War Trade Board

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

a body established by executive order Oct. 12, 1917, under the Trading with the Enemy Act. It was a development of the Exports Administration Board and of the division of export licenses of the Department of Commerce, which had dealt with exports only. The new body dealt with exports and imports and performed other duties under the Trading with the Enemy Act. Its chairman represented the secretary of state, and other members represented the Departments of the ulture and Commerce, Treasury, Agriculture the Food Administration and Shipping Board. It grew in importance and soon had 2,300 people in its employment. It was represented by numerous branches in American ports and in neutral and allied countries. It had a contraband committee, with numerous bureaus, as well as bureaus or committees dealing with exports, branches and customs, imports , transportation, enemy trade, war trade intelligence, research, tabulation and statistics, and foreign agencies. Commodities in foreign trade were subjected to licensed control by the board. The board was enabled to use its powers to negotiate with other countries for the exchange for exports for shipping facilities. Agreements were entered into with European neutrals in regard to food, raw materials, and manufactured goods. In such cases guarantees were to be given against re-export to enemy countries. Under such agreements shipments of food, fodder, chemicals and the like were permitted to go to Norway, Holland, Switzerland and other neutral countries. There was also a certain amount of supervision exercised over traffic by rail and water, and to prevent overcrowding in the Atlantic ports licenses to export were established. It continued to function after the cessation of hostilities, and upon the signing of the armistice it removed by degrees commodities from the Export Conservation List and increased the commodities on the Free List. It sought on the arrival of peace to stimulate the resumption of normal trade relations, a policy that was being Camden Professor of History in 1785; put into effect in all the belligerent countries. In May, 1919, the powers and duties of the board together with personnel and records were transferred its to the Department of State. Licenses continued to be valid with certain restrictions dealing with the importation and exportation of wheat, powers in regard to which had been transferred to the United States Wheat Director. WARWICK (" the county-town of Warwickshire, Engthe fortified place"), land, 107 % miles N. W. of London; chiefly situated on the S. shore of the Avon. solid rock, stands Warwick Castle, rear- On the opposite bank, crowning a ing its towers, Cæsar's (147 feet) and Guy's (128 feet), above the cedars of the surrounding park and storing within its state apartments rich tapestries, pictures by Rembrandt , Van Dyck, and Rubens, collections of armor and other rarities, among them the famous "Warwick vase. " St. Mary's Church, mainly rebuilt in 1704, retains its old Perpendicular choir and Beauchamp chapel (1370-1391), with turies of Warwick's earls; over the E. the tombs of four cen gate is an ancient chapel, till recently used as a free school; and Leicester's Hospital, founded for 12 brethren in 1571, is a quaint quadrangular building, with a Gothic chapel surmounting the Warwick Gate, a mighty kitchen vaulted hall, profusely adorned with , and its founder's cognizance, the Bear and Ragged Staff. The town itself suffered much from fire, is generally mod- , having ern, among the prominent buildings being a Roman Catholic Church, the county hall and courts, a domed market house, the county jail, a theater, and antiquarian museum. Iron founding, brewing, and brickmaking are carried on, but agricultural produce forms the staple of the trade of Warwick. Pop. about 15,000. Traditionally connected with King Cymbeline, its reputed founder in A. D. 1, and with Guy of Warwick, the vanquisher of the giant Colbrand, Warwick figures in Domesday " " with 261 houses, having earlier been sacked by Danes, but restored by Ethelfleda, Ælfred's daughter, in 914. William of Newburgh, a follower of the Conqueror, replaced her fortress by the castle, which Stephen surrendered to Prince Henry ( which was Edward IV.'s prison (1469), 1153), and which has been visited by many of England's kings. See Hawthorne's "Our Old Home."