Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 58 Part 2.djvu/287

 58 STAT.] GREAT BRITAIN-JURISDICTION OVER PRIZES -ctv 1942 1207 October 1 and Agreement between the United States of America and the United Kingdom November 3,1942 of Great Britain and Northern Ireland respecting jurisdiction over EA..3 prizes. Effected by exchange of notes signed at London October 1 and November 3, 1942. The American Embassy to the BritishForeign Office EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA London, October 1, 1942. MY DEAR WARD, With reference to your letter of March 18, 1942 [1] (No. W 2555/ 247/49), to Shantz concerning the proposed legislation to enlarge the jurisdiction of the United States Courts in certain cases of prize, I 56 Stat. 746. wish to inform you that Public Law 704-77th Congress, enacted to 5 U.S. C., Supp. facilitate the disposition of prizes captured by the United States dur- A,a.§ 821-28. ing the present war, and for other purposes, was approved on August 18, 1942. [2] A copy of the Act is enclosed. This Act, it will be noted, relates only to prizes captured during the present war. The special prize commissioners which the district courts of the United States are authorized to appoint may exercise abroad the duties which are prescribed by Law for such commissioners and such ad- ditional duties as the district courts may confer on them for carrying out the purposes of the Act. The duties of prize commissioners are set out in Title 34 U.S.C. Section 1138 which reads as follows: "§ 1138. Duties of prize commissioners. The prize commis- sioners, or one of them, shall receive from the prize master the documents and papers, and inventory thereof, and shall take the affidavit of the prize master required by section 1134 of this title, and shall forthwith take the testimony of the witnesses sent in, separate from each other, on interrogatories prescribed by the court, in the manner usual in prize courts; and the witnesses shall not be permitted to see the interrogatories, documents, or papers, or to consult with counsel, or with any persons interested without special authority from the court; and witnesses who have the rights of neutrals shall be discharged as soon as practicable. The prize commissioners shall also take depositions de bene esse of the prize crew and others, at the request of the district attorney, on interrogatories prescribed by the court. They shall also, as soon as any prize property comes within the district for adjudica- tion, examine the same, and make an inventory thereof, founded [Not printed.] ' [See also proclamation of January 30, 1943 (57 Stat. 729).]

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