London, Mar. 29.
It was confirmed here tonight that the two Soviet ships Selenga and Mayakovsky, which were held for some time by the Hongkong contraband control authorities, have been handed over to the French naval authorities. The reason for this action, official quarters stated, is that French Prize Court procedure is simpler than that in the British Court. Since, according to international law, the cases of both Soviet vessels must be submitted to such a court, it was decided to simplify matters as much as possible. Decision now pending bears on the fate of the cargoes carried by the Selenga and Mayakovsky.—Havas,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.