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MINUTES.

12. Allocation of Enemy Ships seized in Greek Ports.-The Secretary_com- municated to the Committee a report, which had been received through the Board of Trade, of the allocation of these ships. The Committee decided that a letter should be sent to the Admiralty asking whether the ships taken into Malta would be required for the Transport Service.

13. 8.0. Hermann."-The Committee approved the proposal of the Admiralty Coasting Trade Office that the manager should realize what he could for the wreck of this ship without further reference. The correspondence should, however, be communicated to Mr. Barstow, and the Coasting Trade Office should be asked to report the net capital loss in order that the sanction of the Committee might be obtained to write off the amount in question.

14. 8.8. "Proton."-The Committee approved of a letter being written to the Admiralty in order that an undertaking to the Prize Fund in respect of the value for which this ship had been appraised by Messrs. C. W. Kellock and Company might be obtained from the proper department.

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15. Claim for cargo ex Syra' and “Erymanthos.”—The Committee agreed that the claimants for this cargo should be referred to the Courts at Gibraltar and Malta.

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16. 8.8. Werdenfels."-The Secretary reported that he had now received Messrs. Grahams's account for the sale of the enemy cargo of this ship. The Com- mittee agreed that this account should be forwarded direct to the Court at Alexandria to deal with. The Admiralty should be informed of the action taken in connexion with the undertaking to the Prize Court given by His Majesty's Procurator in Egypt on behalf of that Department.

17. The Sixth Interim Report and Fee 49.-The Committee considered a minute from the Accountant-General of the Navy, and agreed that the Registrar of the High Court should be asked whether this fee would be payable in this country if an order similar to that made in the case of the s.8. "Rufidji" in South Africa had been made here.

18. 8.8. "Marina.”—Mr. Evans undertook to make inquiries as to the employment of this ship between the 1st and the 22nd of October, 1914.

19. 8.0. "Yawry." The Committee approved the payment to the Foreign Office of £1,461 12s. 1d. in respect of the expenses incurred by the Acting Consul at Dakar.

20. s.8. "George R."-The Committee agreed that an account which had been received from the Admiralty for this ship, amounting to £3 8s. 9d., should be sent to the managers to verify.

21. S.5. Lutzow."-The Committee decided that the account from the Admiralty for £18 178. 9d. should be returned to the Admiralty, since the Committee were not responsible for the expenses of this ship.

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THE ONE HUNDRED and THIRTY-FIRST MEETING of the Committee was held at the Colonial Office on Monday the 16th of October, 1916, at 3.15 p.m.

The following members were present :-

VICE-ADMIRAL SIR E. J. W. SLADE, K.C.I.E., K.C.V.O. (Chairman). MR. W. J. EVANS, Admiralty.

MR. G. L. BARSTOW, C.B., Treasury.

MR. L. D. WAKELY, India 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, subject to an alteration in paragraph 6.

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MINUTES.

2. 8.8. Nicolaos.' "The Committee approved the payment of £75 for the ship's insurance with the United Kingdom Mutual Steamship Assurance Association.

The Committee agreed that after the ship had been discharged at Leith she should be chartered with a cargo for London.

3. Hemp and Tow ex the s.s. Emir."-The Chairman informed the Com- mittee that Dr. Macnamara did not wish any action to be taken in this matter for the present.

Cunene."-The Committee considered the draft of a telegram which the Colonial Office proposed to send to the Governor-General of Australia with regard to the voyage of this ship to that country for the discharge of the original cargo, and recommended that certain alterations should be made.

4. $.5.

5. 3.5.

It was

Diyatalawa.”—The Committee considered a letter from the Trans- port Department with regard to the future employment of this ship. agreed that the Secretary should discuss the matter with the Transport Depart- ment, and that either the Committee should carry Admiralty cargo at cost price for a voyage to Mesopotamia, on the condition that the return voyage should be arranged by the Committee, or that she should be handed over entirely to the Admiralty in accordance with the usual arrangements.

The Committee considered a letter from Messrs. Waltons and Company with regard to a claim which had been made by Messrs. Sanday for the payment of £1,650 8s. 2d. for alleged breach of contract by reason of the steamer not having reached Karachi in time to load during the month of August. The Committee decided that the correspondence should be referred to the Treasury Solicitor, and that Messrs. Waltons and Company should be asked to communicate with him.

8. 8.8. Grahamland."The Committee considered a letter from Messrs. Waltons and Company with regard to the reply of the British Columbian Govern- ment to the representations made by the Committee. It was decided that as regards the demurrage question the Agent-General should be informed in the sense of Messrs. Waltons's letter: that, with regard to the question of short ship- ment of cargo, a statement should be obtained by Mr. Holt as to the approximate difference between the space occupied by a standard of lumber and one of deals, and that when this had been obtained the particulars should be communicated to the Agent-General; and that, as regards the reletting of the ship, the Agent-General should be informed that the Committee regretted that their intentions, which it was thought were fully understood by all parties to the negotiations at the time, were by some misapprehension not carried out. If Sir Richard McBride wished to discuss the matter the Committee would be glad to see him.

7. The Sixth Interim Report and Fee 49.-The Committee considered a minute by the Registrar of the Admiralty Division of the High Court with regard to the payment of this fee in connexion with an order for delivery to the Crown. It was suggested that the attention of the Registrar should be called to the form of the order, which had been framed for the purpose of allowing payment of the fee in cases such as the present.

8. Payment of Light Dues on Prize Ships. Mr. Evans reported that the Deputy Master of Trinity House had telephoned him with regard to the Com- mittee's claim to pay only seventy-five per cent. of the light dues leviable by that Department. The Committee recommended that a letter should be sent to the Admiralty-Marshal asking him what had been done in the case of the Woermann boats brought home from the Cameroons, and whether the dues had been paid to Trinity House.

9. Schedules of Losses and Writes-off.-The Committee considered the schedules of losses from the 1st of January to the 30th of September, 1916, (a) which required the sanction of the Treasury, and (b) which required the Com- mittee's approval. As regards (a) it was agreed that the values of the ships should be those which had been taken for the purposes of the insurance fund. Subject to this, and to the insertion under the head of the s.v. "Llandaff" of the hospital expenses irrecoverable at Port Arthur, the Committee approved this schedule. The second schedule was also approved by the Committee.

10. Steamships "Chow Tai” and “Sandakan.”—The Committee considered a report from the Assistant Paymaster upon the statements which had been