ASPHYXIATING GASES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2515, 17 July 1915, Page 9

ASPHYXIATING GASES

HAGUE CONVENTION VIOLATED ' BY THE GERMANS. Tho use by the Germans of poisonous gases as a means of warfare was recently referred to by the British Minister of War, Lord Kitchener, as being contrary to the solemn pledge signed by the German ■ representatives at the Hague Convention. Speaking in the House of Lords on April 28, Lord Kitchener said:— "The Germans have introduced a method of placing their opponents hors de combat by the use of asphyxiating and deleterious gases, and they employ these poisonous methods to prevail when their attack, according to the rules of war, might have otherwise failed. On this subject I would remind your Lord-, ships that Germany was a signatory to the following article in the Hague Convention:— , " 'The contracting Powers agree to abstain from the uso.of projectiles, the object of which is the diffusion of asphyxiating or deleterious gases.'" The above was signed by the representatives of Great Britain, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, United States of America, France, Greece, Montenegro, Netherlands, Persia, Portugal, Rumania, Russia, Siam, Sweden and Norway, Turkey, Bulgaria, all on July 29, 1899: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, September 4, 1900; Japan, October 6, 1900; Switzerland, December 29, 1900; Servia, May 11, 1901; Luxemburg, July 12, 1901; China, November 2-1, 1904.