WAR TRADE BOARD, a body es tablished by executive order Oct. 12, 1917, under the Trading with the Enemy Act. It was a development of the Ex ports Administration Board and of the division of export licenses of the De partment 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 mem bers represented the Departments of the Treasury, Agriculture and Commerce, 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, im ports, transportation, enemy trade, war trade intelligence, research, tabulation and statistics, and foreign agencies. Commodities in foreign trade were sub jected 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 facili ties. 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 su pervision exercised over traffic by rail and water, and to prevent overcrowding in the Atlantic ports licenses to export were established. It continued to func tion after the cessation of hostilities, and upon the signing of the armistice it removed by degrees commodities from the Export Conservation List and in creased 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 put into effect in all the belligerent countries. In May, 1919, the powers and duties of the board together with its personnel and records were transferred to the Department of State. Licenses continued to be valid with certain re strictions dealing with the importation and exportation of wheat, powers in re gard to which had been transferred to the United States Wheat Director.