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14. Steamships Hamm" and "Apolda."-Arrangements for taking these ships to Australia were discussed with Mr. Hughes. Mr. Hughes was informed in the that the question had been raised of transferring the Australian
cargo "Hamm" to the "Apolda," that there was cargo belonging to Nestlé's Swiss Milk Company in the "Hamm" and the "Apolda" which the owners wished discharged, and that there was Java cargo both in the "Hamm" and in the "Apolda " which should also be discharged unless arrangements could be made with the Dutch owners for taking it on. Mr. Hughes was also asked to inquire about the damaged cargo removed from the "Apolda." Mr. Hughes advised that a telegram should be sent to Captain Shotton, the captain of the "Birkenfels," for his recommenda- He agreed that the tions in regard to the course which should be adopted. Federal Steam Navigation Company would take either or both of these ships to Australia, and that in the event of the "Hamm's" cargo being discharged at Cape- town he would bring the "Hamm" to the United Kingdom on behalf of the Committee. Mr. Malkin was asked to see the Dutch Minister and inform him of the action which the Committee proposed to take with regard to the Java cargo.
15. Steamships Rajaburi” and “Quarta.”—Tenders which had received for the charter of these ships were discussed by the Committee. highest tender was received from Messrs. E. F. & W. Roberts, of Liverpool. Mr. Holt was asked to make some inquiries before a decision was arrived at.
been The
18. Offer of Messrs. Churchill & Sim to act as Brokers for the sale of Enemy Cargo. The Secretary informed the Committee that he had telephoned to the Admiralty Marshal in regard to the application of this firm. The Marshal had It was decided that the informed him that he strongly recommended them. Chairman should discuss the matter with the Director of Contracts for the Admiralty before a decision was reached.
17. Conditions of Sale.-The Committee considered that the proposal of the Board of Trade whereby French citizens who wished to buy prize ships should be referred to them was open to serious objections. They did not see how such a system could be made to fit in with the system of public sale by auction. More- over, the proposal would not apply to the Duala ships, which were not being dealt with by the Committee. They felt that the only practicable course would be to allow the subjects of all the allied nations to bid at auctions with British subjects. It was pointed out that a Bill had already been presented to the French Chamber to provide that prize ships bought by French citizens should not be sold to the subjects of any other nation within a term of five years, and that the participa- Moreover, it tion of French citizens at British sales could not be kept secret. appeared that the French were already counting on being allowed to bid at the auctions. They thought that prize ships did not come within the scope of commercial treaties and that no claim could be made by neutrals entitled to most- favoured-nation treatment to share in any privileges which might be accorded to the subjects of allied nations. They suggested. however, that it might be made a condition of participation by the subjects of any allied State, that a law should be passed by that State preventing purchasers of British prize ships from disposing of euch ships to a subject of any other nation within five years from the date of purchase.
The Committee thought that Messrs. Lachlan & Company should be informed that they could reply to the Comité Central des Armateurs de France that, as soon as they had received instructions, they would communicate with the Comité, but that up to the present they had received no instructions to sell any prizes.
18. Application from Mr. W. F. Vince for a Ship to take Sulphur from Sicily to South Africa.-Mr. Vince urged that it was important that sulphur should be taken to South Africa to keep the gold mining industry going. It was suggested that sulphur should be brought to the United Kingdom for tranship- ment. Mr. Holt undertook to make inquiries with regard to this application.
19. Treasury Letter approving of a Credit of £15,000.-The Secretary read to the Committee a letter from the Treasury explaining that a credit had been opened with the Assistant Paymaster-General for Supreme Court business, and giving instructions as to the procedure to be followed in making payments from
this account.
The Committee thought that all accounts should be sent to the Secretary in the first instance, who would examine them generally and forward them to the Assistant Paymaster-General for detailed checking and payment.
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THE TWENTY-NINTH MEETING of the Committee was held at the Colonial Office on Monday, 22nd February, 1915, at 3.15 p.m.
The following members were present:-
1.
VICE-ADMIRAL SIR E. J. W. SLADE, K.C.I.E., K.C.V.O. (Chairman). MR. W. J. EVANS, Admiralty.
MB. G. L. BARSTOW, C.B., Treasury.
MR. G. ROPER, Board of Trade.
MR. H. W. MALKIN, Foreign Office.
MB. L. D. WAKELY, India Office.
MR. C. TENNYSON, C.M.G., Colonial Office.
MR. T. H. HOLT, Crown Agents.
MR. R. A. WISEMAN (Secretary).
8.8. " Diana.”—The Committee discussed the question whether it would be possible to bring this ship before the Prize Court in Sierra Leone or in Natal instead of before the Supreme Court in the United Kingdom. They decided that Messrs. Mitchell, Cotta & Company should be asked to send a representative to the Colonial Office, in order that it might be ascertained to which port it would be most con- venient for them to send the ship for adjudication. When an arrangement had been made on this point, Waltons & Company should be asked to draft an agree ment for the hire of the vessel to this firm on the terms offered by them in their tender.
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2. 8.3. Quarta," 8.8. Rajaburi." The tender made by Messrs. E. F. & W. Roberts was again discussed, and a telegram was sent to the firm asking them for the names of their principals.
3. 8.8.
Ranee."-A telegram stating that this vessel was not being employed by the Government of the Straits Settlements was read to the Committee. Mr. Holt was asked to make inquiries as to the possibility of the vessel being taken up in the local trade by some shipping firm. The Committee decided that the ship should be insured
4. 8.8. Emir."-A letter from Elder Dempster & Company, forwarding an extract from a letter from the National Bank of India, Limited, asking that they might only be charged freight from Zanzibar to Gibraltar, instead of from Zanzibar to Hamburg, was considered by the Committee. The Committee decided not to alter their instructions to Elder Dempster & Company, but to ask the latter to inform the National Bank that the Committee would consider their claim later on. It should be pointed out to the Bank that, if they were released from the necessity of paying freight from Gibraltar onwards, they would be in a better position than the other cargo-owners who had prepaid their freight to Hamburg.
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5. 8.8. "Adolphus (late "Adolf"), s.s. “George R." (late "Georg").—The Committee discussed the question of the shipment of 1,500 tons of copper from Gibraltar to the United Kingdom. Mr. Holt stated that he thought a fair freight to charge the underwriters would be 22s. 6d. a ton. No decision was reached by the Committee pending further inquiries by the Chairman.
The Committee also considered a telegram which had been received from the Governor of Gibraltar, relative to the shipment of 1,997 barrels of oil ez “Italia." The Committee recommended that the proposal of the local Government, that the Attorney-General should apply for the condemnation of the oil, should be approved, and that a further communication should be promised with regard to the question of shipping the oil in these two ships.
The Committee recommended that the Governor should be informed that an offer which he had received for the purchase of the "Adolf" for £7,000 could not be entertained, as other arrangements were being made for the disposal of the ship. 6. 8.8. "Werner Vinnen.”—The Committee thought that the claim which had been presented, through the Prisoners of War Information Bureau, by Captain Max Gringer, that he might receive payment for services rendered in navigating and delivering this ship, there being no prize crew on board, was a suitable one for consideration by the Attorney-General's Committee.
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