BAN ON CONTRABAND.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 32, 17 November 1939, Page 5

BAN ON CONTRABAND.

RESULTS OF BRITISH ACTIVITY. REVIEW OF TEN WEEKS. LONDON, November 15. i In the first 10 weeks of war, the British Contraband Control Committee detained 427,000! tons of contraband.

During the week ended November Tl, 6500 toils of ..goods _suspected._o.f being- destined fqa--Germany* were -detained. n (filie total-'inciuded 12200 tons ; of copra, 1350 tons of coffee, and 380! tons of ores and metals. During the* same period the committee considered 108 hew cases,, and 86 cases .outstanding from -dlie; previous week,; - Two, iC.argo.es were wholly seized. :: -, .. . A ' ■ Besides the. scheme for obtaining an advance, .copy of manifests, arrangements to minimise delay, include .allowing a ship to unload items of suspected cargo, or to continue the voyage, with such items, the owners having guaranteed to hold them until a decision has been reached and to return them to the United Kingdom if required. The combined total of ships dealt with 'this week included 32 British', 29 Italian, 27 Dutch and 21 Norwegian, the remainder consisting of other nationalities.

On November 14 there were 94 neutral ships in the three control bases in the United Kingdom, 58 of which had been there less than, a week. The. French Minister for Blockade (M. Pernct) said that to November 10, the French Navy had seized 223,297 tons of merchandise consigned to Germany, including more than 100,000 tons of petroleum—'British Official Wireless. ‘