CONTRABAND OF WAR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 216, 5 June 1908, Page 7

CONTRABAND OF WAR.

: : —« CASE OF THE KNIGHT COMMANDER. BY lELEGIUrn—rREBS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT. London, Juno 3. In the House of Commons the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Sir Edward Grey, informed Mr. T. Hart Da vies (Liberal member for Hackney North), that Russia had declined arbitration in connection with the caso of tho steamer Knight Commander. Sir Edward added that ho was considering what steps ho would take. / SUNK BY A RUSSIAN WARSHIP. ; During the Russo-Japanese war tho Knight Commander, a British vessol on her way to Yokohama, was stopped by tho -Russian cruisers of tho Vladivostok Squadron. The Russian Admiral being of opinion that the Ivnijjht Commander carried contraband of war, which was denied by the owners, and being, moreover, unable to take her into port without risk of harm to his own ships, removed tho ctbw to his own ships, and sank the vessel. The Russian prize court refused to pay\compensation. ■ " A Reutor's dispatch from St. Petersburg; dated' April 22, states:—"The Supremo Prize Court has reversed the decision or tho Libau Prizo Court in the caso of the claim for ,£131,400 as compensation for tho loss of tho British steamer Ikliona, which, with a cargo of rice and wheat, was sunk by the Russian cruiser Terek in June, 1905, on, tho alleged ground that sho was carrying contraband of war. Tho Supreme Court recognised tho validity : of the claim, ruling that, while the stopping of tho Ikliona by the cruiser w"as justifiable, she should have been allowed to proceed afterwards."