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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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giving further particulars as to the nature of the insurance policy effected by the Bonded Warehouse Company at Alexandria on uninsured cargo stored in their warehouses. In the circumstances the Committee agreed that the Marshal's proposal to extend the cover to condemned cargo between the dates of condemnation and sale should be accepted, if the Admiralty concurred.

16. 5.8. Sabbia."-The Secretary reported that the Treasury had agreed to the payment of a gratuity to the widow of the late T. E. Ord, fireman of this ship, subject to an undertaking being obtained from Mrs. Ord that no claim under the Workman's Compensation Act would be made.

17. 8.8. "Senegambia."-The Committee approved the payment of the balance shown due to Messrs. Strick, amounting to £1,075 0s. 5d., on an undertaking being given to refund any part of the sum shown to be due on a final settlement of the

account.

As regards the sixty-two pairs of locomotive wheels for which the Governor of Hong Kong had now reported that there was no market in the Colony, the Committee recommended that the Ministry of Munitions should be asked whether they would take over this cargo.

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18. 8.8. Kalymnos."—In view of the terms of a letter from Messrs. J. Knott, Sons, and Company, Limited, the Committee decided to refuse an application from Captain Young for a gratuity for his services during the first voyage of this ship from Malta.

19. Balances. The Secretary reported that the Committee's balance on the 31st August amounted to £623,666 7s. Id.

20. 8.8. “Grahamland.”—The Committee approved the payment to the managers of the balance of £225 10s. 11d. shown on their accounts to be due, on their giving an undertaking to refund any part of the sum shown to be due on a final settlement of the account.

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THE ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTIETH MEETING of the Committee was held at the Colonial Office on Monday, the 9th of October, 1916, at 3.15 p.m.

1.

Present:

VICE-ADMIRAL SIR E. J. W. Slade, K.C.I.E., K.C.V.O. (in the chair). MR. W. J. EVANS, Admiralty.

MR. C. HIPWOOD, Board of Trade.

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).

The minutes of the previous meeting were confirmed, subject to the deletion of the last sentence of head 11 as to the s.s. Græcia,'

2. 8.8. "Grahamland.”. -The Committee considered a reply from the Agent- General of British Columbia to their letter with regard to-

(a) demurrage;

(b) the alleged short shipment of cargo; and

(c) the rechartering of this ship.

The Committee decided that Sir Henry Johnson should be asked to advise formally on the first point at issue, and that eventually the Committee should ask Sir Richard McBride to attend a meeting to discuss the matter.

3. 8.8. Cunene." Mr. Hipwood explained that the question of employing this ship had been discussed with Dr. Costa, and that he had agreed to let the Board of Trade take her over if that Department would take full responsibility for the ship and cargo as from the time of her being handed over. The Board of Trade had agreed to this, and the ship had accordingly proceeded from Loanda, but on her arrival at Capetown it was discovered that repairs would be needed, and she was still in that port. The cargo had been pillaged at Loanda, and the Board

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of Trade had no information as to what cargo was on board and what proportion of the freight had been paid. An estimate was being prepared by Messrs. Richards and Son of the expense which would be involved in taking the ship on from Loanda to Australia, and Sir Thomas Robinson, Agent-General for Queensland, was in touch with the consignees in the latter country. The Board of Trade had decided that they could undertake no responsibility of any kind for cargo claims, but the cargo would be delivered to the consignees as a matter of grace, and on condition that they paid a proportion of the expenses of moving the ship to Australia. The Board of Trade intended to take the ship to Australia in any event, and they were, therefore, prepared to bear a part of these expenses.

The Committee recommended that the Australian Government should be asked to give a complete indemnity against all claims which might be made by the cargo owners, including short delivery, pillage, etc., that all the cargo should be consigned to the Australian Government, and that delivery should only be made to the claimants on their giving a bond for the value of the goods, the bond to be discharged only on production of a release in due course from the Portuguese Prize Court. The Australian Government should also be asked to take over all responsibility for landing, storing, and distributing the cargo. Until these arrangements had been made with the Australian Government the ship should not be allowed to leave Capetown. It was agreed that no written answer need be sent to the letter from the Board of Trade.

4. 8.S." Nicolaos."-Mr. Holt reported that it was probable that if the cross bunker was loaded with cargo there would probably be a difficulty in getting the ship home unless she could be coaled at Malta. He was telegraphing to make further inquiries at Alexandria, but the Committee agreed that, if necessary, the Admiralty should be asked to coal the ship at Malta on the same terms as they had agreed to do at Alexandria and Gibraltar.

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5. 8.0. Chile." The Committee approved the payment of £248 to Messrs. Steel and Bennie for their account for the services of their tug to this ship. The account had been examined by the Accountant-General to the Navy, and the figure named was within the figure suggested by him for a settlement.

6. s.v. "Clevedon."-Mr. Holt reported that the ship broke adrift from her tug, the hawser parting, off Great Ormes Head, but that as no further news of her had been received the managers considered that this pointed to the voyage to Pensacola having been successfully continued.

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7. "Sir Hugh (late "Kuka").—Mr. Holt reported that this ship had been handed over by the Nigerian Government on the 28th September to the French.

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8. 5.5. Diyatalawa."The Committee decided that on her arrival in the United Kingdom this ship should be offered to the Admiralty for the Transport Service. She should be valued as on the date on which she was first employed by the Committee unless taken over for the transport service, when the valuation should be on the usual basis.

9. s.s. "Hocking.”—The Committee considered a letter from the Admiralty Coasting Trade Office asking what was to be done with the linen, etc., landed from this ship. Mr. Evans undertook to look up the papers at the Admiralty on the subject.

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10. s.s. Edna."-The Committee considered a despatch which had been received from the Governor of the Falkland Islands with regard to the wages of the original crew, who had not been sent on with this ship to Barbados. They recommended that the account received from the Commissioner of Commerce at New York should be sent on to the Admiralty, together with the previous account which had been received from the Governor of Barbados, for the wages and cost of repatriation of the rest of the original crew.

11. Railway material ex the "Erymanthos.”—The Secretary read a despatch from the Governor of Malta with regard to the three boilers which had been taken over for the pumping works in the Colony. It was decided that a letter should be written to the War Office, asking them to take over the remaining parts of the three locomotives of which the boilers had originally formed a part, and give a credit to the Prize Fund for the whole value of the locomotives.