COMMANDEERED SHIPS

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 50, 28 February 1923, Page 5

COMMANDEERED SHIPS

PAYMENT TO NORWAY.

U.S.A. ' ACCEPTS AWARD.

(By Cable.—Press Association.--Copyright.)

WASHINGTON, February 27.

The United States Government has handed to the Norwegian Ambassador a Treasury draft for ]2.239,052 dollars on account of ships requisitioned in the

A Note accompanies the payment, in which it is pointed out that the United States gives tangible pnfoof of its desire to respect arbitral awards and its devotion to the principle of arbitral settlement, even in face of a decision proclaiming certain theories at large which cannot be accepted as hereafter binding upon the I'nited States Government as a precedent.

The award subjects the requisitioning Government to a different test and a heavier burden where the property ot neutral nationals is concerned than in a case where nationals of the requisitioning State own the property. No such duty to discriminate in favour of neutral aliens is believed to be imposed on a State by international law with respect to property such as was concerned in the present case, where vessels belonging to private Norwegians situated in United States territorial waters were requisitioned.- (A. and N.Z. Cable.)

The Note continues that it is also to be regretted that the award fails to give a satisfactory explanation of the manner in which the tribunal arrived at the amounts awarded or the rate of interest. Article 79 of The Hague Convention, I!K>7, under which the claims were submitted, provides that the tribunal must give the reisons whereon it based its award. 7lie United States therefore cannot accept it as proper and satisfactory in international arbitrations without the mode on which damages are assessed or without a reasoned statement indicating the method of computation.— (A. and N.Z. Cable.)