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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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C.O. 885

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4. Memorandum* prepared by Mr. Malkin for submission to the Attorney- General as to the position of detained Enemy Vessels.-The Committee approved this memorandum, subject to one small alteration. It was arranged that the memo- randum should be sent directly by Mr. Malkin to the Attorney-General.

5. Detained Enemy Vessels in United Kingdom Ports.-The Chairman informed the Committee that he had seen the President of the Board of Trade, and that the latter had given it as his opinion that the only safe way to deal with these ships would be to hire then out at the current market rates, and that he was not pre- pared to accept the view that special rates should be fixed. It was proposed that the ships should be put up for public competition at one or more of the Exchanges, the Newcastle Exchange being one of them.

The Chairman added that he and Mr. Roper were interviewing representatives of two Newcastle brokers firms that evening, and that he hoped to be able to put a complete scheme before the Committee at their next meeting.

The Committee thought that the Admiralty Marshal should be informed of the arrangements which the Committee proposed to make with regard to detained enemy vessels.

6. Steamship "Schneefels."-The draft agreement with the Representatives for the conveyance of the cargo from Gibraltar to New York and Boston was approved by the Committee in the form submitted to the Secretary by Messrs. Waltons & Company, subject to the alteration of the figure £200,000, in Clause 2, to £100,000. The reasons for this alteration were explained by Mr. Tennyson.

7. Steamship "Birkenfels."—It was decided that the Salvage Association should be informed, in reply to their letters, that the captain, and, if they thought it desirable, the engineer also, should be sent off to South Africa at once.

As regards the repairs to the ship, it was arranged that the Admiralty should ask the local naval authorities to give facilities to the Salvage Association to make the necessary arrangements.

8. Steamship "Frisia."-Mr. Ross's offer for the purchase of this ship was not considered satisfactory. The Committee decided to offer this ship by limited tender in the same way as the "Australia" had been put up for sale.

9. Steamship 'Emir."—An offer from Messrs. Elder Dempster & Company to bring this ship to the United Kingdom for £1,000-excluding insurance and war risk, but including insurance of risks under the Workmen's Compensation Act--- The was considered by the Committee, who thought that it might be accepted. ship should be brought to London; and any goods at Gibraltar awaiting removal might be brought home in her. The Secretary was asked to send to the Admiralty a copy of his letter to the Company.

10. Steamship "Lorenzo."-The Committee considered that the offer from Messrs. Hopkins, Ford, Lee, & Company, for the purchase of the ship, might be definitely declined. The question of the disposal of this ship could be brought up Mr. Holt was at a later meeting, together with that of the steamship "Thor." requested to make inquiries, in order that the Committee might be in a position to engage a shipping firm to act as their Agents for the charter of both these ships.

11. List of Ships for Disposal.-The Committee thought that the list which had been drawn up was suitable, and might be circulated to any shipping firms who had applied for particulars.

12. Insurance of C'argoes.-Mr. Barstow informed the Committee that the Treasury had decided to agree that cargoes should be insured.

*

13. Steamships Henry Furst" and George Harper."-Letters from Messrs. H. G. Harper & Company and from Messrs. Turner, Davidson, & Company were laid before the Committee.

* No. 2 in Appendix D.

No. 1 (a) in Appendix B.

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THE SIXTEENth Meeting of the Committee was held at the Colonial Office on Monday, 11th January, 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.

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

MR. G. ROPER, Board of Trade.

MR. H. W. MALKIN, Foreign Office.

MR. L. D. WAKELY, India Office.

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

MR. T. H. HOLT, Crown Agents.

MB. R. A. WISEMAN (Secretary).

Second Interim Report* to the Treasury.-The report which had been drafted by the Chairman containing the Committee's recommendations with regard to the utilization of enemy vessels detained in ports in the United Kingdom was considered in detail by the Committee and approved generally, subject to certain alterations.

The Committee recommended that the responsibility for accounting for the expenditure involved in their proposals should be undertaken by the Admiralty.

The Chairman explained that, as soon as sanction had been obtained from the Treasury for the expenditure proposed in the report, he proposed that the gentlemen who attended at the Fourteenth Meeting should be asked to appear before the Com- mittee again, when the scheme for the utilization of the detained ships would be explained to them.

2. 8.3. “Australia."--A letter from the Admiralty approving the sale of the ship on the terms proposed was laid before the Committee. The Secretary was authorized to write to the British India Steam Navigation Company, explaining that a bill of sale was now being drafted.

3.

8.8. "Fürth.”—A letter from the Admiralty approving of the hiring of this ship to the Anglo-Persian Oil Company was laid before the Committee. The ques- tion of the rate to be charged to the Company was discussed at considerable length, and it was finally decided that the Company should be invited to revise the terms of their offer, their attention being called at the same time to the very high rates pre- vailing in the open market.

4.

8.8.

"Lorenzo" and "Thor."-A letter from Messrs. Farrar, Groves and Company, offering to take the "Lorenzo" to the River Plate in ballast, and thence to bring her to the United Kingdom with a cargo of grain, was considered by the Com- mittee. The Committee recommended that Messrs. Farrar, Groves and Company should be asked what their charges would be for undertaking the management of the ship as agents for the Committee, that they should be asked to furnish a similar pro formu statement with regard to the disposal of the "Thor," and a statement of their charges for managing this ship also.

Messrs. Hopkins, Lee, Ford, and Company should be informed that their revised offer for the purchase of this ship could not be entertained.

5. 8.5. "Bethania."-The Committee were informed that it was probable that the Admiralty would wish to take over this ship.

6. s.8. "Schneefels."-A draft policy† to cover a portion of the indemnity of £100,000 in clause 2 of the Agreement with the Representatives, which had been submitted by the solicitors, was approved by the Committee.

A draft memorandum of terms and letter of acceptance from the contractor for the navigation of this ship, submitted by the solicitors, were also approved by

the Committee.

7. 8.8. "Frisia."-The Committee decided that instead of offering this ship

for sale by limited tender she should, if possible, be sold by auction.

8.

8.8. “Prinz Sigismund.”—A proposal received from the Commonwealth of Australia to offer this detained German steamer publicly for local charter was approved by the Committee.

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* No. 2 in Appendix A.

No. 1 (b) in Appendix B. No. 1 (c) in Appendix B.

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