GOODS ON GERMAN VESSELS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 3 November 1914, Page 2

GOODS ON GERMAN VESSELS

INFORMATION FOR CONSIGNEES. fUHITBD IfaKUSi &SS«»CI_.XHJS.) WELLINGTON-, November 2. ' At a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce a letter advising consignees of New Zealand goods in German ships now detained in Australian waters how to act was received from Mr Pope, the Secretarv of the Department of Agriculture, J Industries., and Commerce, as follows: | I have to inform you that--certain New j - Zealand consignees of goods on board } German vessels detained in Australia have approached the Department in Toward to representation of their interests v during the sittings of the Prize Court, dealing with various vessels. A number of them have pointed out .tnat they have no agents in Australia to act on- their behalf. Inquiries were made from the New 1 Zealand Trade Commissioner at Mel- j bourne as to the position, and the fob ! lowing information is-now supplied in I the interests of any New Zealand con- | signees who have-not yet made arrange- j ments for- their representation in Aus- } tralia. It is understood' that vessels de-j tained in one port will be sent if necessary under guard to complete discharging" at other ports in Australia for which y.. they have cargo. The New. Zealand j Trade Commissioner suggests that if the original destination'of any-vessel was j New Zealand, application-should be made j to the Court by the consignees for the j extension of this procedure, and for a, ! permit for such vessels to sail under | guard at their expense to-the Dominion, j and so avoid necessity, for transhipment, i He doubts whether such permit would be ! granted by the court,, but in any case I > ■presume there would be- few, if any; I German vessels among those = captured |- which had intended visiting New Zea- j : land. If the final port of the detained ( .vessels was in Australia, the Trade Commissioner would be prepared to act-as igent for consignees. It would be necessary for him to engage counsel to appear before the court, and consignees who ap-' 1 pointed him their agents would have - to ; telegraph him particulars of-their cargo. There should follow by" first mail documents authorising payment of freights and charges unpaid, and of a proportion of ! the expense of unloading. Such consignees as desire ■to make use of. the services of the New Zealand Trade Commissioner in this connection should com--! municat-e with him direct. . |' Another letter received from Mr Pope j stated that the provisions of - interna-' tionaL-law by which Great Britain has intimated she will abide, prevent giving effect to the suggestion of the Chamber that transhipment'charges should be de-" 'bited against German owners of detained .vessels for recovery prior to tho handing back of the vessels. ■ A letter from the China Traders' Insurance Company threw further light on the position from the point of view of the- underwriters. It is stated that the opinion of counsel has been taken, and in view of any deviation being justifiable;, (as in the case of the Roon to avoid capture), underwriters are not .liable for ex- '• penses of transhipment, nor under • socalled general, average bond, which New Zealand companies called upon consignees to sign. This information also applied to cargo on the' Stolberg, now in refuge at Macassar. i Letters dealing with the same subject were, received from the Sydney and Melbourne Chambers of Commerce. The Sydney Chamber stated that the German steamers at Capetown will be allowed to come on to Australia, and discharge as originally intended. . ilhe German Australian, steamer owners have have refused to permit cargo to be transshipped from their boats in Java and Loanda. It will have to remain there until the conclusion of. the war. The letter from the Melbourne Chamber contained additional information, that expense of navigating and unloading vessels would have, to'-be-■ borne by consignees. Th 0 vessels in question (at Capetown) are the Hamm. the Apolda, and'the Birkenfels. i' i 1