BRITISH ANSWER

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20101, 22 November 1939, Page 5

BRITISH ANSWER

SEIZING CARGOES COMPLETE BLOCKADE ALL GOODS OF NAZIS CHAMBERLAIN CHEERED • (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 12 noon RUGBY, Nov. 21. Questioned in the House of Commons concerning the sinking of the Netherlands liner Simon Bolivar, and the indiscriminate 'minelaying on trade routes by Germany, the Prime Minister, Mr. 'Neville Chamberlain, announced that the British Government was not prepared to allow these illegal methods of conducting warfare to continue without retaliation. "In the last war, as a measure of justified reprisals for submarine attacks on'merchant ships, exports of German origin, or ownership were made subject to seizure on the hign seas,” said Mr. Chamberlain “The many violations of international law and the ruthless brutality of the German methods decided us to follow a similar course now and an Order in Council will shortly be issued giving effect to the decision. Mr. Chamberlain prefaced his announcement by recalling that during the last three days upwards ot 10 ships,, of which' six were neutrals, have been sunk with serious loss ot life by German mines. The Hague Convention, to which Germany was a party and which she announced her intention to observe as recently as September 17 last, provided that when anchored mines were used, every possible precaution must be taken for the security of peaceful navigation. This was the very essence of the convention as mines could not discriminate between warships and merchant ships, or between belligerent or neutral, said Mr. Chamberlain. None of the provisions of the convention, which required that a danger zone be notified and that mines, on breaking loose, became harmless, had been observed by the German Government. The outrage of the sinking of the Simon Bolivar was the culmination of a series of violations of inter-

national law of warfare at sea beginning with the sinking of the Athenia. These events pointed to increasing disrespect by Germbny of the rules of war and of the most elementary dictates of humanity. Mr. Chamberlain’s important announcement was warmly cheered by the House of Commons.