GERMANY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2824, 15 July 1916, Page 9

GERMANY

REPRISALS FOR THEIR TREATMENT

STATEMENT IN PARLIAMENT

Australian-New Zealand Gable Association,

London, July la, Lord Robert Cecil, Minister of Blockade, in the House of Commons,- read i> lengthy German reply, categorically: repudiating the charge that they did not recognise their obligations regarding the fooff required by British prisoners. Th» tiovernment.- sanctioned the dispatch of collective consignments to prisoners, on condition, that they did not contain ft predominance of those commodities which are only obtainable to a limited extent by Germans iu consequence ut the British blockadc.

If,, as reprisals, the rations of German prisoners were reduced, the Government .proposed not only to uitiidraw the collective consignments of parcels, but alxo the reception of individual parcels. Lord Robert Cecil added that the last part of the German reply, which related to the exchange of civilian prisoners, appeared to mean that' we should release, all German civilians in exchanges for all British civilians, regardless <<f the respective numbers.

He proposed to reply that Britain could not accept this ofier, as it meant sending 26,000 Germans in exchange for 4000 British. He would propose to repatriate civilians over fifty, and all over forty : five unfit- for service. Of the remainder, equal .numbers of each • jja- ■ tionality should be interned in a neutral country. Replying to an inquiry whether this meant tho abandonriient, of tlie policy of reprisals, Lord Cecil said thi> Government would hold its hands free to. retaliate if it was the only way. of securing justice. .. ALIEN PRISONERS IN BRITAIN . THEER ; EMPLOYMENT A DIFFI- .: CULTY. Australian-New Zealand Cable Association. • (Kec. July 14, 6.5 p.m.) London, July 13. Mr. Herbert Samuel (Home Secretary) has announced that four thousand internod aliens have been employed in useful work. There had been somo difficulty in getting people to employ them. Lord Newtown, replying, in the' House of Lords, to a question, said that many enemy nnral and military prisoners were employed in timber camps, quarries, road-mnking. and. bag-making. Numbers had also been- sent to work in France. .The .employment of. civilian prisoners was a. more difficult task. He had tried to induce the Marquis of Crewo .to., employ,, them,. but.. they-., had., been Confronted "by the threat of a r «triSp".-.bv ■ something like one hundred thouknd men; ■ Unless a more intelligent spirit prevailed, the end ' of .the wiir would find thousands of aliens still bohind barbed-wire., demoralised, and broken in health; .

'. [Lord; Newton'is Chairman of the. tnter-Departmental Committee on Prisoners. of." War.]:"..