22 JANUARY 1916, Page 3

In the House of Lords on Thursday week Lord Sydenharn

called attention to the huge exports of cocoa to neutral countries. Cocoa was not only a food ; it had military uses as well, and he could not understand why it had not been declared contraband. Lord Lansdowne admitted that, after making all allowances. some cocoa was finding its way to the enemy. Licences wer.. now issued for export to the amount of the peace-time require- ments of neutrals. But Holland was excepted, as she returned raw cocoa to this country in a manufactured state. We must not be too stringent, or neutrals would cease to import cocoa through Britain, and we should lose the control we now exercised by means of the licences. The Government were gradually tightening up their precautions.