Declaration of London. (Hansard, 5 December 1911)

§ Mr. HUNT
asked whether, if the Declaration of London is ratified, neutral vessels carrying food stuffs to Bristol, Liverpool and Glasgow will not be liable to be captured or sunk when this country is at war?

§ Mr. ACLAND
Under the Declaration of London, neutral vessels will not be liable to capture, in a war in which Great Britain is a belligerent, merely on the ground that they are carrying food stuffs to the particular ports named, unless these are at the time used as a base by the British forces, in which case the cargo would be presumed to be destined for those forces, unless proof to the contrary was forthcoming.

§ Mr. HUNT
May I ask the hon. Gentleman how he can expect a nation will keep 1204 an indefinite treaty during war when the Americans will not keep a definite treaty during peace?

§ Mr. SPEAKER
Order, order. How can the hon. Gentleman be expected to answer that question?

§ Mr. HUNT
He cannot answer it, I know.

§ Mr. ASHLEY
But surely these three ports will be used as bases?

§ Mr. ACLAND
That is a matter of opinion. It is one which will be decided when the time comes. We cannot be expected to answer the question now.

§ Mr. HUNT
Is the starvation of this country to be treated merely as a question of opinion?

§ Mr. SPEAKER
Order, order. That is not a matter to be dealt with by means of question and answer.

§ Mr. EYRES-MONSELL
I desire to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty a question of which I have given him private notice, namely, whether he has consulted the new Board of Admiralty as to the advisability of ratifying the Declaration of London, and, if so, what opinion they have expressed; and, if not, whether, before proceeding further with the Naval Prize Bill, and in view of its close connection with the Declaration of London, he will take steps to ascertain the views of the now Board of Admiralty as to the effect of the Declaration on our position both as belligerents and neutrals?

§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the ADMIRALTY (Dr. Macnamara)
My right hon. Friend the First Lord has asked me to say that, as has been repeatedly stated by his predecessor in this House, the Admiralty were represented at the International Naval Conference which led to the Declaration of London, and its provisions were submitted to and approved by the Board of Admiralty at the time. Further, as stated by the Prime Minister in June last, the Declaration has been approved by His Majesty's Government after the fullest examination.

§ Mr. GRETTON
May I ask the right hon. Gentleman if he is aware that on 14th February last the late First Lord stated that the question of the Declaration of London had not been before the Board of Admiralty, but that he must assume it had been approved because the Admiralty was represented at the Conference?

§ Dr. MACNAMARA
What did happen was this. On 28th June, in reply to the hon. and learned Member for York (Mr. Butcher), who asked whether the Board of Admiralty was consulted as to the Declaration of London before it was signed, the First Lord of the Admiralty (then Mr. McKenna) replied:— Yes, Sir; the Board of Admiralty decided in support of the Declaration of London, and it has been stated so repeatedly. The hon. Member for York then asked:— Was the First Sea Lord asked to give his opinion? and the answer was, Yes, Sir.

§ Mr. EYRES-MONSELL
Will the right hon. Gentleman answer my question: has the new Board of Admiralty been consulted?

§ Dr. MACNAMARA
I can say on behalf of my right hon. Friend that in his view no useful purpose whatever would be served by submitting (this matter to the new Board, which, as a matter of fact, was only read in this very day.

§ Mr. BUTCHER
Suppose it should turn out that the new Board was entirely opposed to the Declaration of London?

§ Mr. SPEAKER
That is a hypothetical question.

§ Mr. GRETTON
Are we to understand that the approval of the Board, which is announced as having been stated to the House on the 28th June last, was in the sense of the answer to a question on the 21st February, in which the First Lord stated that any matter submitted to him by a member of the Board, and receiving his approval, had the approval of the Board of Admiralty?

§ Dr. MACNAMARA
The answer is that the Board of Admiralty decided in support of the Declaration of London. This has been stated repeatedly.

§ Colonel HICKMAN
Is the House to understand that the Admiralty have not consulted the new Board and have no intention of doing so?

§ Dr. MACNAMARA
The new Board of Admiralty was only read in this very day, and in the opinion of the First Lord no useful purpose would be served by consulting it.

Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTT
Does the right hon. Gentleman intend to consult the new Board as to the tactics of the battle of Trafalgar?

§ Mr. BUTCHER
Are we to understand that the Government finally decline to consult the new Board on a matter vital to our interests at sea?

§ Mr. SPEAKER
The right hon. Gentleman has already said so twice.