NEW RULES OF WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2345, 30 December 1914, Page 6

NEW RULES OF WAR

"ABOVE ALL, HARSHNESS."Details of a remarkable book, giving rules for the waging of war by Austrian troops against Serbia, have just reached Switzerland. These rules are set out in a little book of soven pages, copies of which have been distributed by order pf the Chief 'of the General Staff, upon the methods that are being 1 employed by the dual monarchy,! against Seryia. Among these rules are the following: "I order that during these military operations the greatest severity, harshness, and suspicion should be 'exhibited towards everybody. I will not tolerate that people not in uniform, but armed, captured in groups or ■ singly, should'be taken prisoners They must be executed at all costs. Anybody who shows mercy in such cases will be-frost severely punished. On entering a yillago hostages; (jiriests, teachers, or wealthy notabilities) should be taken, and, if a single shot is fired on our troops, must be killed. Enemy populations must be warned to give up their arms. Each house in which a weapon is found must be destroyed. In hostile villages not more than three men should be allowed to meet together in the street, and at'nightfall no citizen should leave his house. Officers and soldiers must scrutinise every hostile villager'and must not allow them to put their hands in their pockets, since they have probably secreted revolvers there.. Evory inhabitant one meets outside the villages and more particularly in' forests should be regarded simply as a member of a hand whoso arms have been hidden. Not having the time to look for these weapons, these people, if' their conduct seems in the least degreo suspicious, ought to be shot. Summarising those tulcs for warfare, tho Commander-in-Chief urges upon' his men to show discipline, dignity, but abovo all, ■ harshness Notico. has been given in Austria that telegrams', of congratulation will 110 longer be accepted for transmission to the army in' the field, tho reason given being that the wires are too heavily burdened..-. ' •