26 FEBRUARY 1916, Page 3

In the House of Lords on Tuesday Lord Sydenham asked

the House to declare that the blockade of Germany could bo stricter without infringing international law or the rights of neutrals. The spirit of the Declaration of London, he said, was still at work. Wo should never conduct affairs at sea to .the best advantage till that conception of naval conduct was wholly abandoned. Lord Beresford argued that if the Navy had been allowed to blockade Germany properly, the war would already have been ended. Most of the ammunition used against our men now would not have been there if we had applied the doctrine of absolute contraband. The Declaration of London should be finally denounced. All goods intended for Germany should be treated as absolute contraband, and the doctrine of continuous voyage should be vigorously applied. Moreover, all enemy property in neutral ships should be confiscated.