SUNKEY BRITISH STEAMER

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13768, 5 June 1908, Page 5

SUNKEY BRITISH STEAMER

KNIGHT COMMANDER CASE

By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copyright.

London', June '■'>. In the House of Commons to-day, Sir Edward Grey (Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs), informed Mr. T. Hart-Davies that Russia had declined arbitration in connection with the case of the steamer Knight: Commander, sunk by a Russian cruiser during the Russo-Japanese war.

Sir Edward added that lie was now considering what steps he would take in the matter. \

The Knight Commander was a British merchant steamer that was sunk by a Russian cruiser when only 70 miles, from Yokohama. She had sailed from New York, but was carrying British goods, mostly railway materia] and machinery, and these were pronounced by the Russian commander to be contraband of war. He therefore took her officers and crew on board his own. cruiser, and then sank the merchantman. Several other vessel* met with a similar fate, for some of which Russia lias paid compensation. Last month the Supreme Prize Court at St. Petersburg allowed a claim for payment of £131,400 compensation for the sinking of the British steamer Ikhona by the Russian cruiser Terek during the war. The Supreme Court ruled that while the Terek was justified in stopping the Ikhona, 6he ought to liave allowed the British steamer - to proceed when it was ascertained that she was not conveying any contraband of war.