GERMANY.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 December 1915, Page 5

GERMANY.

TREATMENT OF INTERNED. • UNSATISFACTORY QOjSUU'IONB,. Received Dec. 11, 3.5 p.m. London, Dec. 10. Mr. Trelierne, interviewed, confirms the unsatisfactory conditions prevailing in Germany lor interned. They were fairly comfortable in the earlier stages, but economic pressure cut off one article after another until tlie canteen offers little more than daily frugal rations. Even wealthy British are restricted to a monotonous insufficient diet. There was such a scarcity of foodstuffs that high 'bribes failed to procure more nourishing food. Australasians at Rubleben would be specially grateful if friends would send, care of the liigh Commissioner, books and parcels of food, particularly fat foods, tinned butter, cheese and meats.

Despite the appalling monotony, miserable dreariness, cold and inactivity, ignorance of the progress of the war. and an overbearing treatment which is calculated to crush their spirit, those interned at Ruhleben are uniformly cheerful among themselves, a sprinkling of Australians being the life of the party. Mails are irregular, and the confinement beyond the winter is likely to be critical for the elderly interned people, and equally oppressive to boys. Mr. Gerard, writes to Sir E. Grey regarding IWittenburg camp. A formal satisfactory apology was given to a British officer whom a guard struck, and also instructions have been given to the guards not to strike prisoners. British prisoners are now paid for work outside the camp. Representations have been made protesting against the use of dogs in internment camps.

THE CHANCELLOR'S SPEECH. GERMAN PRESS COMMENTS. HERR HARDEN'S VIEWS. Amsterdam, Dec. 10. The German press comments extensively on Herr von Bethmann-Hollwcg's speech. The Tageblatt states that the Chancellor was wise when he refused to make suggestions regarding peace, but warns him not to be misled by super-annexa-tionist pan-Germans who believe that Germany desires to annex! half of Europe. The Deutsche Tages Zeitung welcomes the speech and adds: "Now even the blindest of our enemies know how we stand and how determined we are to win." London, Dec. 10. Herr Harden, lecturing in Berlin, said: "We have not beaten a single enemy, to say nothing of defeating the totality. Some victory must be reached, though the task is monstrously hard. Germany must avoid war attrition at all costs, therefore the people must make further sacrifices and undergo more privations. The Government must tell the people' the real truth." The military authorities approved of the lecture and read the test beforehand. London, Dec. 10. In the Reichstag, Herr Scheidemann, in moving an interpellation asking the Chancellor to state the conditions on which Germany was prepared to enter into peace negotiations, was unexpectedly moderate and evidently was not desirous of embarrassing the Government. He said the Socialists strongly opposed the making of this war one of conquest. They were unanimous in their determination to defend their country, and would not hear of a separation from Alsace and Lorraine.-The German people desired war not a day longer than was necessary to secure the independence of the country. The starvation plan had failed, as Germany had twenty million pigs and as many potatoes as they were able to use. Criminal, if hostile, statesmen endeavoured to delude the nations into thinking the situation could change to Germany's disadvantage, Germany was able and determined to defend her own hearths. The Socialists therefore desired the first decisive step for peace to emanate from Germany. THE CHANCELLOR'S REPLY.

Herr von Bethmann-Hollweg, replying to the interpellation, said an offer of peace by Germany was folly while her enemies maintained their hypocrisy and ignorance. All disguises must first be dropped. If the enemies brought forward any proposals proper to Germany's dignity she was always ready to discuss them. Germany was in full consciousness of her successes, but declined responsibility for the continuation of the distress which was filling Europe and the world. Nobody could say that she desired to prolong the war for the sake of conquest. He was unable to say what guarantees Germany would demand as regards Belgium. "Neither in the east nor west must enemies hold a means of invading our country by which they could threaten us, more strongly than before the war. We must also safeguard the economic development. This war throughout has been a defensive war of the German nation and its i'uturq."

He continued: "We have gained gigantic successes and have deprived the enemy of one hope after another. When the road to Turkey was opened, threatening the most vulnerable point in the British Empire, the enemies must have recognised that they had lost time. If I am to speak on peace conditions we must first see the enemies' conditions, and their ambitions have not changed, despite what has happened. Recent speeches in the House of Lords found hardly an echo in the British press. Mr. Asquith at the Guildhall said that the objects of the war were the same as at the beginning, including the freedom of small States; but the small States who belived that must now be cured, since if England fights for them they will fare badly. The destruction of Prussian militarism means the finishing for ever of the great State whose development lias filled its enemies with envy and distrust. England's Allies took up this battle cry. Such cries and the talk of restoring Alsace, and Poland and conquering Constantinople are merely bluff. The enemy peoples have been fed with false hopes, and now find that victories have riot been gained and that they have suffered many military and diplomatic defeats. They have sacrificed hecatombs, yet we stand far within their territories. We have opened the way to the south and east and hold valuable securities.

"But* the enemy cannot give up the delusion that Germany must be crushed, and has now placed her hopes in a war of exhaustion. Our provisions are sufficient, and concerning the exhaustion of men we have, not gone as far as Russia. We do not intend to extend the age limit as they have doi/e. Our losses are smaller than those of the French. 13k» of the Munur'4 hswa it Jli9.wa

in the Barralong case, iu wlurii a British warship murdered the crew rf a helpless German submarine. The JtritiA press hushed up this. The British have been proud of the navy's spirit, but ttey cannot reply to this murder, which remains a black stain on the navy's history." Herr Lansberg, spokesman for the Socialists, said they were ready for an honourable peace safeguarding against frivolous attacks. Whoever attempted to carve up Germany would encounter a united people, The debate was adjourned.

"PEACE! PEACE!" DEMONSTRATION IN BERLIN. CROWDS BLOCK THE STREETS. Received Dec. 12, 5.5 pm„ Copenhagen, Dec. 11. There was an enormous peace demonstration in Berlin on Thursday night. Many thousands assembled in the Friedricli Strasse and tried to force a way to the Reichstag. Traffic was completely stopped for three hours and the police were unable to disperse the demonstrators. The mob continually cried: "Peace Peace!" Some shouted insults at the Kaiser and his family. The Vorwaerts announces that the censorship has forbidden its comments on the Reichstag debate. The Socialists express the most intense dissatisfaction at the action of the censorship.

GERMAN PUBLIC DISAPPOINTED. TREMENDOUS DEMONSTRATIONS. A RIGID CENSORSHIP. Copenhagen, Dec. 10. Some of the Berlin journals receive the speech coolly, and a littge section of the public are bitterly disappointed. The Vossiche Zeitung frankly admits that the Chancellor deceived evejybody. The speech was only polemics, which ran out to painful littleness against British hypocrisy. Correspondents add that yesterday there svere tremendous demonstrations,' but owing to the censorship it is impossible to say what happened.

AUSTRALIA. THE GROWING NAVY. A DESTROYER LAUNCHED. Received Dec. 12, 5.5 p.m. Sydney, Dec. 12. The destroyer Swan hps been launched,