2. Persons ordered to report for military service under the above Act who have (a) been certified by their Local Boards to be members of a religious sect or organization as defined in Section 4 of said Act; or (b) who object to participating in war because of conscientious scruples but have failed to receive certificates as members of a religious sect or organization from their Local Board, will be assigned to noncombatant military service as defined in paragraph I to the extent that such persons are able to accept service as aforesaid without violation of the religious or other conscientious scruples by them in good faith entertained. Upon the promulgation of this order it shall be the duty of each Division, Camp, or Post Commander, through a tactful and considerate officer, to present to all such persons the provisions hereof with adequate explanation of the character of noncombatant service herein defined, and upon such explanations to secure acceptances of assignment to the several kinds of noncombatant service above enumerated; and whenever any person is assigned to noncombatant service by reason of his religious or conscientious scruples, he shall be given a certificate stating the assignment and reason therefor, and such certificate shall thereafter be respected as preventing the transfer of such persons from such noncombatant to combatant service by any Division, Camp, Post, or other Commander under whom said person may thereafter be called to serve, but such certificate shall not prevent the assignment of such person to some other form of noncombatant service with his own consent. So far as may be found feasible by each Division, Camp, or Post Commander, future assignments of such persons to noncombatant military service will be restricted to the several detachments and units of the Medical Department in the absence of a request for assignment to some other branch of noncombatant service as defined in paragraph I hereof.

3. On the first day of April, and thereafter monthly, each Division, Camp, or Post Commander shall report to The Adjutant General of the Army, for the information of the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of War, the names of all persons under their respective commands who profess religious or other conscientious scruples as above described and who have been unwilling to accept, by reason of such scruples, assignment to noncombatant military service as above defined, and as to each such person so reported a brief, comprehensive statement as to the nature of the objection to the acceptance of such noncombatant military service entertained. The Secretary of War will from time to time classify the persons so reported and give further directions as to the disposition of them. Pending such directions from the Secretary of War, all such persons not accepting assignment to noncombatant service shall be segregated as far as practicable and placed under the command of a specially qualified officer of tact and judgment, who will

be instructed to impose no punitive hardship of any kind upon them, but not to allow their objections to be made the basis of any favor or consideration beyond exemption from actual military service which is not extended to any other soldier in the service of the United States.

4. With a view to maintaining discipline, it is pointed out that the discretion of courts-martial, so far as any shall be ordered to deal with the cases of persons who fail or refuse to comply with lawful orders by reason of alleged religious or other conscientious scruples, should be exercised, if feasible, so as to secure uniformity of penalties in the imposition of sentences under Articles of War 64 and 65, for the wilful disobedience of a lawful order or command. It will be recognized that sentences imposed by such courts-martial, when not otherwise described by law, shall prescribe confinement in the United States Disciplinary Barracks or elsewhere as the Secretary of War or the reviewing authority may direct, but not in a penitentiary; but this shall not apply to the cases of men who desert either before reporting for duty to the military authorities or subsequently thereto.

5. The Secretary of War will review the sentences and findings of courts-martial heretofore held of persons who come within any of the classes herein described, and bring to the attention of the President for remedy, if any be needed, sentences and judgments found at variance with the provisions hereof. WOODROW WILSON.

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

A PROCLAMATION

[Possession and utilization of Netherlands vessels.]

Whereas, The law and practice of nations accords to a belligerent power the right in time of military exigency and for purposes essential to the prosecution of war, to take over and utilize neutral vessels lying within its jurisdiction:

And whereas, The Act of Congress of June 15, 1917, entitled, "An Act making appropriations to supply urgent deficiencies in appropriations for the Military and Naval Establishments on account of war expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30th, 1917, and for other purposes," confers upon the President power to take over the possession of any vessel within the jurisdiction of the United States for use of operation by the United States:

Now, therefore, I, Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States of America, in accordance with international law and practice, and by virtue of the Act of Congress aforesaid, and as Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, do hereby find and proclaim that the imperative military needs of the United States require

the immediate utilization of vessels of Netherlands registry, now lying within the territorial waters of the United States; and I do therefore authorize and empower the Secretary of the Navy to take over on behalf of the United States the possession of and to employ all such vessels of Netherlands registry as may be necessary for essential purposes connected with the prosecution of the war against the Imperial German Government. The vessels shall be manned, equipped and operated by the Navy Department and the United States Shipping Board, as may be deemed expedient; and the United States Shipping Board shall make to the owners thereof full compensation, in accordance with the principles of international law.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done in the District of Columbia, this twentieth day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and [SEAL.] eighteen, and of the independence of the United States of America the one hundred and forty-second.

By the President:

WOODROW WILSON.

ROBERT LANSING, Secretary of State.

EXECUTIVE ORDERS

[Possession of vessels of the Netherlands.]

THE WHITE HOUSE, March 28, 1918.

In Pursuance of the authority conferred upon the President of the United States by the Act approved June 15, 1917, entitled, "An Act making appropriations to supply urgent deficiencies for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1917, and for other purposes," the Secretary of the Navy is hereby authorized and directed to take over, on behalf of the United States, possession of all tackle, apparel, furniture and equipment and all stores, including bunker fuel, aboard each of the vessels of Netherlands registry now lying within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States, possession of which was taken in accordance with the proclamation of the President of the United States promulgated March 20, 1918; and in every instance in which such possession has heretofore been taken of such tackle, apparel, furniture, equipment and stores, such taking is hereby adopted and made of the same force and effect as if it has been made subsequent to the signing of this Executive Order.

The United States Shipping Board shall make to the owners of any tackle, apparel, furniture, equipment and stores taken under the authority of this order full compensation in accordance with the principles of international law. WOODROW WILSON.

[Certain sales to be conducted by the Alien Property Custodian pursuant to the "Trading with the Enemy" Act and amendments thereof.]

THE WHITE HOUSE, April 2, 1918.

By virtue of the authority vested in me by "An Act to define, regulate and punish trading with the enemy, and for other purposes," approved October 6, 1917, known as the "Trading with the enemy Act", and the amendment to such Act embodied in "An Act making appropriations to supply urgent deficiencies in appropriations for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1918, and prior fiscal years, on account of war expenses, and for other purposes", approved March 28, 1918, I hereby, in the public interest, make the following. determination, order, rule and regulation:

The Alien Property Custodian may sell at private sale, without public or other advertisement, any live stock, feed or food stuffs, hides and other animal products, agricultural products, fertilizers, chemicals, drugs, essential oils, lumber, cotton, tobacco, furniture, books, glass and china ware, wearing apparel, jewelry, precious stones, pictures, orņaments, bric-a-brac, objects of art, raw or finished textile materials, trunks, boxes, casks and containers of all kinds, partially or completely manufactured metals, fabrics or other articles, rubber and rubber products, and all kinds of merchandise, in lots having a market value at the time and place of sale not exceeding Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000) per lot. Any such sale may be conducted at the place where such property, or the greater portion thereof, is situated, or elsewhere, and upon such terms and conditions as to the Alien Property Custodian, or his authorized agent, may seem proper.

My reasons for the foregoing determination, order, rule and regulation are:

(a) The properties described in the lots mentioned are not customarily sold and cannot usually be sold to advantage either at public sale after public or other advertisement, or at the place where such properties, or the greater portion thereof, are situated.

(b) The sales hereby authorized may be made at the time and place of favorable demand, and upon such terms and conditions as may be necessary to secure the market price.

(c) Unnecessary expense, delay and inconvenience may be avoided. WOODROW WILSON.

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

A PROCLAMATION

[Copyright-Australia and Territories of Papua and Norfolk Island.] Whereas it is provided by the Act of Congress of March 4, 1909, entitled "An Act to Amend and Consolidate the Acts Respecting Copy

right," that the provisions of said Act, "so far as they secure copyright controlling the parts of instruments serving to reproduce mechanically the musical work, shall include only compositions published and copyrighted after this Act goes into effect, and shall not include the works of a foreign author or composer unless the foreign state or nation of which such author or composer is a citizen or subject grants, either by treaty, convention, agreement, or law, to citizens of the United States similar rights:"

And Whereas it is further provided that the copyright secured by the Act shall extend to the work of an author or proprietor who is a citizen or subject of a foreign state or nation, only upon certain conditions set forth in section 8 of said Act, to wit:"

(a) When an alien author or proprietor shall be domiciled within the United States at the time of the first publication of his work; or

(b) When the foreign state or nation of which such author or proprietor is a citizen or subject grants, either by treaty, convention, agreement, or law, to citizens of the United States the benefit of copyright on substantially the same basis as to its own citizens, or copyright protection substantially equal to the protection secured to such foreign author under this Act or by treaty; or when such foreign state or nation is a party to an international agreement which provides for reciprocity in the granting of copyright, by the terms of which agreement the United States may, at its pleasure, become a party thereto :

And Whereas it is also provided by said section that "The existence of the reciprocal conditions aforesaid shall be determined by the President of the United States, by proclamation made from time to time as the purposes of this Act may require":

And Whereas there has been received from the Government of Great Britain satisfactory official assurance that the Government of Australia has issued an Order in Council, effective March 15, 1918, providing that the existing copyright law of that country and the territories of Papua and Norfolk Island, including the provisions as to existing works, shall, subject to the provisions of the said law and of the said Order, apply:

(a) to literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works the authors whereof were at the time of the making of the works citizens of the United States of America in like manner as if the authors were British subjects:

(b) in respect of residence in the United States of America in like manner as if such residence had been residence in the Commonwealth of Australia and the territories of Papua and Norfolk Island: Provided That

(I) the term of copyright within the Commonwealth of Australia