CAPTURE AT SEA.

North Otago Times, Volume C, Issue 13145, 28 August 1914, Page 3

CAPTURE AT SEA.

RIGHTS! OP NEUTRALS. i PERILS OV PEACEPUL COMMERCE, i. i The subject of tho capture at sea of merchant vessels during the progrpss of a naval wai is interestingly discussed, by. aii.Austialian water, who. ';t.ha( ; ;tlie. dangers rnnV .trading.Bteamers,.;whctlier belonging'to a neutral', or a.belligerent^,are;great. At the present juncture ships bound for British ports.nrc, of course, more oiyless in : dan'gef ; . arid. the. danger 0\ ;;,,contlinio u»ti 1 the British fleet has. estsiblisheilabsQiutcicoinpiand of, ...tuVsea. Bo far as British ships are .concerned,; the position is,absolutely clear.- Tlioy will stand in danger of confiscation ,or capture uiitil the naval' power ol tho enemy.lias been decisively criisliod. ' CONTRABAND-OIMVAR. ,'

'With' neutral:trading steamers, however, the case, is slightly different,; ami the question of a belligerent's right to capture or destroy vessels, steaming under a neutral, dag has.been for.many years a vexed liiie. In 11)11 the British House of Lords threw out tfie Declaration of London, which was a-revised code of law for naval warfare drawn-up for the use of the Jii.teriintjoual, ; J J .rj|xo Court at,:Tlie Hague ' in, Hill!)- Mnhv clauses' in. tile/declaration dealt "with' .tlie rights; of '.belligerents to .deal' with neutral vessels, but so,far the declaration -has'notJn'eii;ratified, and th«.:.dangers', to- neutral ships-'are yery considerable. Neutral vessels carrying .absolute contraband destined for an. enemy are.liable to:capliire at sea nnywliero 'outside neutral waters. "Absolute contraband'" consists of articles exclusively used for war. "Conditional contraband" comprises articles for use in. war as well as for, tlie purposes'of peace, such .as'foodstuffs, and'la-liable. to capture when destined for.the. armed forces of. an eiieniy, and when the ship herself, is. bound for the' enemy. • BLOCKADE OPERATIONS.

But all /vessels are liable to capture when attempting to enter a ■blockaded pprtj.or when entering an area;covered by blockade..operatiqns. The significance of the latter point'will be noted when the-word ."blockade" is understood, Now that submarines of wide radius.of action, and torpedo, craf j;, are' employed freely in naval warfare, blockade i 3 no longer what.it. was in oldon times, and Great Britain, when blockading German ports, would-probably have her fleet somewhere off. Eosyth, Scotland, in.the north, and .off the Dogger Bank,, or even further south, at the other extremity, of the North Sea. Thus the whole area of the North Sea .would be covered by blockade operations, and any vessel entering that area'.would be liable, to capture. ■ Also, if the' capturing ship cannot' take her prize back to port, she may,'after placing, the crew in safety, sink.. the vessel .captured.: Trading steamer's .of all nations are therefore in danger when making'for a,belligerent's port, while naval' operations are in progress, , THE BENEFITS'OF STEAM',

As regards the more practical dangers'of capture, it may be noted that they are less in these days of steampropelled ships than in the days of sailing vessels. ThV.latter, depending on the weather, could only' travel in the direction of the prevailing winds. They were to be found scattered all over the seas, easy prey for the casually patrolling commerce destroyer, Xowa- ' days a steamer can take the most direct course to her destination* Trade , routes have been narrowed down to

lines of communication 1 , of practically no breadth, and outside these lines areas are blank coverts, It is obvious that these lines could be so.varied as to .throw any. warship, hovering about, their ordinary course oil' the scent, Again, commerce-destroying warships, cannot stay at sea for longer than their coal will allow. Their bunker capacity regulates the duration of their seagqing"lrips. Maritime commerce is perhaps safer during a war nowadays than in"the times of Nelson. Hut while tlie command of the sea trembles in the balance dangers threaten it. on every side.