DELAYS MINIMISED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20095, 15 November 1939, Page 7

DELAYS MINIMISED

CONTRABAND CONTROL SEIZURE OF FOODSTUFFS (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 9 a.m. RUGBY, Nov. 13. Delay to ships at the British contraband control bases is steadily decreasing. Naturally there are now fewer ships carrying cargoes loaded before the war. and shipping of all kinds is responding to the advice to send advance manifests to the Ministry of Economic Warfare.

Where this procedure is followed, it is only necessary to check the cargo against the manifest and often the delay is no longer than one day.

The difference between absolute and conditional control has almost disappeared, because a great many materials can be used either for military or civil purposes at option. For instance, during the last war, when milk was scarcely interfered with in Britain, German children were deprived of milk in order to provide the German Army with nitro-glycerine.

Until the end of October, only 16.8 per cent of the seized cargoes was foodstuffs, consisting mainly of fats and other edibles which are easily convertible into specifically military materials. The ultimate decision Whether a cargo is contraband rests with the Prize Court, which is not subject to executive control but administers well-known rules of international law.

Holland and Belgium suffered acutely from shipping delays in the early days of the war because their seaports were the natural gateways to Germany. But the delay is now very considerably less.