London, Feb. 27.
According to his information, no copper ore shipped from Spain since the outbreak of the war had reached Germany, declared Mr. R. H. Cross, Minister of Economic Warfare, in a reply in the Home of Commons today.
Goods he added, could not be shipped from Spain without passing through the area of British or French contraband control.
Mr. Cross was then questioned regarding American exports to Europe, and was asked whether he was aware that in the last four months American exports to thirteen European countries rose in value from £35,000,000 to £52,000,000 in the same time that American values to, England anà France only increased from £60,000,- 000 to £67,000,000.
The Minister declared that he had not checked these figures, but even if they were accurate it did not follow that any action on the part of the Government was required. He had no reason to suspect there was any serious leakage as far as European countries were concerned, and he had no reason to object if neutral countries should obtain their requirements from the United States rather than Germany.
Mr. Cross added that with the exception of exports to Russia via Vladivostock, all exports in question passed through the contraband control, and shipments were most carefully watched.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.