CONTRABAND CONTROL

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 December 1939, Page 8

CONTRABAND CONTROL

REVIEW OP OPERATIONS [BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.] R.UCBY, December 6. Since the. beginning oi ! the war, the. Allied contraband control has intercepted and detained approximately 735,000 tons of contraband. Of this total, 476,500 tons has been detained by Britain and approximately 260,000 "tons by France. During the week ended December 2, tho .British contraband control intercepted and detained 13,700 tons of contraband goods of which there was evidence that thej’- were destined for Germany. This total included 4500 tons of Iron pyrites, 1750 tons of hides and skins, 1200 tons of coffee, 2SOO tons of other foodstuffs, 850 tons of timber, 500 tons of cotton, 400 tons of petroleum products, 250 tons of chemicals. Other commodities detained included oil seeds and fats, calcium, magnisite, tanning materials and wool and rubber. During the fortnight neded November 30, the French contraband control also detained 35,300 tons of contraband, including 18,148 tons of foodstuffs, and feeding stuffs, 12,651 tons of metals and ores, 2236 tons of textiles, 107 tons of wool, 99 tons of hair, 107 tons of timber, 253 tons of resin, 147 tons of turpentine, 100 tons of cork, 220 tons of fats, 214 tons of oil seofds, 583 tons of wine, and 273 tons of chemicals. Other goods included jute, sisal, silk, rubber, hides and skins.

From the outbreak of war to December 2 only 64 entire cargoes, had been seized by the British contraband control. Of these 42 were seized in the first three weeks, and nine were German. On the other hand, 875 cargoes have been entirely released in thei same period. On December 2, 80 neutral ships were in the three contraband control bases in the United Kingdofh, of which 47 had been there for four days or less. Tho total included 21 Dutch, 18 Swedish, 15 Norwegian, nine Danish, six Belgian, two Greek, two United States, two Panamanian, one Spanish, two Italian, one Roumanian and one Finnish.

During the week ended December 2, the Contraband Committee considered the cargoes of HO ships which had arrived since November 25 and the cargoes of 57 ships outstanding from the previous week. The combined total of ships included 35 Italian, 27 Dutch, 21 Swedish, 19 British, 14 Norwegian, 11 Danish, 10 Belgian, six Greek, six United States and four Finnish. Only one ship’s entire cargo was seized, while the entire cargoes of 91 ships were released. Thq system under which advance copies of manifests are received and considered before the ships’ arrival at British ports resulted'during the week in 26 ships being so dealt with, and 15 of the ships concerned being released by the committee, subject merely to formal checking of the original manifests on arrival at control bases.