CO885-(25-26) — Page 220

211

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

C.O.

Reference :---

885/25

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

68

MINUTES.

9. Management Commission to Messrs. Grahams and Company.-The Com- mittee decided to accept the rate of commission charged by Messrs. Grahams and Company of one-and-a-half per cent. upon freight earned by the steamers under their management (apart from the original voyages of the "Gutenfels," "Barenfels," "Wer- denfels," and "Lauterfels") as the amount earned under this scale would be less than would be payable under the scale in force with other firms. The lower rate of one per cent payable by the India Office was only agreed to in consequence of certain conditions which do not obtain in regard to ships under the management of the Committee.

#

10. 8.8. Sabbia."-The Secretary reported the result of Mr. Barstow's inquiries at the Treasury into the case of Mr. T. E. Ord, and the Committee agreed that a gratuity of £50 should be paid to his representatives out of the funds standing to the credit of the ship. Mr. Evans undertook to ascertain from the Accountant- General of the Navy whether he considered it necessary that formal Treasury sanction should be obtained in addition to the approval of the Committee.

11. Steamships " Tandem " and "Lorenzo."-The Secretary stated that he had received an account from the Board of Trade for £1 13s. 6d. for expenses incurred in the relief of two seamen on these ships. It was agreed that the accounts should be sent to the Federal Steam Navigation Company and to Messrs. Farrar, Groves, and Company, asking whether payment by the Committee would be in order.

2692

THE ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVENTH MEETING of the Committee was held at the Colonial Office, on Monday, the 11th of September, 1916, at 3.15 p.m.

The following members were present:--

MR. W. J. EVANS, Admiralty (in the Chair).

MR. H. W. MALKIN, Foreign Office.

MR. C. TENNYSON, C.M.G., Colonial Office.

MR. T. H. HOLT, Crown Agents.

MR. R. A. WISEMAN (Secretary).

1. The minutes of the previous meeting were confirmed, with the alterations suggested by Messrs. Churchill and Sim, subject to further inquiry being made with regard to the date of the sale referred to in the corrected copy.

2.

8.8. "Nicolaos."-A telegram from His Majesty's High Commissioner at Cairo was considered, stating that Cox's Shipping Agency now reported that they were unable to accept the offer of the Committee to pay them £2,750, as repairs were required which were now estimated at £1,500. In a telegram from Messrs. R. J. Moss and Company, of Alexandria, received by Mr. Holt at the beginning of August, it was estimated that only £380 would be required for repairs.

The Committee were inclined to the view that, in all the circumstances, it would be best, if possible, to put the ship up for sale in London as she lay at Alexandria, and Mr. H. G. Kellock was asked to attend the meeting to consider this proposal. On his arrival he stated that he was unable to recommend this course, since the advantage to be gained by enabling purchasers to inspect the ship outweighed the disadvantages of bringing the ship home. He stated that he knew the firm of Moss and Company, and that they were of high standing. He did not know anything of Cox's Shipping Agency, though, if connected with Cox's Bank, as was believed to be the case, he should consider them quite reliable. He was unable to make any recommendation as between the two firms.

After considerable discussion, it was decided that Messrs. Moss and Company should be asked to do the business of the ship for a fixed fee of fifty guineas. Mr. Malkin undertook that a telegram should be sent to Cairo to inform the High Commissioner that Cox's proposals had not been accepted, and asking that arrange- ments might be made for the delivery of the ship to Messrs. Moss and Company. It was also decided that, when a report had been received from Egypt as to the date of the delivery of the ship, a sum of £9,000 should, if possible, he paid for the benefit of the Greek part owner, in order to avoid the necessity of paying interest on the whole sum of £12,000, which the Court had decided must be paid to the owner.

MINUTES.

69

3. "Yawry."-Mr. Holt reported that this ship was now discharging her cargo at Sharpness, and it was expected that the discharge would be completed in about a week. The Committee agreed that Messrs. Lachlan and Company might arrange for the ship to be painted at a cost not exceeding £100.

As regards the conditions of sale, the Secretary reported that he had consulted the Board of Trade, and that certain amendments had already been proposed by that office. The Committee decided to amend Condition 10 by providing that the ship should not be sold to an enemy within a period of five years from the termination of the War, and to amend Condition 11 by enlarging the definition of “ The Secretary was also to write to the Board of Trade and suggest that the sale enemy." should be restricted to persons of British and Allied nationality.

For

4. "Neath."-Mr. Holt reported that he had arranged for a cargo of 5,000 tons of coal to be taken in this ship to Mauritius at a freight of 50s. a ton. the homeward voyage, after consultation with the Sugar Commission, he proposed to arrange a cargo of sugar with the Hudson Bay Company for France at 1408. a ton. "Carl."-The Committee agreed to pay £25 to the charterers on condition that they would give the necessary orders to the ship so as to avoid the necessity of her entering an English port.

5.

6.

"Clevedon."-The Committee had no objection to this ship being fixed to bring timber from the Gulf of Mexico.

7. 8.0. #4

'Hermann."-The Secretary reported that this ship, which was being run by the Admiralty Coasting Trade Office, was a total wreck. valued at £525.

The ship was

8. Dhows at Zanzibar.-The Secretary read to the Committee a report, which had been received from the Resident at Zanzibar, with regard to the damage done

by fire to certain of these detained vessels.

9.

Chronometers ex Kelp."-The Committee decided to accept an offer from the Admiralty of £15 each for the two chronometers which had been recovered by the police in Ireland.

10. Maize ex

Emir."-The Secretary reported that, after the first voyage of this ship from Gibraltar to London, 223 bags of maize and 5 tons of loose maize had been landed from the ship, and the 223 bags had been sold by Messrs. Churchill and Sim. A report from Gibraltar had now been received which showed that all the maize was supposed to have been landed at Gibraltar, and that a certain amount of the cargo which was landed had been released to claimants. The amount so released, however, had been short by 40 bags, and the Governor had now suggested that this shortage should be made good to the owners out of the 223 bags landed in this country. The total shortage at Gibraltar of condemned and released maize had only been 126 bags, and the 223 bags, therefore, represented an excess in any case over the amount shown on the manifest.

The Committee considered that there was no reason to entertain the Governor's suggestion, in the absence of any claim by the owners of the released cargo and of anything to identify the surplus with the consignments which had been released. 11. Detained Sailing Vessels.-The Admiralty Coasting Trade Office were to be informed that these ships could not be sold.

12. 5.8. Kankakee."-The Committee considered reports which had been received by the Admiralty from Lieutenant Young, R.N.R., the master of the ship, and from the Principal Naval Transport Officer at Marseilles, with regard to the account rendered by Messrs. J. and Em. Frisch, which had now been reduced by 405-90 francs. In view of the explanations now received, the Committee approved the payment of the balance of Messrs. Frisch's account, amounting to 6,115.35 francs. The Coasting Trade Office were to be asked whether the deductions from wages referred to by Lieutenant Young had been made by their office, and the Admiralty should be asked to refund to the Committee the sum of 52 francs, recovered from the French Tug Company. Inquiries were also to be made as to whether Lieutenant Young had been repaid the sum of 14.90 francs, which he stated was due to him, and, if not, this sum should be repaid, with the concurrence of the Assistant Paymaster-General.