Extensive Wrongful Exports Are Suspected

Chronicle (Levin), 22 January 1949, Page 4

Extensive Wrongful Exports Are Suspected

1 Press Association) ..

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AUCKLAND, Jan. "21. A few minutes after he had reeeived • a letter this afternoon from the Aeting Collector of Customs (Mr. T. Mitehell) euggesting- that he uiiload his eargo for examination, Captain F. Vraukovie, master of the Partizauka, .was interviewed iu his cabin. He produced the letter frhich was as foiiows: — 1 ' It appears that some paekages shipped on board the Partizanka have been shipped eontrary to the Export Prohibition Emergeney Regulations 1939 in that they contain goods other than those by whieh the preseribed permits were granted. The amount and t}rpes of goods wrongly included in the paekages cannot be ascertained without full inspection, but a partial inspeetion already carried out shows that the • wrongf ul shipments are likely . to oe ■ very snbstantial. "I have, therefore, to inform you," continued Mr. Mitchel's letter "that: (1) The ship's elearance cannot be granted until I am, satisfied that no goods for -whieh permits have not been granted are included in paekages; (2) the most eonvenient plan would be' for yo-u to unload for examination all pack ages subjeet to the above-mentioned permits; (3) if yov then care to sail there would be no objeetion to the elearance of the ship; and (4) on the ' other hand after examination of the suspeeted paekages' and the abstraetion of the artieles -included, the remainder rnay be reloaded and a elearance given. ' ' "The Customs Department suggested that I unload with mjr own men — Yugoslav men — but I rejected that," said Captain Vrankovie. He- did not vvish to go against his own people. He - told the Customs officers that they were free to do what they wanted. Asked it he would mind if New Zealand labour unloaded the eargo, Captain Vrankovie said he would not objeet. He added that if New Zealanders have the heart to take the stuff let them! Later in the day Captain Vrankovie vvrote the following letter to Mr. Mitehell: "It is impossible for us to take part in the unloading of gift paekages ■ from our ship since (Ij we do not intend to do anything against Yugoslav people living in this eountry; (2) we do not eonsider ourselves -responsible at all in this miserable affair; (3) with regard to this matter we are ' a.vvaiting instructions from the Yugoslav G.overnment. . Meanwhile we will not interfere or hinder you in any operation you may intend to carrv out on this ship, but we eonsider you responsible for all the material consequenees. " Captain Vrankovie said this afternoon iliat during the morning he' senf a telegram to the Aeting Prime ffinister (Mr. Nash), and included^ a eopy of it in the cablegram whieh h'e sent to the Yugoslav Grovernment in Belgrade. The cablegratu was as follows: — "We se'nt today to the Aeting Prime Minister in Wellington the f-ollowing telegh-am: 'We draw attention to the fact that having pass'ed through all the necessary Customs formalities and having regular permission for loading gift 'parcels, tho departure of this ship has been indefinitely postponed bv the Customs authorfties with the motivation that parcels contain foodstuffs. Deeply disappointed we protest against this aet which is evidently the resuit of unhealthy pro pagamla and is against the interests ot this ship and . friendly Yugo,slav-New Zealand relations. Not forgetting humanitarian reasons we beg you to solve this question as soon as possible, thereby avoiding unnecessary consequenees. We protest on behalf of the Yugoslav Government. — Master Partizanka.' In eonneetion with the above we are'waiting full instructions."