HC Deb 10 September 1914 vol 66 cc724-5

If His Majesty is pleased to confer jurisdiction in matters of prize on any of the following Courts, that is to say:—

  1. (a) His Britannic Majesty's Supreme Court for the Dominions of the Sublime Ottoman Porte in Egypt;
  2. (b) His Britannic Majesty's Court for Zanzibar in Zanzibar;
  3. (c) The Supreme Court of Cyprus in Cyprus;
the Court shall, in respect of the present War, have under the Naval Prize Courts Acts, 1864 to 1914, the jurisdiction thereby conferred on a Vice-Admiralty Prize Court, and those Acts and any Order in Council made thereunder shall apply accordingly, subject to such modifications (if any)as to His Majesty in Council may appear expedient or necessary.

Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Clause stand part of the Bill."

Mr. BOOTH

I understand that this Bill deals with certain places which do not come under the Colonial Office. Now it seems to me that the British settlement at Shanghai comes within that category, and I am somewhat surprised that all mention of it is omitted. Shanghai is a very important port in North China, and I should have thought it quite possible that prizes might be taken there.

Sir J. SIMON

The three places mentioned in this Bill are places which, for administrative convenience, are found to require, or may require, Prize Courts. I do not know that we shall need to use all three as such. According to the view of the Foreign Office and of the Admiralty, Shanghai is not a place which will require such a Court, because, in the event of prizes being captured in the China Sea, they can be taken to Hong Kong. We do not want to multiply the number of Prize Courts unnecessarily.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill reported without Amendment; read the third time, and passed.