Lord Lansdowne, besides answering Lord Beresford's criticism by asserting that
we had already gone as far as the United States ever did in the doctrine of continuous voyage, quoted figures to show that imports into Holland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark were diminishing month by month. Tho reduction had been particularly noticeable in the last six months. Never- theless he was not satisfied that everything was as it should be. In any case, it would be impossible to seal all the channels to Germany. Some traders in neutral countries would resort to every means of enriching themselves. He did not believe that it would be possible to do without the services of the Contraband Committee and the War Trading Committee. The Government, however, intended to place the whole business of the blockade in charge of a single Cabinet Minister, who would be entrusted with the co-ordination of the work of the Committees. Cer- tainly Lord Lansdowne's statement was the most reassuring the Government have yet been able to make.
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