Evening star., 1939-11-24
j. ). Not Guaranteed
Free Ship Passage
By British Patrols
Lord Lothian Says
Nuvicert Plan Would
Aid Exports, However
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Lord Lothian the British Ambas-
sador, said today that Great Brit
aims navicert system, designed to
expedite shipment of American
goods to neutrals, would not guaran-
tee free passage of American vessels
by British contraband patrols, but
would definitely facilitate such pas
sage"
The British Ambassador, talking
with reporters in his Office at the
embassy, asserted that the "navicert
system is again being introduced to
ease neutral commerce by facilitat-
ing the exercise of the belligerent
rights of the allies"
Lord Lothian said the system,
used during the World War, was
due to the perspicacity of an Amer
ican," Robert P. Skinner, former
American Consul General in Lon
don.
Mr.. Skinner, the Ambassador
related, pointed out that exporters
wished to know beforehand whether
there was at the time of shipment
any objection on the part of the
f. allied contraband control to any
particular consignment of goods"
while the navicert does not
guarantee free passage through the
contraband control" Lord Lothian
said, sit will definitely facilitate
such passage"
Embassy officials predicted that
exporters would make extensive use
OF the system.
A navicert is a certificate issued by
a British consular Office showing
that shipment from this country
to a European neutral is not objec-
tionable to the British government.
The certificates can be shown by
shlpmaSters to British contraband
patrols and examination of the af-
fected cargo thus will be unneces-
sary.
The only real difference between a
"navicert" and naval certificate"
Is that the first counts as one word
in transatlantic cable and the
second counts as two Officials said
the word is pronounced "navy-cert."
Instituted in 1916.
Embassy authorities said that
when the system originally was in
stituted during the World War in
1916, only 40 to so per cent of car
goes were covered by navicerts.
After few months, they added, ex-
porters were obtaining the docu-
ments for 95 per cent of all ship
ments to neutrals.
These officials said American ex-
porters, particularly those dealing in
cotton, had urged re-establishment
of the navicert system when the
present European war broke out.
The documents will cost less than
$40 a shipment, it was explained,
and the fee imposed will be suff-
cient to pay only the cost of cable
communications involved. In most
cases, cabled authority will have to
be obtained from London for issu-
ance of navicerts.
The application form requires
such information as the name of the
exporter and the consignee, the ma
ture, date and quantity of the ship
ment and the nationality of the YES
sci carrying it. .a
Subject to Seizure.
Embassy authorities emphasized
that any portion of a cargo not cov-
cred by navicerts would be subject
to seizure or examination by con-
traband patrols. They said it would
be impossible for a shipmaster to
obtain navicerts covering an entire
cargo, but that shipping companies
might refuse to accept shipments
without the certificates. This was
the practice of some companies dur
ing the World War, they declared.
The navicert system, effective De-
cember l, will apply on American
shipments to Italy, Belgium, the
Netherlands, Denmark, Estonia, Fin
land, Iceland, Latvia, Norway and
Sweden.