Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-01
NATIONS DISCUSS
RIGHTS ON OCEAN
PRIVATE PROPERTY SAFE AT
SEA
Countries Without Strong Navies Offer
objection, Thinking Their System
= of Prlvateerins an Effect
I've Weapon
By Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
THE HAGUE, June 30.-Profting by
the holiday, the leading plenipotentia'
ries met privately today to exchange
views on the principal questions be-
fore the peace conference. Joseph n
Choate and General Horace Porter
conversed at length with Sir EoWarc
Fry and Sir Ernest Satow OF the Brlt'
ish delegation. Prof. de Martens o.
Russia, Count Torneln OF Italy anu ~
Krieger of Germany, while William l.
Buchanan, who was the chairman OF
the American delegation which at
tended the Pan-American congress
discussed affairs with several OF the
South American delegates.
Some opposition seems to be raised
against the proposition of the inv1ola-
bility of private property at sea py
several Latin-American countries
which having no merchant marine
think that the abolition of the right OF
capture and of privateering will de-
Drive them of a weapon dreaded Dy
their enemies. The whole triple alli-
ance, however, strongly support this
proposition. Indeed, among the num-
erous secret documents distributed TO-
day in sealed envelopes to the dele
pafes are definite declarations to thai
effect.
The Austrian delegation issued the
following declaration:
1.-THE inviolability of private prop
erty at sea having been the object OF
many serious works and JudlclaI
studies is now so generally acknowl-
edged that a new discussion of this
principle is merely a recapitulation
more or less identical with those ut
tered many times by the most COM
petent and erudite scholars. Austria
taking into account private interests
and the essentially humanitarian OBJ
ject of this principle adopted 1t long
ago. 1t therefore wishes to state thai
it will follow the most liberal point OF
view regarding the capture and con-
fiscation of merchantmen"
Italy makes the following statement:
ITALY, being among the signatorJ
powers of the declaration of Paris
March 80, 1856, regarding the abolition
of privateering, strongly adheres to the
doctrine so tenaciously supported by
the United States. In the conference
of 1899 Italy stated her position, but as
the present conference might not be
in a position to take a decision COM
pletely favorable to the inviolability o.
private property at sea, the Italiar
delegation expresses it's desire thai
the middle course propositions be pre-
sented and discussed"
Germany Favorable
Baron Marshal Won Bieberstein, head
of the German delegation, stated to the
Associated Press that Germany's atti-
tude in this matter was entirely favor
able.
The other American propositions, the
collection of pecuniary debts without
the employment of force, Is gaining
favor 1t will be discussed on Tues.
day.
General Porter will explain it's true
scope but 1t is understood that some
amendments will be proposed.
Furthermore, the Amerit N delega
tion, among various suggestions tt
strengthen the court cf arbitration al
the Hague, is credited with the inten-
tion of proposing that the permanent
arbiters here be judges instead of diplo-
matists.
The idea that the peace conference be
held at fixed periods finds opposition
especially from some of the leading
powers, who are of the opinion that i
will be impossible to pre-arrange the
meetings of the conference, which
would be unable to assemble and worl
. = ftably under certain circumstances
as for instance during war.
From the documents which we're dis
tributed today it appears that tn,
powers are determined to take this op
portunlty of settling the question O
the Transformation of merchantmen in
to warships, in order to avoid a repeti
tion of incidents such as that of the
seizure of the steamship Malacia by
the Russians in the Russo-Japanest
war, which resulted solely from want
of international agreement.
The Russians, evidently remembering
their later experiences. wish to define
a warship as ''any vessel commanded
by naval officer with crew subject
to the military CODE"
The Russian statement with regarG
to a warship further says:
such a vessel must fly war f1ag
by order of its government, which ap-
plies for the moment of the issue OF
such an order, and the vessel must bt
inscribed in the list Of warshlps in thai
country
The British definition is more pre-.
else and is likely to be supported by
the United States, Germany and Italy
The Japanese proposition confines the
transformation of merchantmen int
warships "to national ports, terrltoria
waters or ports and territorial waters
occupied by state wishing. to effect
such transformation"
The italian proposal follows:
Merchantmen can only be trans
formed on conditions of their being
placed under naval officer and fur
nished with a crew subject to military
discipline. Merchantmen leaving the
territorial waters of their own country
after the opening of hostilities canno
change their character on the open sec
or the waters of another state"
The Dutch government proposes thai
transformed merchantmen must bt
commanded by naval officers and must
f1y flag at the stern and masthead
FT4f-.
in a national port where they must be
provided with a commission furnished
by competent authority.
Baron Won Bieberstein returned to.
night from Baden Baden without hav.
ing seen the emperor.