London, Apr. 14. Silver prices remained unchanged today from yesterday.
Apr. 13 Apr. 14
London spot 20d.
20d. forward 19%d.
19%d. gold 148/6d.
148/6d.
London/New York:
One pound U.S.$4.6807 $4.6806 One U.S. dollar 51.274d.
—Reuter, U.S. May Move to Curb Japan Change in Neutrality Law May Favour China, Says Senator Pittman Washington, Apr. 14.
Senator Key Pittman, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced today that he is perfectly willing to vote for specific legislation to curb Japanese aggression in China and Japanese violations of United States treaty rights.
The significant announcement was made during Committee hearings on proposed changes in American neutrality legislation and was interpreted in some quarters as the official itütude of the Administration for whom Senator Pittman frequently has teen an unofficial spokesman on foreign affairs.
Praising China for "one of the most outstanding demonstrations of fortitude in history," Senator Pittman said tne unfairness' of America's present neutrality legislation would best be monstrated if it were applied in the -Japanese War Senator Pittman said it would be mpossible to enact blanket legislation to meet all possible developments outside the Orient and therefore he favoured specific legislation directed against Japan.
He defended his own proposed "cash znd carry" amendment to the present trality Act as a safeguard against narica's becoming involved in ure wars. He attacked the prod Thomas Amendment which would authorize the President to Gcclare an embargo on the shipment of whatever commodities he chose to any nation branded as an aggressor.
"That would be a dangerous instrument, Senator Pittman said, "and ght tend to involve this country in war.
He said even the Thomas Amend-ould not change the present utu on in China.—United Press.
"Closing of Open Door"
Meanwhile, in the House Foreign Afairs Committee hearing, Mr. Frank B. Keefe, Republican Representative from Wisconsin, advocated that the present neutrality law be retained. He would, however, make it mandatory for the President and Congress to recognize a state of war "when a war is actually being waged as in China today.... 1 can't see for one minute why the President has not cedared that there is a state of war in the Orient."
Mr, Ed V. Izac, Democratic Representative of California, said that the invocation of the neutrality law would forever close the "open door" in China.
Despite the sinking of the American gunboat Panay and other incidents hat the Japanese have precipitated, the United States has kept out of war chiefly because of the neutrality act, he asserted.
Colomel John Quilin Tilson, former Republican House floor leader, urged the scrapping of all neutrality legisla-on. He said that he thoroughly greed with President Roosevelt's policy in not applying the neutrality law as regards China and Japan.—
United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.