NEW BRITISH MEASURES

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 27, 31 July 1940, Page 7

NEW BRITISH MEASURES

THE NAVICERT SYSTEM

WATCH ON SPANISH OIL IMPORTS

LONDON, July 30

The British Government's new measures to enforce contraband control were described in the House of Commons by the Minister of Economic Warfare (Dr. Hugh Dalton). He pointed out that the German occupation of the western European coastline from the North Cape to the Pyrenees had greatly changed the conditions of the economic war.

Britain must now control not only shipping approaching the Mediterranean, but all ships crossing the Atlantic. To apply this control in the old way would mean diverting, many ships far out of their courses to contraband control bases in British waters, either in the United Kingdom or in western Africa. To avoid causing such grave inconvenience the British Government had decided to extend the navicert system to all seaborne goods for any European port, as well as to certain Atlantic islands and certain neutral ports in North Africa. _ In future ships.sailing from a neutral port to any of those destinations must obtain navicerts for all items of their cargo, and a certificate covering the ship at the last port of .loading. Any consignment not covered by navicerts and any vessels without a ship's certificate would be liable to be seized by a British patrol.

The same rules would apply to outgoing trade. Ships must liave certificates to prove that all the items of their cargo are not of enemy origin. Any ships whose cargo was not fully certified would be liable to be seized along with the items of cargo not covered. An Order in Council giving effect to these changes is to be issued at once.

Dr. Dalton said it had been suggested in some quarters that Britain intended to extend the blockade to certain neutral countries. That was not so. Where supplies could reach neutrals without risk of their falling into enemy hands, Britain would grant navicerts for imports equal to the neutral countries' home consumption, but not for re-export It would 'be the Government's policy not merely to allow such supplies to pass her patrols, but to assist the neutrals to obtain them. These measures would greatly benefit neutrals engaged in honest trade, for delays would be greatly reduced.

At the same time the measures would strike a heavy blow at those who tried to elude the British control and carry supplies to or from the enemy. The Government had decided with regret that it must treat the whole of France, as well as Algeria, Tunisia, and French Morocco, as enemy-controlled territory for the purposes of contraband and export control. Goods for all those territories and originating from them were liable to be placed in prize.

Dr. Dalton also answered questions about shipments of oil and oil products to Spain. He said that exports to Spain from the United States in the first half of the year had been substantially greater than in the corresponding period of last year. Before the collapse of France the only way oil could reach Germany through Spain was across the western Mediterranean by way of Spain and Italy. Britain had relied on French patrols to prevent that traffic. Since France had collapsed the situation had become obscure.

An official of the Ministry of Economic Warfare was going to Spain at the weekend for discussions with the Spanish authorities and the British Ambassador at Madrid.

Britain wanted to enable Spain to get adequate supplies of oil for her own internal consumption, but not for re-export. She also wanted Spain to maintain her oil stocks at a reasonable and steady level. There was no evidence that lubricating oil had been re-exported to Germany, but Spanish

stocks seemed to be so high in relation to her normal consumption that no navicerts for further imports were now being: issued.