THE ZAMBESI CASE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2334, 16 December 1914, Page 6

THE ZAMBESI CASE

A NAURA ISLAND CAPTURE (Rec. December 15, 9.50 p.m) ™ _ . Sydney, December Iβ. i.ne rnze Oouit it, hearing an apnlilcation from the Commonwealth Goveniflient to Lave tho ship Zambesi and her cargo—captured by the waiship Entountor oif Rabaul-declared to be a lawful pnze. Tho petitioner , !, claim sets out: That tho Zambesi wee a British-own-fcd vessel, under charter to tho PaciGc x'flosphate Company; That on August G the master of the Iship received thiough tho agents for the ■company, and on behalf of tho Kaiser, (orders to-proceed from Naura Island to tttabaul with the agent, of tho Kaiser r jwho was carrying important telegrams In, relation to the war), and on arrival ■at Rabaul to hold himself and hie ship tot the disposal of tho German GovernWent. Respondent's case declared that at the time of the departure from UNaiira, the agent of the charterers of the Zambesi and her captain wore not 1 (aware that war existed between Britain and Germany. The captain or the Zambesi an his Sovidence said that ho was unaware of the war until the officers of the Enfcomiter, came on'board. including that of the JBs-German officials at Naura, supportled this. At tho time of the capture, tho German agent aboard gave ono of the Zambesi's crew a bundle- of telegrams to throw overboard. Instead, they were handed to ono of the Encounter's offiicers. The case is proceeding.