THE CONTRABAND CONTROL

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22906, 30 December 1939, Page 9

THE CONTRABAND CONTROL

GOODS SEIZED BY ALLIES FRENCH TOTAL REACHES 402,000 TONS (BRITISH OPTIMA!. WIRELESS.) (Received December 29, 8 p.m.)

RUGBY, December 28.

According, to a Paris message, the contraband control of the French Navy held up 16 ships and intercepted 40,000 tons of goods destined for Germany during the week ended December 24. France so far has intercepted 402,000 tons of Germanbound merchandise since the beginning of the war. • During the week ended December 23, the British Contraband Control Committee intercepted 6824 tons of contraband goods suspected of being destined for Germany. This total included 4568 tons of petroleum and allied products, 660 tons of cotton, 614 tons of foodstuffs and beverages, 214 tons of fibre, 212 tons of tin, 105 tons of.rubber and nonmetallic products, oil and fats, cereals, wool, gums, and resins, hides and skins and timber. i The Ministry of Economic Warfare states that on Decenrjber 26 there were 48 neutral shipsj in the three contraband control bases in the United Kingdom, of which 21 had been there for five days or fewer. , , _ , During the week ended December 23. the Contraband Committee considered many cargoes of ships which had arrived since the previous week. In no case was the entire cargo released. The system under which advance copies of manifests of cargoes are received and considered before a ship’s arrival in ports in Britain, resulted during the week under review in 27 cases being so dealt with. In 24 of these, the ships were released subject merely to formal checking of the original manifests on their arrival at the control bases.

DANISH VESSEL MINED TWO BRITISH SHIPS OVERDUE (Received December 29, 10 p.m.) LONDON, December 29. The Danish vessel Hanne (1080 tons) was sunk by a mine off the north-east coast, with a crew of 15. The number rescued is not known. A lifeboat found one of the ship’s boats floating upside-down. The owners of the British vessel Moortoft (875 tons) announce that she is several days overdue and is presumed lost with all 13 of the crew. A naval trawler with a crew of 15 is also presumed lost. RECONNAISSANCE BY R.A.F ANOTHER FLIGHT OVER GERMANY (BRITIBH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.) RUGBY, December 28. The Air Ministry announced Ipte last night that reports current on Wednesday to the effect that German aircraft made an extensive reconnaissance flight over the Thames Estuary were without foundation. Royal Air Force Fighter Command patrols were active in the area during the morning, and it was possible that ground observers mistook one of these aircraft for an enemy raider. The Air Ministry announced at 12.35 p.m.: “A successful reconnaissance of north-west Germany was carried out by Royal Air Force aircraft or Wednesday. One of our aircraft failed to return.” A communique issued by the German High Command states that two British aeroplanes attempted to fly over the German coast. A fighter shot down one and anti-aircraft gunners drove off the other. A statement by the Air Ministry says: “It was announced by a German broadcasting station to-day that an officer of the Royal Air Force who was interned in Luxemburg and had given his word of honour not to escape, eluded his guards and away. The statement that this officer escaped is correct, but the statement that he was on parole at the time of his escape is entirely untrue.” ENGAGEMENT WITH GRAF SPEE PROMOTION FOR BRITISH OFFICERS LONDON, December 28. Captain W. E. Parry, of H.M.S. Achilles, suffered splinter wounds in both legs in thie engagement with the Admiral Graf Spee. His condition is now satisfactory.

In recognition of services in the action against the Admiral Graf Spee, the Admiralty has announced the following promotions, all to date from December 13, 1939: Commander D. H. Everett, H.M.S. Ajax, to be promoted to captain.

Lieutenant-Commander R. B. Jennings and Lieutenant-Commander C. J. Smith, H.M.S. Exeter, and Li.eutenant-Commander P. T. A. Love, H.M.S.’ 1 Achilles, to be promoted to commander.

Engineer-Commander T. C. Noake, H.M.S. Ajax, to I be promoted to engineer-captain^’