On Wednesday the Commons discussed the ratification of the Declaration
of London, the chief questions raised being the conversion of merchant ships, the security of our food supply, and the right of sinking neutral ships. Mr. McKinnon Wood. opened the debate by moving the second reading of the Naval Prize Bill. Mr. Butcher moved as an amendment that before an International Prize Court were established to administer the law embodied in the Declaration, the whole question should be referred to a commission of experts. Mr. McKenna said that the Navy was strong enough absolutely to guarantee the security of our food supply. The conversion of merchant ships was not mentioned in the Declaration, and the British Government would not be bound in any way to grant belligerent rights to merchant ships which were converted into ships of war on the high seas. Only one- tenth of our food supply at most came in non-British vessels, and, in his opinion, even neutral vessels would be safeguarded more effectively than before by the Declaration. Naval criticism generally on the Declaration was not likely to be well-informed, but the Admiralty experts supported the Declaration. Four or five ex-Directors of Naval Intelligence were in favour of it; so was the Board of Admiralty ; and so were Lord Fisher and Sir Arthur Wilson.
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