New Methods of Blockade
With Germany in occupation of one half of France and in control of the -other it soon became evident that Great Britain must devise new means of making the blockade of enemy countries effective. All the French ports on the north and west coasts of France are in German hands. Germany has also direct access to Spain, and can import and export from that country. A great part of the North African coast is either in enemy hands or controlled by the enemy. Great Britain has now to carry out the enormous task not only of preventing neutral vessels from carrying cargoes across the Atlantic to or from Germany or Italy, but also from carrying goods via European neutral countries, such as Spain or Portugal, for the benefit of the enemy. The method to be adopted was announced by Me. Dalton in the House of Commons on Tuesday. It consists of an extension of the navicert system to all seaborne goods consigned to any European port and to certain neutral ports in North Africa, some Atlantic islands and unoccupied France. This measure enables the British authorities to conduct the blockade from the ports of origin. Neutrals gain by the fact that cargoes protected by navicert will not have to be taken out of their course into British ports. Legitimate trade in goods for their own consumption or for export will go on. At the same time vessels as well as cargoes will be controlled by the issue of "ship's warrants," without which no ship will be able to coal or fuel or revictual at a British port or insure on the British market. It should be a very effective check.
Previous page
