On this section, who is supposed to be notified in the event of a ship registered in any country, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, being detained? It is necessary under Section 63 to notify the consul of the State——
Merchant Shipping (Safety and Loadline Conventions) Bill, 1933—Committee Stage.
Sections 1 to 62 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Question proposed: "That Section 63 stand part of the Bill."
To which the ship belongs.
Yes, in the case of the ship belonging to a foreign State. Is there any necessity to notify anybody, if it is a ship registered in a Commonwealth State? Suppose you detain a Canadian ship or an Australian ship, is it necessary to notify the High Commissioner or somebody who would correspond to a foreign consul?
There would be notification given to the Superintendent of the Mercantile Marine in that particular country.
By wire or is there any express procedure for doing so? I take it the purpose of notifying the consul is to place him au fait with what you are doing, to regularise the position, and that, of course, can be done by sending a messenger round to the consular office in the city. But no such office exists for a nation of the Commonwealth in the city. There is no Superintendent of the Mercantile Marine for Australia in the City of Dublin.
There is a Superintendent of the Mercantile Marine.
Not representing Australia particularly?
No.
Perhaps the Minister is not au fait with the procedure, in the event of a Commonwealth ship being detained, as to what he is to do.
Presumably he will notify the nearest representative of the people concerned.
Would you notify the High Commissioner in London then?
Section put and agreed to.
Remaining sections, the schedules, and Title agreed to.
Bill reported without amendment; Report Stage to be taken to-morrow.