CO885-24 — Page 202

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

CETC.O. 885

24 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

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MINUTES.

Committee would agree to hand her over at a valuation, and they would suggest that Messrs. C. W. Kellock & Company should be instructed to make the valuation. If she was not required the Committee proposed to sell her as soon as possible.

"Rappenfels.”—The Committee 2. 9.8. "Frisia," s.8. "Kalymnos," 5.8. instructed the Secretary to write to the Admiralty about these ships, as in the case of the "Gibraltar."

3. 8.8. "Gracia."-The Chairman stated that he still had no exact informa tion from the Director of Contracts as to the cargo which the Admiralty wished to ship from the United States. He promised, however, to give Mr. Holt a list of the firms who were shipping the cargo. in order that the latter might try to make arrangements direct with them.

"

4. 8.0. R. C. Rickmers."-The Chairman informed the Committee that he wished to load this ship with pit-props for Admiralty collieries. He undertook to furnish Mr. Holt with the name of the firm which was shipping the props.

5. 3.0. "Terpsichore."-The Committee decided to allow Messrs. R. Thomas & Company, of Liverpool, to manage this ship.

6. 8.v. “Elfrieda."-The Committee informed Mr. Holt that he might arrange for this ship to be put into use.

7. Alexandria Ships.—(a) “ Altair."-Mr. Holt informed the Committee that he had seen Mr. Glanvill, but that the latter could not at the moment inform him how much wheat he wished to ship. Mr. Wakely stated that the India Office had now learnt that there were only 8,000 tons of wheat to be shipped in April, instead of 50,000, as had been at first proposed. The Committee agreed that Mr. Holt should wait for further information from Mr. Glanvill, and that if the latter found that he had no cargo to offer arrangements might be made to send this ship east for other cargo.

(b) Mr. Holt undertook to arrange with the managers for inquiries to be made by telegraph as to whether any of the ships at Alexandria could now be moved from that port.

8. Report on the position of Ships.—Mr. Holt informed the Committee that the "Kawak" had been fixed with Messrs. Strick & Company, and that the time for the loading had been settled at twenty-one days. The Committee discussed the position of the "George R.," "Syra," and "Concadoro," and Mr. Holt communi- cated particulars as to the delays which had occurred at Gibraltar in loading the copper on the "George R.," the "Adolphus," and "Kalymnos." As regards the "Birkenfels," it was arranged that Mr. Holt should ask Mr. Hughes if the regis- The position of the Dutch cargo on the tration at Capetown was in order. "Hamm" and the "Apolda" was also discussed. It was agreed that if this cargo proved eventually to be German it should be discharged at an Australian port,

9. 8.8. Emir."-Mr. Holt informed the Committee that the ship would prob- ably be discharged by the end of the week. It was agreed that the Secretary might instruct Messrs. Churchill and Sim to sell all the condemned cargo, with the excep- tion of a certain consignment of mangrove bark. As regards the latter he was to write to the solicitors of the claimants saying that, as a considerable time would elapse before their claim could be dealt with, the Committee proposed to sell the cargo and hold the proceeds.

10. 8.8. "Quarta," 8.8. “Rajaburi.”—In view of the nature of the employment proposed for this ship by the charterer, the Committee decided that it would be best to allow him to withdraw from the agreement. They thought, however, that Messrs. Waltons & Company should be consulted as to how far the legal expenses and the cost of the telegrams could be obtained from him. Mr. Roberts should not be asked to bear any of the expenses incurred in docking or repairing the ships, but, when replies had been received from the Governors of Hong Kong and the Straits Settlements as to these expenses, replies might be sent authorizing them to continue the docking and repairs.

In the meantime Mr. Holt undertook to see Messrs. Butterfield and Swire, and find out what they would offer for the charter of these two ships.

11. Inventories on Sailing Ships.-The Committee approved the draft of a letter which the Secretary proposed to send to the Admiralty Marshal. They

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thought, however, that special reference should be made to the coal on board the "R. C. Rickmers," which should be taken over at a valuation and the money paid into Court. The Secretary should write to Messrs. C. W. Kellock & Company asking them to certify as to the quantities on board.

Mr. Holt mentioned that the slop-cheats on board these ships were considerably larger than were usual on British ships. It was agreed that the Admiralty Marshal should be consulted as to the action to be taken in regard to them.

The Committee recommended that a telegram should be sent as to an inventory of the stores on the steamships "Diana" and "Marina."

12. "Senegambia.”-The Committee recommended that the Governor of Hong Kong should be reminded about the telegram asking him to obtain a special order from the Prize Court. The telegram should also ask whether a crew could be provided locally, and whether the ship was empty of cargo. Any cargo should be insured under the Committee's cover, the cost of the insurance being recovered from the French Government if it were ultimately decided that the ship was to be treated as a French capture. The cargo of the "Ferd Laiesz" should be treated in the same way.

Messrs. Mitchell Cotts & Company should be informed that their application to manage the ship had been noted.

19. 8.8.

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Bangor."-Mr. Tennyson informed the Committee that Messrs. Mitchell Cotta were agents for Messrs. Salvesen, and had informed him that, as it was the end of the whaling season, there were crews available in the Falkland Islands. The Committee did not consider that they were in a position to deal with the ship, and directed the Secretary to inform Messrs. Mitchell Cotts that their application to manage her had been noted.

14. Insurance of Cargo at Alexandria.-The Committee discussed a letter from Messrs. Glanvill, Enthoven & Company relative to the rates of insurance where cargo had been placed in certain warehouses insurable at a specially low rate. The Committee thought that it would be better not to take any further action in the matter.

15.

Accounts. The Secretary reported that he had been informed by Messrs. "Barenfels and Grahams & Company that the coal on board the steamships

Gutenfels" had been certified as 697 and 202 tons respectively. The Committee recommended that, if the amounts had been certified by Lloyd's surveyor, the figures should be accepted as correct. They agreed that the sum received for the coal should be placed to the "idle" account of the ships.

The Committee agreed that Lloyd's Register might be paid three guineas which they claimed for the cost of a telegram to Hong Kong in connexion with the "Rajaburi."

The Committee saw no objection to the Assistant Paymaster-General receiving cheques from Mr. Holt direct.

629

THE FORTY-THIRD MEETING of the Committee was held at the Colonial Office on Monday, 19th April, 1915, 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. C. HIPWOOD, Board of Trade.

MR. H. W. MALKIN, Foreign Office.

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).

The minutes of the previous meeting were confirmed, subject to a slight altera-

tion in paragraph 7 (a).