REPRISALS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 127, 29 May 1918, Page 4

REPRISALS.

The question of reprisals has been raised again by fresh revelations of German brutality towards prisoners, and by the bombing of field hospitals by German airmen. The question this time has a direct personal interest for New Zealanders, for among the victims of the dastardly attack on a base hospital in France ten days ago were a number of our own wounded. The message containing this news does not specify how many New Zcalanders suffered, but it says of the Australian and New Zealand •wounded in 'the hospital; " Some were killed and others again wounded, while several who were already in a low state through wounds received in the front line died of shock." Hitherto German 'frigntfuiness " has caused New Zealand ■but few casualties, and not a great deal of personal suffering, and we do not remember anything more calculated to steel New Zealand hearts against the enemy than this deliberate bombing of wounded men. The attack was made on. a moonlight night, when the Red Cross marks on the hospital were plainly visible to the aviators. The atrocity, is, if possible, made worse by the discovery of a German aerodrome marked with the Red Cross, the enemy apparently intending, in the event of our attacking this building, to use our attack on an alleged hospital as an excuse for attacks on our real hospitals. It is the old German trick of lying to provide justification for a contemplated crime.

It is hard to write calmly about the treatment of British prisoners of war. • The report, issued last month, of the official Committee set up in England to inquire into the lot of prisoners behind the firing line, says that '"the treatment brought upon the prisoners an ' amount of unjustifiable Buffering for \ which a parallel would be hard to find ij in the history, tragic in so many of its incidents as this history has been, of the treatment by the enemy of their prisoners during this war." Not only did the German Government employ British ,prisi

oner 3on forced labour within reach of the Allied guns, but they lied about it. 'Die sufferings of some of these men must have been extreme. " The me.v were half-starved. Two who weighed 13 etonc when captured lost five stone. Parcels were kept back, and in consequence men were famished. Such was their hunger that they picked for food potato peelings that had keen trampled under foot. An Australian, half starving, fell out to pick up a piece of bread. He was shot and killed by the guard. The frequent cruelty of the guards is a matter constantly referred to by witnesses. One spoke of a German sergeant using a dogwhip on men slow in gettingout to work owing to weakness." It is this sort of thing, and the terrible treatment of prisoners in Germany, that has led to the agitation in Britain for the exchange of prisoners. This the military advisers of the Government opposed because they thought it would lengthen the war, hut the Government, influenced by -what the French Government has done, and no doubt by pressure in their own country, have given way. But the question of reprisals remains difficult. Sir Arthur Conan DoyJe, who has for some time been demanding more reprisals, now calls for a " sharp, stern, and relentless" policy, but he rather spoils his case by askmg for too much. We should, he paid, have ehot throe leading German prisoners when Nurse Cavcll was murdered, and two submarine commanders for Captain Fryatt. First of all. i( Nurse Oavcll was not murdered, for whe. was technically guilty of the offence with which she was charged. Captain Fryatt was murdered, for his so-caUe.d offemee was an act h 0 had a perfect right to do. To have shot prisoners,» not' for any ofTence of their own, but because other l.ermans were brutal or committed crimes, would have been repugnant to British ideas of justice, and would probably have done no good. The Germane would have replied by shooting some of our prisoners, and4he game of might have been carried on until, in the country that had the fewer prisoners, there were no more prisoners left to Rhoot. In considering reprisals Urn British Government has to bear in mind the already tragic lot of our prisoners in Germany, on whom the German* would 'be only too glad of an excuse to wreak further vengeance. However, something can be done by reprisals. Changes in the treatment of <.erman officers in Britain caused the Germans to release from prison two British aviators who had been infainonely sentenced to a term for dropping leaflets. Some good might he done by the punishment of captured Germans who were proved to have committed atrocities, though this comes rather under the heading of justice than of reprisals. Even the "Nation." the Emrlieh pacifist weekly, which has most strongly opposed reprisals, suggested recently that the Admiralty should announce that every commander of a submarine eaupht torpedoing a hospital ship, or proved to have attacked her, would be shot. There is but small likelihood of such conditions being established, but the recent attack on a hospital in Fiance provided a parallel case. The commander of the bombing squadron was captured. He deserved to be shot, but instead he no doubt received all the attention given to prisoners of his rank. The Allied Governments mi<iht announce that any aviator caught bombing hospitals under circumstances leaving no doubt of his guilt would be executed. Even if it did nothing to check the enemy's rampaifm of atrocities, it would partly satisfy the demands of justice. j