IN AUSTRALIA. A PRIZE COURT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXV, Issue 9020, 16 December 1914, Page 5

IN AUSTRALIA. A PRIZE COURT.

THE CASE OF THJEJZAMBESI. SYDNEY, December 15. Tho Prize Court is hearing an application by the Commonwealth Government to have the ship Zambesi and her cargo, captured by the warship Encounter oti Itaboul, declared lawful prize. 1 Tho petitioner's claim set out that tho Zambesi was a British-owned vessel, under charter to tho Pacific Phosphate Company, that on August 6 the master received, through the agents of the .company, and on behalf of tho Kaiser, orders to proceed from Naur* Island to Raba.nl with an agent of tho Kaiser, carrying important telegrams relating to the war and on arrival at llabaul to hold himself and his ship at tho disposal of the German Government.^ . ' Respondent's case declared that at the time of tho departure from Naura i the agent of the charters of the Zambesi and her captain were, unaware that war existed between Britain, and Germany. The captain of the Zambesi gave evidence that he was unaware of the war until officers of the' Encounter came aboard. Other evidence, including that <n exGorman officials at Naura, supported this. At the time of thf. capture the German agent aboard gave' one of the Zambesi's crew a bundle: of telegrams to throw overboard. Instead he handed them to the Encounter's officers. The case is not finished.