REPRISALS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2866, 2 September 1916, Page 9

REPRISALS

RED CROSS APPEAL TO THE NATIONS Australian-New. Zealand Cable Association. (Rec. September 1, 8:50 p.m.) London, September 1.. , The.lnternational Red Cross Committee -lias addressed '• the-; belligerents, through neutrals,- imploring the belligerents '.to abandon reprisals on prisoners of war, which was a reversion•to methods of barbarism, and unworthy of the lmtions which had given the Red Cross its present position. . Viscount .Grey. replied :•••: -"Britain throughout had discouritehance'd~ reprisals owing to the " in'discriminating and unjust operation of'the policy. The German Government,-"however,-had bferv petrated a succession* of. outrages which have strained the temper.and patience of the British people to breaking point, and created a situation of the utmost gravity,- V These include..; the sinking' of the Lusitaniii-:an3 the Sussex,'the brutal execution .of Nurse Cayell; the criminal desertion' of prisoners at the - Wittenberg Catfip whin stricken by disease initiated . by. the callous disregard of .'the, German - -authorities to the .ordinary bygieriio precautions."

'Hie .-.lnternotional - Committee '-appeals to belligerents not'fo : obtain redress for grievances by reprisals, but to request neutrals to impress.upon.the eneemy concerned considerations, of Tra- - inanity; "and ■injustice. The British Government readily respond-to-the-appeal, being confident the committee and" neutrals recognise that'the surest'mean* of avoiding.reprisals is to proiuote-the abandonment'of the policy of Inspi^ng 1 them. '