Evening star., 1951-10-10

NOrCQ hOTed or OF Cne government
of the Peoples Republic of China.
or from anchoring in waters near
the said ports to unload or trans
ship goods Of any kind.
Vessels of the national mer-
chant marine shall be prohibited
from transporting war material
to the ports Of Hong Kong or
Macao: and also to any port
or area with respect to which there
are grounds for suspecting that
the war material will be trans
ferred there to vessels that will
transport such material to ports
and areas which Panamanian YES
sells may not enter in view of the
prohibitions herein contained"
Any vessels which violate the
bans shall lose their status of
vessels registered under the Pan
.amanian flag. and upon proof of
the violation their registry shall
Immediately be Cancelled"
State Department officials said
today that action Of one kind or
another had been taken against
% ships under this policy up to
September 27.
A typical case was that Of the
s. s. Atlantic Captain. American
representatives in Japan reported
on September 4 that this ship
was In Yokohama and intended
to sail to Dairen. a Manchcurian
port. The Panamanian govern
mment was advised. II sent in
structions back through the State
Department for the American
consular officer in Yokohama to
inform the captain of the ship
that its Panamanian registry
would be Cancelled. if it sailed to
"a Communist port. The ship
went somewhere else.
Drastic Action Taken.
The case of the S. S. Alma in
volved more dramatic action. The
State Department notified Pana-
ma early in July that the Alma
was loading cotton at Karachi,
Pakistan. destined for Hong Kong,
where the ship was expected to
get orders to proceed to Chinese
Communist port.
On instructions from the Pam
amanian government. the Amer
ican consular officer acting for
Panama at Karachi held up the
Alina's papers. But the ship
sailed without its papers. Panama
informed the State Department
that representatives Of the ship
owners in Panama were being
fined.
A couple Of days later the Alma
put back into Karachi and un-
loaded its cotton. The owners as
sured the Panamanian govern
ment the vessel would not try
again to go to a Communist port
during the emergency. Then its
registration papers were returned.
One apparent case Of defiance
involves the S. S. Macar. This
ship, American officials learned
late in July. was destined to sail
from Kobe. Japan. to Dairen in
ballast to pick UP a Communist
cargo. After being warned this
would cost its Panamanian regis
TRY, the vessels representatives
promised 1t would sail to India in
stead.
But after the Macar put to sea
her captain radioed that he had
received orders to 60 on to Dairen
That was the last heard from the
vessel so far. Whenever the
Macar shows up ct q port where
there Is an American or Pana-
|manian consul, its registration
papers will be taken up, unless the
captain can prove he hasn't been
to Dairen.
There also is an "alert" out for
the S. S. Talluei, reported to have
loaded manganese and rubber in
Portuguese Timor last month for
Macao and to have sailed before
the captain could be warned. The
Panamanian consul general at
Hong Kong is under instructions
to cancel the Talluei's registration
III it unloads the strategic mate
rials at Macao, from where such
things generally are transhipped
Ito Communist China.