In Public Statement ón Issues of Altmark Case London, Feb. 26.
Foreign Office officials' were busy today drafting a reply to the Nor-Note which, dealing with the Official quarters said they did not wish to comment on it as, since Britain's reply was imminent.
Informed quarters believe the arbitration proposal will be the chief subject dealt with in the British Note. Apart from normal difficulties in the "way of such procedure, Norway may be obliged in future, if a precedent is set, to accept arbitration on "many thorny points arising from German-Norwegian relations" Once a precedent is set, Britain would be able to ask that the passage of German Ships carrying Swedish iron ore through Norwegian waters should no longer be considered a question for Norway to decide, but should be submitted to a court of arbitration.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.