MOTHER COUNTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 September 1916, Page 5

MOTHER COUNTRY.

REPRISALS OF PRISONERS RED CROSS APPEAL TO BELLIGER- ' E.VTS. BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S REPLY. Received Sept. 1, 5.50 p.m. London, Sept. 1. The International Red Cross Committee has addressed the belligerents and neutrals, imploring the belligerents to abandon reprisals on prisoners of war, which is a reversion to methods of barbarism unworthy of the nations which had given the Red Cross its present position. Viscount Grey replied that Britain had throughout the jyar discountenanced reprisals. Owing to the indiscriminating and unjust operation of the policy of tho German - Government, however, the latter had perpetrated a succession of outrages which had strained the temper and patience of the British people to the Dreakingpoint, and cieated a situation of the utmost gravity. Those outrages included the sinking of the Lusitania and Sussex, the brutal execution of Nurse Cavell, and the criminal desertion of prisoners at Wittenberg camp when they were stricken with disease initiated by the callous disregard of the German authorities to ordinary hygienic precautions. The international Committee's anneal to belligerents does not seek to obtain the redress of grievances by reprisals, but to request neutrals to impress upon the anemy concerned the consideiations of humanity and justice. The British Government's reply states that they will respond to the appeal, being confident that the Com mittee and the neutrals will recognise that the surest means of avoiding reprisals is to promote the abandonment of the policy inspiring them. MINERS' WAGES UNALTERED Received Sept. 1, 8.50 p.m. London, Sept. 1. In the South Wales coalfield? dispute the miners claimed an advance of \i'/ z per cent., while the owners claimed n 15 per cent, reduction. ,Mr. Justice Pickford's vwaid* maintains the existing fate.