Liberty Government Department of Commerce
Committee of Enquiry Liberty and Rheinland Trade Embargo.
Bang Bang
The Chairman smacked the mallet on the little wooden striker on his desk to bring silence to the room.
I am Commerce Minister Thomas James from the Liberty department of Commerce. He announced.
I call to order this first meeting of this committee of enquiry into the continuing trade embargo between the Liberty house and the Rheinland house systems. He continued.
This enquiry has been ordered by the supreme court after legal proceedings were launched by Chief Executive Officer Chakotay (he nodded in my direction to acknowledge my presence) of the [KoF] trading organisation, these legal charges have been sponsored and partnered by identical proceedings from Ageira, InterSpace Commerce, Universal Shipping and Deep Space Engineering.
The legal charges are that the Embargo is a breach of the ancient rights of Liberty enshrined by Liberty systems Law and also by ancient Human rights Laws.
1. Freedom of movement.
2. Freedom to earn a living from honest work.
3. Freedom to trade and make profit.
The charges go further in that the very economy of Liberty is being harmed by the Embargo, and the people of Liberty are now suffering lose of earnings, loss of Job security and higher taxes because of the damage to the economy.
Also that the Commandeering of Liberty Navy, Police and the LSF to enforce the same embargo is a waste of resources and not part of the duties of these forces.
That the embargo can be controlled and monitored much more effectively and cheaply, from spaceports, when the ships land for cargo loading and unloading, by the spaceport Commanders Security teams and the Custom and Excise department.
Further that there is no evidence of increased build up of forces or any sign of any threats coming from the Rheinland systems, which was the initial reason for the embargo.
CEO Chakotay at this moment has a ship impounded with a cargo of diamonds on board and faces charges of breach of the Trade embargo, failure to obey commands from a Liberty Navy vessel and refusing to hand over the cargo to the Liberty Government authorities at the Manhattan spaceport.
The outcome of this enquiry will feed back directly to the Courts for the Judge to make a decision on these charges.[/color]
I was released on a bail bond and accompanied to this committee of enquiry by my friend Engineer-Scotty and a pair Liberty Lawyers who had been recommended to us.
Thomas James continued.
The evidence gathered here and the statements given to this committee will be collated and submitted with a recommendation to the Liberty Government President Powell and state department ADMINs and advisors to make a final judgement.
The committee will now hear statements and question witnesses and interested parties on all sides of the argument.
I welcome each and every interested party here and hope the proceedings will run smoothly and without interruptions as far as is possible
I sat down and listened as the murmurs grew and the media franticly discussed and argued about the reports they would submit to the newspapers.
The Chairman Thomas James beckoned over the master of arms and asked him to announce a 20-minute break.
I went to the hallway and got a coffee from the machine.
There was a Navy senior officer on the committee and a representative from the LSF and Police, also there were senior business advisors and Industry leaders. I also could see my good friend Suzanna from the DW bounty hunter guild.
This argument was going to be Military versus Business with the Government in the middle juggling the hot potato.
I would be up soon to give my statement and answer questions
I sat at the chair in front of the committee and put my dossier on the desk, I was fairly confident that I had a good case to answer and that hopefully the Government higher up would make the right decisions.
Ideally I was hoping the trade embargo would be dropped altogether and let our organisation get back to normal business. Our profits had dropped by almost 40% since the embargo started and we now had 2 ships impounded because of the Navy embargo. Alternatively I was hoping that the embargo would be relaxed so that Liberty based trading companies at least would be allowed safe passage with any legal cargo.
The first question was about finances and the economy of Liberty.
I explained to the committee that all the Liberty based companies had recently reported business profits were down for the last 6 monthly period and I presented evidence showing that [KoF] profits were down by 38.5%
I pointed out that wages and bonus payments to our pilots had been trimmed as a result, and that a few pilots had voted with there feet and left to start new jobs with rival Bretonian organisations.
I also made the valid point that corporation tax returns to the Liberty government were also down by a similar margin, since taxes paid were directly related to the company profits.
The other bigger Liberty corporations were also returning lower tax payments to the government and were reducing the headcount required for efficient production.
With lower tax revenues received the government was now looking at reducing allocation cash to military, education, health and other departments. An alternative would be to raise taxes.
The embargo was hurting the people of Liberty and should be lifted.
I completed the morning session and was excused for the lunch break.
After lunch the floor was opened for other commentators and interested parties to have a say on the economic impact of the Embargo.
Leaders from Universal Shipping, Ageira, InterSpace Comerce and DSE gave similar reports to my own.
Does anyone else wish to comment on the Economic effect of the continuing trade embargo?
Liberty Government Department of Commerce
Committee of Enquiry Liberty and Rheinland Trade Embargo.
Day 3
The next day I again went before the committee but this time the questions were different and the style of questioning was a bit more aggressive, especially from the Navy officer.
This was more about the aims and objectives of the trade embargo, what was the embargo trying to achieve? and had it been successfull.
My answer was an emphatic NO
I had made many trips to Rheinland systems carrying Passengers and Prisoners, which are allowed as the rules of the embargo state. I also had contact with many friends from other house systems, guys who worked for Zoners, BMM, Gateway and a friend at Solarus in Omega-11 who worked for Daumann.
I was also still in touch with a former [KoF] pilot who was a Rheinlander by birth and had left the [KoF] to return and serve his military term as most young Rheinland men do.
Another very good friend at Baden Baden worked for Spa & Cruise and had heard lots of interesting stories from senior Rheinland officers relaxing after tours of duty.
The embargo on Rhienland shipping and cargo by Liberty had very little effect on the Rheinland economy.
The Rheinland companies were slowly expanding operations out into the newer Omega systems and into Munich. The Zoners and Bounty Hunters were assisting and there had been some success.
The best information that I had was that there was no increased threat from Rheinland and that in fact the [RM] were very busy fighting pirate factions to be bothered by anything happening in Liberty.
The [RHA] were active around Dresden and the various Corsair clans were active on the neighbouring Omega systems. There were also frequent attacks from the Sigma-13 system by pirates preying on traders going between Rheinland and Kusari.
This was the reason I had been halted in Liberty carrying Diamonds, I had chosen to travel the longer safer route through Liberty and then up to Kusari instead of going through Sigma-13. I had a warning from a friend, that pirates were active and to avoid the system.
I put this question to the Liberty Navy officer.
"How much MORE is being spent on Navy and Police operations to enforce this embargo, and how long could the Government of Liberty be expected to fund the increased costs of the embargo when the economy has taken damage by companies making less profit, and Government collecting less taxes."
"Trade Embargo's were normally temporary measures with a purpose in mind"
"Would this embargo go on indefinitely? To what ends are we aiming at?"
"Had there been any diplomatic attempts to solve the problems?"
The morning session completed and I went for some lunch at the canteen. There had been no satisfactory answers to my questions so far.
Maybe someone in the next afternoon session would try and answer.
We are an independant company that come under the Sirius Free Trade Agreement, signed by members of the Kursari, Bretonian, Rheinland, and Liberty governments after the war against the Nomads. One of the precepts of that agreement was that free trade would, with the exception of during a declared war, exist between all houses in Sirius.
Thus, the blockade is a violation of article 4 of the Sirius Free Trade Agreement, which I quote from: "Article 4: Recognizing that free trade between the undersigned is the foundation upon which the houses are built, there shall be no restrictions short of formal declarations of war on free trade of lawful products between house space."
Obviously there is a declared war between Bretionia and Kusari, and both houses are well within their rights to embargo cargoes. Just as obviously, at this moment there has been no formal declaration of war between Liberty and Rheinland. Thus, quite frankly, this embargo is illegal under the agreement.
As a company that specializes in shipbuilding, ship breaking, station construction, modular construction, civil and military engineering, renewables and project management, and is the exclusive supplier of vessels to the Bounty Hunters' Guild, APM ships haul cargo across all of Sirius. Do we, at times, enter Liberty space? Of course we do. We also at times get purchase orders and shipping contracts to deliver materials to Liberty shipyards. When those contracts come in, our shipping and receiving department will route those ships to the appropriate ports based on our ship locations at the time.
Quite frankly, someone in the Liberty government does not appear to have a firm grip on economics. The taxes collected on delivery of cargoes - and then the reselling of manufactured goods - followed by the appropriate taxation on those goods - is how the government gets the majority of its money. If there are no goods being transported - well, it's called trickle down. Pretty soon, where is your Navy going to get their spare parts for their ships? There is plenty of historical precedence for this, dating back to pre Diaspora days on Earth. (As an example, one of the reasons that the Second Terran War escalated beyond a regional crisis was because of a trade embargo.)
Right now there are numerous smugglers hauling cargo illegally in violation of Article 7 of the Sirius Free Trade Agreement. Since those cargoes can be confiscated and resold by an impounding government - is it better use of the credits being spent on Navy and police crews to stop legal traders - and get nothing for your coffers? (For that matter, certain luxury goods are brought in only from Rheinland territories. Those goods are desired by Liberty voters. Think about it...)
Jeffery Phelps
Chief Executive Officer and Secretary to the Board
AP Manufacturing
(11-21-2013, 12:53 PM)Jihadjoe Wrote: Oh god... The end of days... Agmen agreed with me.
manhattan conutyrside 20 klicks south of manhattan suberbia "firebase zulu" officers wing
*first Liutenant Tom Mathers was sipping coffee watching the inquiory on the newscatching up on paperwork he had a Requestion letter with a red DENIED stamped on it it was much needed overhaul of the Louisbourgs 3rd and 4th fusion engines and genenral hull mantince she needed about 3 months in drydock for the work his ship like countless other Marines and Navyand even the LSF were getting mal mantinced as due to dwindleing funds he crumpled it and grumbled" the Brass is gonna cripple our forces with this tightwad embargo and knowing rhineland they wil lprobly jump on us while were cripple and limp if this thing isint revoked im fileing a formal complaint to command and the LSF afairs office along with the commerce chamber"
I had listened and watched with great interest as the enquiry rolled along its course and the various heads of industry, and trading corporations and the military and government departments gave there statements and answered questions.
I had watched on the news links some days and visited the public galleries on other days. I was called for further questions and still the enquiry rolled on.
I liked the statements from the shipyards maintenance officers that maintenance delays were affecting the fleet.
(Thanks Jimmy Patterson)
The statement from the CEO of AP Manufacturing also backed up my own opinion of the embargo. His company were sometimes running longer alternative routes to avoid Liberty space.
(Thanks Jeffery Phelps)
There was also a secret report from the LSF undercover operation that I had been tipped off about. My source confirmed what a number of friends had already told me.
That the Rheinland Military were too busy defending the borders of Rheinland and had very little interest in being aggressive towards Liberty.
Two days later the enquiry was drawing to a close. There was a short time for final brief pleas to be heard before the results of the enquiry were to be analysed and announced.
I stood and spoke when my turn came.
The people of Liberty are sick of this Illegal trade embargo, taxes are higher, jobs are being lost, wages are being squeezed and some organisations are drawing up plans to leave Liberty space and set up somewhere new.
We must end this embargo and I mean end it now, it serves no useful purpose and quite frankly the Liberty Navy have better things to do than harass legal traders trying to make a living. There are pirates and smugglers swarming all over Liberty space and the Navy must be allowed to concentrate all their efforts against these enemies.
I am willing to fund a diplomatic mission to Rheinland and act as a go-between if that will help to lower any tension between the Houses. Talking is the best way to solve problems gentlemen NOT in my opinion sanctions and embargos
I sat down and breathed deeply as if a burden had been lifted from my shoulders.
My part in this enquiry was now over.
I am Commerce Minister Thomas James from the Liberty department of Commerce. He announced.
The evidence gathered here and the statements given to this committee will be collated and submitted with a recommendation to the Liberty Government, President Powell and the state department ADMINs and advisors to make a final judgement.
I wish to thank everyone who took part in the enquiry for their patience and co-operation throughout the proceedings.
I now officially close this Committee of Enquiry examining the existing Liberty and Rheinland Trade Embargo.
I hope you gentlemen of the press and media do not have to wait too long for the results and recommendations that come from it.
Keep things in the RP hub In RP please. Also, please remember to refrain from using shades of orange in the text area, as it's used for moderator statements & announcemets.
![[Image: kofsig.png]](http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/1641/kofsig.png)
![[Image: 2emctxg.png]](http://i55.tinypic.com/2emctxg.png)
