News from England.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 274, 29 April 1915, Page 5

News from England.

TREATMENT OF PRISONERS. STATEMENT BY LORD KITCHENER. London, April 27. Lord Kitchener, in the House of Lords, in reply to a question in regard to the treatment of prisoners, said that hitherto he had always held German officers in respect, but now, with the greatest; reluctance, he was forced to accept as teoontestably true the maltreatment bj the German army of British primmer*. Constant testimony had been received, not only from our own but also from French, Russian, Belgian and American sources, that the inhumanity ol the German authorities, especially towards British, was beypnd doubt. The Hague Convention laid down sufficient rules for the treatment of prisoners, about which, if observed, belligerents could not reasonably complain. Articles 4 and 7 were flagrantly disregarded. The British prsoners were stripped and maltreated in various ways, in some cases evidence proving that t!ie\ are shot in cold blood. Even v.uunded officers are wantonly insuli'ed and Ire j quently struck according to the evidence of the Germans themselves. It was omy right to say that the German hospitals were exempted from the charges of deliberate inhumanity. Some officers had lately been confined to solitary confinement in retaliation for the supposed treatment of Germans in this country. He hoped shortly to re- ' ceire evidence on the point. Germany lor many years had posed to the civilised world as a great military nation. She tad abundantly proved her skill and icoitrage, and purely she should set a standard of military honor which wou'.d i gain her the respect, if not the .friendship, of nations. Instead she stooped to acts which would indelibly stain her military history, vicing in barbarous savagery with the Soudan dervishes. He <iid not think there could be a soldier of any nationality, even amongst the Germans themselves, who was not heartily aehamed of the slur cast on the profession of arms. The usages of war had not only been outraged by cruelties, hut Gerjnany had introduced a method of placing her opponents hors de combat hy asphyxiating gases when, according to the rules of war, their attack might otherwise have failed. Germany had signed the article of the Hague Conventon prohibiting such methods.

GERMAN SUBMARINE PRISONERS. STATEMENT BY MR. CHURCHILL. London, April 27. . u the House of Commons Mr. Churchim. in reply to a question said that no a|j e'al conditions applied to German prist .;rs because they fought in subin. .ines, but special conditions applied ti> prisoners wantonly killing non-com-ba' ints, neutrals, and, women on fie high Be;t;. They could not recognise that perjso'. * systematically employed in sinking am jhant ships and fishing vessels wither warning, regardless of loss of life, v • ■ on the same footing as honorable si iers. The sinking of_ the Oriole, i\. iba, and fishing boats caused them t> i'-ace all German submarine prisoners a , . February 18, and as long as the Byt-;"'.i continued, in a distinct and separate category. He could not at present tell how far it was possible to bring h<>. n> to the belligerent nation at the en : of the war the result of their action, nor iu what form reparation of a special clr .■actcr could be exacted. The treatmi it of the submarine prisoners was hii.nanc. An American representative ho.I been offered facilities to make a report, provided reciprocal facilities were a 'orded by Germany. Thirtyi-nine Ger- ) (a submarine men were thus interned. ( crmany's reprisals could not be alio ed to influence the action Britain regarded as necessary.

GERMAN CALCULATED BRUTALITY. • TOWARDS BRITISH PRISONERS. ' t REPARATION TO BE EXACTED. London, April 27. Mr. Asquith, speaking in the House ot Commons, said tlie Germans from the lieginning l iad treated the British prisoners ;with indiscriminate harshness. At the end of the war the Government would not forget the horrible record of calculated cruelty, and would exact ?uch reparation against the guilty as they might possibly inflict. Lord Lans'downe, in the Hons" ot iords, said lie greatly regretted the reprisals policy which a Christian country could not deliberately adopt. He deplored the Admiraltv's action towards the submarine crews. The real culprits were the German Government. There were Other forms of retaliation. He suggested Compensating the victim-, out of funds levied on the property of Germans in Britain. Lord Cromer said a strong feeling *jpxiflted in the army against the Admir|Jty'9 policy in regard to submarine «rews.

Lord Lucas said that Germany had' now given Mr. Gerard, the American Ambassador to Berlin, and nine of his staff, permission to visit the camps, and had also agreed as to the ' distribution of the British Government's money placed in Mr .Gerard's hands, and the sending of simple foodstuffs to prisoners. Public gifts sold at Christie's on behalf of the Red Cross realised £33,000. MANUFACTURE OF MUNITIONS. DOMINION'S TO CO-OPERATE. London, April 27. Mr. Acland, in reply to a question, stated that the Government was communicating with the Dominion Governments regarding the importation 01 workers to assist in the manufacture of munitions. If workers are available, arrangements will be made for their passage- ■ ~},„ SSL

CANADIAN CALLAMTRY. GENEROUS TRIBUTES. Lo;, lon, April 27. The newspapers made ..'feature of the Canadians' gallantry, av.j mauv Canadians paraded the street?. The feeling behind it all is that the Canauians saved the situation by the sacrifice of their lives. Mr. J. L. Garvin, in the Observer, says: "The men of the inap!e leaf set their teeth to dare all by a magnificent feat of arms which will stand out in the annals of the war. Their sheer valor at the critical hour baffled the Germans and their asphyxiating gases, and proved how the utmost resources of scientific devilry will go down before the indomitable hearts of free men. Canada's hour is to-day. It will be that of Australia and New Zealand to-morrow. The situation exeeed3 in some ways the precedents of political romance, the possibility of which was not conceived before the war. The dominions had known untain as a mighty mother, but she knew that she was mightier than of old."

DEALING WITH CAS FUMES. SUGGESTED RESPIRATORS. Received April 28, 9 p.m. London, April 8. The War Office official doctors report that a number of Canadians died from the poisonous gases which were used contrary to the Hague Convention. Tlia War Office has issued particulars for respirators against asphyxiating gases, composed of cotton wool or stoekingette, and arc inviting the public to provide a supply.

SPEECH BY LORD DERBY. UNLIMITED DEMAND FOR MUNITIONS: COMPULSORY SERVICE POSSIBLE. Received April 28, 9.40 p.m. London, April 28. Lord Derby, speaking at Manchester, said the people did not seem to realise the tremendous things happening, or how critical the position actually was .when we were acting on the defence and i'-iad to fall back. .Mr. Asiiuith's speech suggested that we were doing very well as to munitions, but this was> absolutely opposed to facts, and not a single man in the army or at the War Office would support that view. Lord Kitchener had told him yesterday t'hat the demand for munitions was absolutely unlimited, as ■the more shells and cartridges we got the more men we would be able to put in the field. He had Lord Kitchener's authority to say that he was satisfied with the rate of recruiting for the moment, but the time would come, sooner perhaps than was expected, when we should be asked to redouble our efforts. Lord Derby added t'hat he believed it would be necessary to make a compulsory demand upon the services oi the country.

THE BELGIAN FUND. London, April 2S. The first day's subscriptions for the ' national fund for the Belgians include £28,750 from New South Wales, £-20,000 ■"from the Ijord Jlavor of Melbourne, >£101M) from Gcolong district, C7OOO from South Australia, £IOOO from the C'onimoiiwealth, £IOOO from a West Australian newspaper, £7OO from Launceston and £2">o from the Mayor of Dunedin's ' fund. THE MIXEUS' CONFERENCE. London, April 27. Tie miners' conference has been adjourned till Thursday. AVIATOR KILLED. London, April 27. Sub-Lieut. Medlieott and a mechanic were killed in a seaplane accident at Calshot. EXPORT OF COTTON PRyIIIDrTED. London, April 27. The Government has prohibited the exportation of raw cotton, except to the allied countries, Spain and Portugal.