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Show UNITED STATES ACTIONAWAITEB Little Ground for Protest on Sinking of the Steamship Lanao. REGISTRY QUESTION Vessel Had Been Sold But Actual Ac-tual Transfer to New Owners Own-ers Not Recorded. Washington, Nov. 7. In the absence today of Secretary Lansing and other high officials of the state department, the course of the United States In dealing with the case of the steamer Lanao sunk by a submarine October 28 off the Portuguese coast was un-dertermined. un-dertermined. The department was without official advices from consular or diplomatic officers on details of the sinking. On the strength of press despatches des-patches officials here were inclined to believe that there is but little ground for an American protest since tho ship carried contraband and was warned and her crew transferred without accident. The question of her registry apparently appar-ently is the only troublesome factor. Despite the declaration of her American Ameri-can captain that she was under American, registry and flew the American Ameri-can flag when sunk, the official view at the department of the commerce which handles changes of registry, was that the Lanac had been Bold by the Findlay Miller Steamship company com-pany of Manila to Hans Hannevrg of Christianla, Norway, and that while actual transfer to her new owners had not been made, the sale had gone far enough legally to tako her from under the protection of the American flag. Entitled to Fly American Flag. Cardiff, Wales, Nov. 7. Captain Mainland said it had been a moot question for a long time whether vessels ves-sels under Philippine registry were entitled to fly the American flag, adding: add-ing: "Many owners of such vessels have been fined by the United States government gov-ernment for flying the American flag, but a recent decision gave them tho right to do so." The captain saved the ship's papers, pa-pers, which he has brought to Cardiff, showing that the Lanao- was registered register-ed at Manila and thus entitled to fly the American colors. oo |