CUSTOMS (WAR POWERS) RILL. (Hansard, 15 March 1915)

§ THE PAYMASTER-GENERAL (LORD STRACHIE)

My Lords, this is a war emergency Bill. It is proposed that it should only remain in force, if your Lordships see fit to pass it, during the continuation of the war, and ipso facto it will come to an end at the conclusion of the war. An Inter-Departmental Conference sat to consider the question of trading with the enemy, and it was in consequence of the recommendations made by that Conference that this Bill is introduced. Although the Customs have great powers at the present moment to deal with goods which are exported from this country, yet there are small powers to deal with stores, and no notice is required to be given to the Customs in regard to stores being put on a vessel, for what purpose they are to be used, or their destination. Therefore we take power under this Bill to require that during the war the Customs shall have the same power as regards stores just as much as over goods. I can give your Lordships an instance of the necessity for this provision from the fact that not so long ago a ship was going from Swansea to Havre, and it took in stores at Swansea to the amount of 400 gallons of petrol notwithstanding that it was not a motor-boat and there was no reason to suppose that it would require petrol to that amount for any purpose. She was a neutral; it was known that in the direction in which she was going there were enemy ships which, might be supplied by that ship; yet there was no power for the Customs to interfere and prohibit her taking 400 gallons of petrol for a voyage from Swansea to Havre.

There is also a provision imposing a penalty upon coasting vessels leaving a port without proper clearance notice. That is also considered by the Customs to be important. Then there is another power which the Admiralty desire the Customs to have. Under an Order in Council while there is power for the Customs to prohibit neutral ships from conveying goods on bills of lading made out to order only, without any name of consignee, there is no power at the present moment for the Customs to apply a similar treatment to 743 British ships. It is thought that it would be only fair to neutral countries that we should have power, if we think fit, to make this provision applicable to British ships as well. There is another important provision. Under this Bill the Customs may call upon any exporter to prove that goods that had been sent out to a neutral country had not reached the enemy, or at any rate had not reached the enemy with his connivance or consent. There is also power for the Customs to detain any suspected goods; and the last provision in the Bill gives power to seize all goods suspected as coming from the enemies' countries. I think that your Lordships will see that this Bill is one of great importance, and that it is desirable to pass it at the earliest possible moment. Therefore I hope your Lordships will allow me not only to take the Second Reading to-day but to pass it through all its subsequent stages.

§ THE EARL OF SELBORNE

My Lords, the noble Lord who has introduced this Bill repeated the story which the Attorney-General told the House of Commons the other day. I must say it is the most extraordinary confession which has ever been put by a Government before a nation at a time of crisis. What is the confession? It is that because the law was too weak a neutral vessel was allowed only two or three weeks ago to leave Swansea loaded with petrol which was known to be destined for German submarines that were hovering in the Channel. I do not care what the state of the law was. At the very worst the Government could have had an Act of Indemnity for stopping that petrol. Considering that Parliament has given the Government every power for which they have asked, I think it is an extraordinary thing that the Custom House authorities and the Admiralty between them, whatever the state of the law, should have allowed such a ship to leave our ports with such a cargo.