BRITISH ORDER IN COUNCIL under "The Military Service (Conventions with Allied States) Act, 1917," signifying that a Convention, dated August 8, 1918, has been made with Greece.-London, September 27, 1918.* At the Court at Buckingham Palace, the 27th day of PRESENT: THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY IN COUNCIL. WHEREAS by "The Military Service (Conventions with Allied States) Act, 1917," it is provided that His Majesty may by Order in Council, signifying that a Convention or Agreement has been made with a country allied to or otherwise acting in naval or military co-operation with His Majesty in the present war (hereinafter referred to as an allied country) which imposes a mutual liability to military service. on British subjects in that country and subjects of that country in the United Kingdom, direct that the said Act shall have effect with respect to that allied country and the subjects of that allied country, but that no such Order in Council shall be made unless the following conditions are fulfilled, that is to say: (a.) Unless the Convention or Agreement secures to His Majesty's Ambassador or other public Minister in the allied country power to grant to British subjects in that country exemption from military service; (b.) Unless the Convention or Agreement contains provisions to the effect that British subjects in the allied country and subjects of the allied country in the United Kingdom shall before being liable to military service have an opportunity if they make application for the purpose of returning to the United Kingdom or the allied country as the case may be; and it is further provided that no such Order in Council shall be made until the expiration of 30 days from the date on which the Convention or Agreement is laid before Parliament, And whereas an agreement dated the 8th day of August, 1918, has been concluded between His Majesty's Government and the Government of His Majesty the King of the Hellenes respecting the liability to military service of British subjects in Greece and Greek subjects in Great Britain or, in the event of "The Military Service Acts, 1916 to 1918," being extended to Ireland, in the United Kingdom; "London Gazette," September 27, 1918. + Page 44. Page 310. And whereas a period of 30 days from the date on which the said Agreement was laid before Parliament has elapsed: Now, therefore, His Majesty is pleased, by and with the advice of his Privy Council, to signify, and it is hereby signified, that such an agreement as is mentioned in the said Act has been made with Greece, and His Majesty is further pleased, by and with the like advice, to direct, and it is hereby directed, that the said Act shall have effect with respect to Greece and Greek subjects. ALMERIC FITZROY. BRITISH NOTIFICATION relative to the Decision of the Ottoman Council of Ministers respecting the Treatment of Enemy Property in Turkey.-London, September 30, 1918.* Foreign Office, September 30, 1918. HIS MAJESTY's Minister at The Hague has received from the Netherlands Minister (British Section) at Constantinople the following communication, dated the 17th August, 1918, notifying the decision of the Ottoman Council of Ministers published on the 8th ultimo, respecting the treatment of enemy property in Turkey: "La Légation Royale des Pays-Bas à Constantinople présente ses compliments à la Légation de Sa Majesté britannique à La Haye et a l'honneur de lui faire la communication suivante: Une récente décision du Conseil des Ministres ottoman, rendue publique le 9 août courant, porte que le Ministère des Finances doit assurer à l'avenir la gestion des biens immeubles appartenant à des belligérants absents et actuellement gérés par des tiers. Un délai de dix jours est accordé à tous ceux qui gèrent, d'une manière officielle ou non, lesdits immeubles pour se présenter à la Direction des Domaines aux fins d'y faire connaître la date à laquelle leur gestion a commencé et les conditions dans lesquelles elle s'est effectuée. Passé ce délai, l'Administration du Fisc prendra en mains la gestion des biens susmentionnés. "La Légation Royale des Pays-Bas n'a pas manqué d'établir, par des preuves juridiques, dans un mémorandum laissé au Ministre Impérial des Affaires Etrangères qu'une simple décision ministérielle, qui touche à des droits privés, n'a pas force de loi et n'est pas exécutoire. La Légation Royale a ajouté qu'elle se trouverait dans la nécessité de "London Gazette," October 4, 1918. protester, si, en vertu d'un pareil arrêté, il était procédé à des mesures d'exécution contre l'un quelconque de ses ressortissants. "Autant qu'on en puisse juger sur la foi des renseignements obtenus et par l'interprétation du communiqué officiel d'une obscurité probablement voulue, inséré dans les journaux de Constantinople, la décision en question ne concerne que les immeubles gérés par des tiers non munis de procuration en règle de leurs commettants. Aussi serait-il désirable que le Gouvernement britannique recommandât par toutes voies dont il dispose aux sujets britanniques propriétaires d'immeubles en Turquie et absents de ce pays de faire parvenir à leurs mandataires des procurations en bonne et due forme. "Les mandataires devront être, de préférence, des sujets ottomans ou neutres et il est indispensable que les procurations soient légalisées par les autorités chargées de la protection des Ottomans en Angleterre. "A toutes fins utiles, la Légation Royale peut indiquer ci-après et sous toutes les réserves d'usage le nom d'une personne de cette ville qui serait disposée à se charger des intérêts des propriétaires d'immeubles en leur absence: M. Emile Phatséa, Agence immobilière et commerciale, Arslan Han, Galata. "Une découpure du journal quotidien ottoman le 'Hilal' du 9 courant est annexée à la présente note." BRITISH NOTIFICATION of the Denunciation by France of Anglo-French Commercial Conventions, and of the Stipulations (Article XXVI) of the FrancoEgyptian Commercial Convention, November 26, 1902, assuring Most-favoured-nation Treatment in respect of the Importation of Goods.-London, October 12, 1918.* Foreign Office, October 12, 1918. His Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs has received from the French Ambassador in London a communication, dated the 10th September, 1918, giving notice of denunciation by the French Government, as from that date, of the following Commercial Conventions between France and the United Kingdom, which provide respectively for termination a year after notice of denunciation shall have been given by either of the High Contracting Parties: 1. Convention of Commerce and and Navigation, with Additional Articles, January 26, 1826.* 2. Convention respecting Commercial, Industrial and Financial Companies, April 30, 1862.† 3. Convention respecting Commercial and Maritime Relations, February 28, 1882.‡ 4. Convention respecting Commercial Relations between France and the Seychelles Islands, April 16, 1902. § 5. Convention respecting Commercial Relations between France and Jamaica, August 8, 1902.|| 6. Convention respecting Commercial Relations between France and India, February 19, 1903.¶ 7. Convention respecting Commercial Relations between France and Ceylon, February 19, 1903.** 8. Convention respecting Commercial Relations between France and the British Protectorates of East Africa, Central Africa and Uganda, February 23, 1903.†† 9. Convention respecting Commercial Relations between France and Barbados, January 9, 1907.‡‡ 10. Convention respecting Commercial Relations between France and Canada, September 19, 1907, §§ and Supplementary Convention, January 23, 1909. || || Also 11. Stipulations of the Convention of Commerce and Navigation between France and Egypt, November 26, 1902¶¶ (Article XXVI), in virtue of which reciprocal most-favourednation treatment is assured in respect of the importation of the goods of the two countries. In giving notice of the denunciation of the above Conventions, the French Government have intimated their readiness to come to an arrangement whereby the various Conventions will remain in operation even after the period of denunciation has expired, subject to three months' notice on either side. This proposal is still under consideration. * Vol. XIII, page 3. + Vol. LII, page 31. CIRCULAR DESPATCH addressed to British Circular Despatch to His Majesty's Representatives in Allied and Neutral Countries. Sir, Foreign Office, November 11, 1918. I TRANSMIT to you herewith copy of despatches addressed respectively to His Majesty's Ambassador at Madrid and His Majesty's Minister at The Hague containing proof of the responsibility of enemy, namely, German, submarines for attacks made on four British hospital ships in the course of the present year, and instructing them to request the Spanish and Netherlands Governments respectively to convey or renew, as the case might be, to the German Government the strongest protest from His Majesty's Government against these inhuman, illegal, and faithless deeds. 2. I request that you will communicate a copy of the enclosed papers to the Government to which you are accredited, and will draw their earnest attention to their contents. You should at the same time furnish them with the enclosed copy of a Parliamentary Papert containing the reply of His Majesty's Government to the assertions made by the German Government last year as to the supposed misuse of British hospital ships, and should state that the German Government have not made any rejoinder, nor ventured, so far as His Majesty's Government are aware, openly to repeat their false accusations. I am, &c. ARTHUR JAMES BALFOUR. Sir, (Enclosure 1.)-Mr. Balfour to Sir A. Hardinge. Foreign Office, November 2, 1918. IN your despatch of the 2nd June. last your Excellency forwarded a copy of a note from the Spanish Government covering copies of notes which had been addressed to the Spanish Ambassador at Berlin by the Parliamentary Paper "Miscellaneous, No. 26 (1918)." |