File No. 763.72112/3236
The Ambassador in Great Britain (Page) to the Secretary of State
No. 5370
London,
December 5, 1916
.
[Received December
18.]
Sir: With reference to the Department’s
instruction No. 4454 of November 9, 1916,1 I have the honor to enclose
herewith a copy of a letter which I have received from the Norwegian
Minister in London in regard to the agreement for the importation of
certain quantities of foodstuff in Norway. Further advice which may
be received in this matter will be forwarded to you.
I have [etc.]
[Enclosure]
The Norwegian Minister in Great Britain
(Vogt) to the American
Ambassador (Page)
London,
December 1, 1916
.
My Dear Ambassador: In reply to your
letter of the 28th of November, 1 beg leave to say that
negotiations have lately been conducted in London between the
British Government and representatives of the Norwegian
Wholesale Provision Merchants Association, of the Norwegian
Wholesale Grocers Association, and of the Norwegian National
Association of Grain and Flour Importers. Preliminary agreements
were reached as to the import into Norway; i. e., of meat of all
kinds, of colonial goods, and of maize and other feeding
stuffs.
The Norwegian representatives brought with them to Norway drafts,
which had to be laid before their respective associations and
also, more or less informally, before my Government, who desire
to control certain arrangements generally made in this kind of
private agreement. As far as I know the agreements here
concerned have not yet been finally signed, but both parties
seem to have taken it for granted that they would be definitely
accepted. They are based on the principles of a certain
limitation of the importation. Furthermore, on the idea that the
proper associations shall act as consignee and control that the
goods are used for home consumption. However, this does not
interfere with the importation carried on by the Government’s
Victualing Department, which has been organized during the war
in order to prevent want of necessary foodstuffs, etc., for the
population.
I should be glad and hope to be able later on to give you some
more detailed information.
Believe me [etc.]
