§ 5. Captain WEDGWOOD BENNasked the President of the Board of Trade why a differentiation is made between compensation to the owners of vessels and the members of the crew in cases where the vessels were seized by the German Government on the outbreak of war?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERThe economic clauses of the Treaty of Versailles, which enable individuals to claim compensation from the German Government relate only to certain classes of damage to property, and the Mixed Arbitral Tribunals have repeatedly held that injury to the person, whether arising from internment or otherwise, will not support claims under these clauses. Payments in respect of such claims have been made in accordance with the recommendations of the Royal Commission out of the funds provided by Parliament. Claims arising from acts committed by the German Government or German authorities between the 31st July, 1914, and the outbreak of the War, which include the claims by seamen referred to in my reply to the hon. and gallant Member for Pontefract on the 17th instant, are expressly provided for under the economic clauses of the Treaty, and have been submitted to an arbitrator appointed ad 1119 hoc. Similar principles to those stated above regarding damage to property and injury to the person have been applied by such arbitrator in the assessment of these claims.
§ Captain BENNDoes the right hon. Gentleman's answer mean, in short, that it is much easier to get compensation for loss of property than it is for seamen to get compensation for the damage they have suffered?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERHad I given a short answer I could not have supplied the information for which the hon. and gallant Gentleman asked. The answer means that we are carrying out. as we are bound to do, the terms of the Treaty.
§ Captain BENNThat means that the seamen come second to the owners of ships.
§ 59. Mr. A. V. ALEXANDERasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in connection with payment by Germany of property rights and interest claims, a large sum has accrued, or will accrue, to the Treasury in connection with shipping losses and loss of shipping profits; what is the Government estimate of sums received under this head; and whether he is prepared to allocate from the receipts in question an additional sum from which further payments can be made to seamen whose claims for damage by enemy action have not yet been satisfactorily met?
§ The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER (Mr. Churchill)In certain cases the Anglo-German Mixed Arbitral Tribunal has awarded compensation under Article 297 (e) of the Treaty of Versailles to owners of ships detained by the German Government at the outbreak of war. These ships having been insured under the War Risks Insurance scheme, part of the awards received have accrued to His Majesty's Government, which participated to the extent of 80 per cent. in war risks insurance. No close estimate can yet be made of the amount of such receipts, but they will be in the neighbourhood of £500,000. Such receipts are payable to the Exchequer as Vote of Credit assets, and are not available for payments in respect of claims for damage by enemy action. Moreover, as has been 1120 repeatedly stated, the amounts already allocated from the Exchequer to the latter claims must be regarded as final.
§ Mr. ALEXANDERIs it a fact that large sums have accrued to the Treasury in connection with shipping losses and loss of shipping profits, and that there is therefore a case for asking for further grants for people who have suffered from enemy damage?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI am afraid that it is quite impossible again to go into the question of enemy damage.