than $10,000, or, if a natural person, imprisoned for not more than two years, or both; and any article so delivered or exported, shipped, or taken out, or so attempted to be delivered or exported, shipped, or taken out, shall be seized and forfeited to the United States; and any officer, director, or agent of a corporation who participates in any such violation shall be liable to like fine or imprisonment, or both.

Whenever there is a reasonable cause to believe that any vessel, domestic or foreign, is about to carry out of the United States any article or articles in violation of the provisions of this title, the collector of customs for the district in which such vessel is located is hereby authorized and empowered, subject to review by the Secretary of Commerce, to refuse clearance to any such vessel, domestic or foreign, for which clearance is required by law, and by formal notice served upon the owners, master, or person or persons in command or charge of any domestic vessel for which clearance is not required by law, to forbid the departure of such vessel from the port, and it shall thereupon be unlawful for such vessel to depart. Whoever, in violation of any of the provisions of this section, shall take, or attempt to take, or authorize the taking of any such vessel out of port or from the jurisdiction of the United States, shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than two years, or both; and, in addition, such vessel, her tackle, apparel, furniture, equipment, and her forbidden cargo shall be forfeited to the United States.

And whereas the public safety requires that succor shall be prevented from reaching the enemy;

Now, therefore, I, Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim to all whom it may concern that, except at such time or times and under such regulations and orders and subject to such limitations and exceptions as the President shall prescribe, until otherwise ordered by the President or by Congress, the following articles, namely, coal, coke, fuel oils, kerosene and gasoline, including bunkers; food grains, flour and meal therefrom, fodder and feeds, meat and fats; pig iron, steel billets, ship plates and structural shapes, scrap iron and scrap steel; ferromanganese; fertilizers; arms, ammunition and explosives, shall not, on and after the 15th day of July, 1917, be carried out of or exported from the United States or its territorial possessions to Abyssinia, Afghanistan, Albania, Argentina, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, her colonies, possessions, or protectorates; Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, her colonies, possessions, or protectorates; Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, France, her colonies, possessions, or protectorates; Germany, her colonies, possessions, or protectorates; Great Britain, her colonies, possessions or protectorates; Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Italy, her colonies, possessions, or protectorates; Japan, Liberia, Leichtenstein, Luxemburg, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, the Netherlands, her colonies, possessions, or protectorates; Norway, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Persia, Peru, Portugal, her colonies, possessions, or protectorates; Roumania, Russia, Salvador,