THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 1913. PRIVATE PROPERTY AT SEA.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10713, 18 January 1913, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 1913. PRIVATE PROPERTY AT SEA.

Lord Avebury enters, in the December Nineteenth Century and After, a strong plea in favour of making private property at sea free from seizure in time of war. That the proposal to do so would be desirable in the general interests of mankind no one would, he believes, contest, and he further urges that it would'-really be to tbo interest of Great Britain to accept it. Great Britain has at all times a muclr larger amount of property afloat than any other nation, and her mercantile marino is greater than tha.t of all the European countries put together, its tonnage being over 12,000,000, while that of Germany is not 3,000,000. A substantial amount of foreign shipping also is insured in British insurance companies. A country like Germany could, in the event of war, secure her exports by sending them in neutral vessels, but Great Britain could not do so,- because there are not enough neutral vessels to carry her immense commerce. Her insular position also makes the question of imports one of vital importance to her. All her imports come by sea, whereas those of other countries come, to a great extent, by land. Her imports and raw materials therefore would be subject to war risk, which would raise thenprice, but not that of similar materials going to neutral countries. This would place her manufacturers at a great disadvantage. In the same way, food prices would be raised, to the great disadvantage of the country. Great Britain ha.s immense investments all over the world, and it is of great importance to her that private property in every land should 'not be subject to the terribierisks to which it is now exposed during a naval war. Two striking instances in point are quoted by Lord Avebury to illustrate his argument. During the Crimean war the British fleet wont to the Baltic and burnt a considerable quantity of Russian produce, Mcch of it, however, belongol t'j "Briti-sli meF-(-h':"its, and was insured in British fire offices'. Then } again, on account of the depredations of the Alabama, during the American Civil War. Great Britain paid £3,000,000 for the damage done to American shipping—that is to say. whipping under the American flag, but much of that shipping was insured in T'ngland. The company of which Lord Avebury was chainwm had to pay many thousands upon insurance claims, and then, m common with other taxpayers, was taxed to

pay the American (wHornm.-nt f'c.r Uu> injury done. to its propeity. I/Old Avobury also points out Unit Ger-

many's excuse for tin* sudden expan.sion of her navy i.s the de.-iiv to protect her commerce, and ho vi:g-

g(\sts that if private property ni se.i were declared free of capture, would at once bo willing to reduce her sen thus saving to lie, se'f and Great Britain many millions per year.