"It refers to the transport of military goods and other supplies which are to be used by the Chinese," the spokesman replied. We have no objection to peaceful trade." He added that the Japanese authorities did not consider that there was a blockade against peaceful goods. "If the British Government were maintaining strict neutrality they would see to it that their vessels were not carrying such ammunition. Certain governments have issued strict instructions against carrying such goods," he said.
"The representations contain a number of old cases which the Japanese authorities have kept quiet until now, but it appears that the world at large had begun to be critical of the Japanese authorities so that they found it impossible to keep quiet any longer and so these cases were brought to light" the spokesman stated.
He maintained that a British warship had no right to board a British steamer which was being searched by the Customs, and asked what would have happened had a Japanese ship been searched by the Customs in a British port and a Japanese warship had appeared and commandeered the vessel Here a pressman pointed out that the St. Vincent de Paul had been in a Chinese port, the spokesman adding "A Chinese port under Japanese occupation." coe 1
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.