MURDERED BRITISH SEAMEN

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 184, 30 April 1919, Page 7

MURDERED BRITISH SEAMEN

GERMANY TO FAY FULL COMPENSATION

PRIME MINISTER'S PLEDGE

The Prime Minister, who was accompanied by Sir Joseph Maclay, recently received a deputation from tho Britisli mercantile marine, represented by Mr. (lathery and Mr. Latta (tho sailors), Captain Willett (Mercantile Marine Service Association), Captain Dunn. (the Merchant Service Guild), Mr. Bramah fmariije engineer), and Mr. Randall and Mr. Walsh representing the firemen. Mr. Cathery, on behalf of the deputation, explained that they were therai on the question of the granting of indemnities and reparation to men who had lost their lives at sea owing to tho war. He said that nearly 17,000 seamen had I been brutally murdered on the high seas during the war. In addition, some hundreds, if not thousands, of men had died from exposure in boats for several days, .by which they contracted chest, lung, and other diseases. They could put the total deaths due to the war, as far as seamen were concerned, at' 20.000 as a very low estimate. There tv&s also a large number who had died by reason of bad treatment .in enemy concentration camps. In reply to the Prime Minister, Mr. Cathery stated that they had a full record of tho 17,000 sailors who had lost their lives. With regard to the other 3000 cases, particulars were now being obtained, but the full claims were not yet in. ,The Prime Minister said there was no time to loso.

Mr. Lloyd George's Reply, The Prime Minister's reply to the deputation was as follows:— / First of .all, let mo say that when I heard the mercantile marine wanted a deputation to call pn rue,l had no ddubt at all, however 'crowded my time, that I ought to make an opportunity to meet them; because there is no branch of service in this country to which the Britisli Empire, the' Allies, and the whole world owo a deeper dobt of gratitude than .to the British mercantile marine. I do not know what would have happened to the Allies had it not been for them. Mr. ■ Cathery has very well said that if the Germans had succeeded in intimidating British sailors—and if they thought they could they did not know British sailors—but if they had succeeded, if such a thin";; had been conceivable, this country not only would have starved, but the wliolo of the Allies would havo collapsed. We could not have carried on the war. If tho British sailor had said, "Well, I am'not going to run all these risks, and, therefore, I am going to stay at home," the whole Alliance would have collapsed. There is no dqul.it what the world owes to tho indomitable courage, endurance, and heroism oT the.British sailor.

"Cruellest and Most Infamous Piracy." There is no doubt also about what tho world must thinlc of the German methods of warfare. It has been called piracy. ~ln many respects it has been oven worss than that. It is true that the pirate sank ships and made those on board walk the plank, but'the Germans in one way were more callous. In the former caso it was soon all over with the poor people, but in tho latter tho victims wore left to the mercy of the waves for days, either' to starve or to die of thirst and to suffer horrible torture's. tho horro* of tho prospect of men bemg'left in boats in mid-jocean, possibly in rough weather, never knowing what moment would bo tho last; and also thinking that it might go on for hours and hours and perhaps days and days. This sort of thing was the cruellest and most infamous exhibition , of piracy the world; had ever seen. There could be no doubt about that.

Whether, compensation should be paid is equally beyond doubt. As . soon as 1 came into the office which I now hold I stated what I conceived'to be'tho peace terms which Britain ought to exact to a 'meeting'of Labour delegates -which vas held somewhere near this place, and one of the demands I put forward was full compensation for the British sailor. From that'wo have never swerved as a Government, and it is part of tho instructions to our delegates in Paris that the first demand put forward must bo full compensation for losses at_ sea, including compensation to the poor'people who have suffered through their relatives having lost their lives. 1 include in that what has .been put by Mr. Cathery, those who lost their lives through exposure at sea, because that is the ; same -thing., \Thcso .demands will'be put in very shortly, i have sent over to the Board of Trade to find opt exactly how they are computing the losses. I do-not, want anybody to bo left out. Tho German must pay for this, and ho must pay this, as the first claijn; this must come before mere indemnity for war expenses. There are a good' many questions what his capacity is for. paying huge war indemnities but there is no doubt he can pay, at any rate, compensation for the losses'of this kind which lie has brought about. This compensation must come first.

The Claims in Paris. . am going back to-morrow—l hope to be there to-morrow—l.hope to bo meeting our delegates on this Commission, mid I shall find out from them exactly what the position is. But there has never been any question about it. None of our Allies has disputed the justice and the fairness of the, claim we are putting forward in respect of the ''British mercantile marine and its heroic dead. It is a great record. It is a record of which you naturally are proud because yon are directly associated with them, .but I can tell you that youi" pride is shared by. every Briton throughout the world, and I have heard many a foreigner boast of it as one of the. greatest and most wonderful achievements of the war. .We must see that the men who have so gallantly faced all these horrible dangers, trusting to the State to see that thoso they left behind should be cared for,' that their trust will not be betrayed; and you may depend upon it, so far as the British Government is concerned, that we shall see that compensation is given io them and that this.compensation is given by, the people who are,.responsible for these, infamies. So I am entirely with you. I want you now to hurry up with all your claims. As many as you have got, send them in.

Mr. Cathery: Yes. sir. The l'rimo Minister: Would that be to the Board of Trade?

Mr. Leak:.'No; 'i> the Foreign Claims Office nt the Foreign Office. The Prime Minister: Bo not lose any time; I want you to send in those claim's at once. I have been discussing the general question of principle; but now we are coming down to tho individual claims, and I want you' without any loss of time —and I am appealing through you to all others who have claims—to send them in at once. Send them in to the Foreign Claims Office at the Foreign Office without any loss of time. See that they are comprehensive, that they include everybody who has suffered, and stato your case quite fully, so that it shall be communicated to me and those who ara associated with me in Paris; and in a very few weeks' time you will find the claim of the British sailors presented to the people who have got to meet it. With regard to those who had been interned. Mr. Lloyd George intimated that lie would prefer not to express any opinion straight away. They should put their claim in and it would be considered.

Mr. William James Towner, who is El, was presented with a birthday gift of .£!)SS by tho Dean of Chichester, at Brighton, on behalf of his fellow-towns-men. Mr. Towner lias been actively associated, with the "Brighton Gazette" for over 70 years, n "record" in Sussex journalism. Major Sir-William Eric Thomas Avery, second baronet, M.C., A.K.C.. who died in hospital in France, on November 2ft, from influenza contracted on active service, aged 2„, has left estate of the value of JG211,47G, the net personalty being 4197,022. Seven of the sixteen eases which came before Mr. Justice Salter at Liverpool Assizes on January 28 were for bigamy. The Judge said there was a shocking prevalence of this offence, which, ho reminded the public, could be punished by penal servitude. Tho first attempt to manufacture iron in America was made in Virginia three hundred yo«rB ago.