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MINUTES.

The Committee agreed that certain further accounts which had been receiveď from Messrs. Houlder, Middleton and Company should be sent to the Assistant Paymaster-General for consideration.

The Committee considered a report from the Assistant Paymaster-General on They the accounts which had been received from the Governor of Sierra Leone. agreed that no question need be raised as to the small points raised by Mr. Bebb under vouchers 823 and 678, and that further particulars should be obtained as to voucher 374 as recommended by him. As regards Messrs. Houlder, Middleton and Company's remarks as to the Governor's telegram of the 5th March, and the Assis- Lant Paymaster-General's comment, the Secretary reported that the Governor of Sierra Leone had already been asked to report why this telegram had been sent. As regards voucher 751, this was covered by the decision of the Committee at their Seventy-seventh Meeting. It was understood that the inquiries then suggested would now be made by the Colonial Office.

The Committee approved a recommendation by Messrs. Houlder, Middleton and Company that a gratuity of £25 should be paid to the captain of the 8.8. "Keying- ham for division between himself, officers and crew concerned in towing the "Yawry" from Sierra Leone to Dakar.

12. Prize Accounts from Sierra Leone.-The Committee considered a report which had been received by the Admiralty, from the Senior Naval Officer, as to cer- tain disbursements which had been made by the Colonial Government in respect of prize ships. It was agreed that all such accounts should be forwarded through the Governor to the Colonial Office.

The Committee recommended that, subject to anything which the Admiralty Marshal might have to say on the subject, instructions should be sent to all Prize Court Colonies and Dominions asking them to pay any expenses on prize account out of the general balances held by the Court for prize matters.

It appeared that a certain amount of cargo was still lying in the Colony unsold. The Committee recommended that an order for delivery to the Crown should be obtained and the local Government asked to make any recommendations as to the disposal of the cargo. It was suggested that the late agents of the Woer- mann Line should also be asked for their recommendations.

13. 8.5. "Emil."--The Committee considered a letter which had been received from Messrs. C. W. Kellock and Company from their bank, relative to the proposed sureties to the bond providing a penalty in the event of the transfer of the ship to a foreigner or a foreign corporation within a period of five years from the expiration of the war. The Secretary reported that Sir Henry Johnson had advised that the bank's letter was not sufficient from the point of view of complete financial security, but that in his opinion the object of the bond was not so much to obtain a financial guarantee for the balance of the purchase money as to obtain some security, based on the character of the sureties, that the ship would not be so transferred. Sir Henry Johnson considered that if this view was accepted it would be sufficient to ascertain that the proposed sureties were persons of standing, and he thought that the bank's letter was adequate from this point of view. Moreover, both the proposed sureties were Directors of the Aquarius Steam Ship Company, and in these circumstances he recommended that the sureties be accepted. The Committee decided to accept this recommendation.

14. 8.8.

Emir."-The Committee considered a letter from Messrs. Churchill and Sim inquiring whether inland port dues should be paid on the prize cargo of hemp and sisal from this ship. The Committee decided that the Port of London Authority should be asked to explain what the charges in question were, and why they were proposed.

15. 8.8. 'Neumunster.”—Mr. Tennyson reported that it had been ascertained that the appeal with regard to this ship had been abandoned, and that there was therefore no legal objection to her sale. The Governor-General of Australia had therefore been asked whether the ship could be sold, and had replied that, as the vessel was being used for an urgent Commonwealth requirement, the Commonwealth Government would be glad if no steps were taken at present for sale. The Com- mittee agreed that the Governor-General should be asked to explain further what was meant by the term " urgent Commonwealth requirement.”

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16. Steamships “Rufidji,” “Professor Woermann,' Erna Woermann.' The Committee considered a request from the Government of the Union of South Africa that these ships might be used for a further voyage or voyages for the pur- pose of conveying maize to the United Kingdom. The Committee recommended that the Admiralty should not be pressed further for the moment, but that the matter should again be considered when the ships had unloaded in this country after the conclusion of their present voyage here.

Mr. Tennyson also explained the reply which had been sent to the South African Government regarding the rates for the carriage of maize from South Africa.

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17. Steamships Hamm," Apolda."-Mr. Tennyson explained the action which had been taken, at the request of the Union Governinent, to arrange the agree- ment* with the Millar's Timber and Trading Company for the carriage of sleepers from Australia. The agreement* was based on the principle that the freight charged was to be the actual cost of running the steamers calculated over the whole number of voyages.

If any other cargo than sleepers were carried, on the voyages to South Africa, it had been agreed that current commercial rates should be charged, but no such cargo could be carried without the consent of the Committee's managers. Any profit made on cargoes carried from South Africa to Australia might be used to reduce the expenses for the carriage of the sleepers, subject to the proviso that the Union Government must pay at least 35s. per ton for freight, as that figure was the one upon which their original contract with Millar's Timber and Trading Company was based.

The Committee recommended that it should be stated in the charter party that the Millar's Timber and Trading Company were acting only as the agents of the Government of the Union.

The Secretary reported that a reply had been received from the Governor- General with regard to the £3,096 Os. 8d., paid by the Federal Steam Navigation Company to the Senior Naval Officer, for the stores on board these two ships. The Committee recommended that the Secretary should ask the Admiralty to repay this sum to their account with the Assistant Paymaster-General.

18.

Insurance of Cargo seized under the provisions of His Majesty's Order in Council of 11th March, 1915. The Secretary reported that the Treasury had approved of these cargoes being insured, and that Messrs. Glanvill, Enthoven and Company had obtained the assent of the underwriters to the necessary extension of the cover.

It had been arranged that the extension should take effect as from the 1st October in the case of cargo already seized under the provisions of the Order in Council, and from the date of the issue of the writ in cases where cargoes were seized subsequently to that date. Mr. Tennyson had ascertained from the Procurator- General that a writ was always issued in this country in the case of cargoes seized under the Order, and he proposed that instructions should be sent to the Colonial Governments concerned to act on the same lines. The Committee were informed that cases under the Order in Council might arise in Sierra Leone, so that the exten- sion of the cover might affect that Colony in addition to the territories in the Mediterranean mentioned in the original report of the Committee.

19. Insurance of Cargoes.-The Secretary reported that he had received a cheque from Messrs. Glanvill, Enthoven and Company in respect of the 10 per cent. commission allowed by Messrs. Glanvill, Enthoven and Company to the Committee on the premium which had been paid in respect of certain released cargoes in Jamaica. He had ascertained from Messrs. Glanvill, Enthoven and Company that they proposed to allow this commission in the case of all premium collected or pay- able under the cover. The Committee thought that, as this action would result in payments being made to their credit with the Assistant Paymaster-General, it was necessary that all payments on account of premium collected in respect of released cargoes should be made through the Assistant Paymaster-General, instead of direct to Messrs. Glanvill, Enthoven and Company as hitherto, in order that that depart- ment might be able to check the amounts so received.

20. Proposed Insurance Fund.-The Secretary informed the Committee that he had now received a letter from Mr. Glanvill stating that he had shown the pro- posed scheme to Mr. R. T. Jones, of the Commercial Union Assurance Company, and that the latter had expressed the view that, for the purpose for which the figures had been drawn up, they were quite satisfactory. The Committee decided that the Assistant Paymaster-General should be instructed to make an allowance in the case of each ship run for the account of the Committee based upon the number of days

* No. 4 (b) in Appendix B.

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