NORWAY'S PLEA.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 43, 20 February 1940, Page 7

NORWAY'S PLEA.

WRONG INFORMATION. Basis Of British Note On Altmarck Incident. SEVEN POINTS RAISED. United Press Association. —Copyright. (Received 11 a.m.) LONDON, February 19. M. Hambro, President of the Nor-, wegian Parliament, in an interview, said Viscount Halifax's Note on the Altmarek incident was based on inaccurate information. "I cannot say more until after a conference with the Foreign Ministry," he added. According to an earlier message from Oslo, M. Hambro, in an interview, said: "The British action was the most flagrant violation of the territory of any neutral committed in this war. It is more serious than anything we have experienced irom the German sea war, against which united action by neutral Powers will now be postponed. "We were on the eve of concluding a trade agreement with Britain, but there is reason to fear H.M.S. Cossack obtained the result for which the German Navy has striven in vain for months—the stopping of Norwegian ships from going to Britain. Discussion of trade and shipping matters between Norway and Britain has obviously entered a new stage."

Lord Halifax put the British com-1 plaint against Norway's neglect of her duties in connection with the "prisonship," to M. Erik Colban, Norwegian Minister in London. After pointing out that Norway must have been fully informed of the Altmarck's predatory career as an auxiliary to the Admiral Graf Spee, Lord Halifax asked: — (1) Did the Norwegians most carefully search the Altmarck when she entered Bergen? (2) How was the search carried out? (3) What did the search reveal? (4) What would the Norwegians have done if they had found the prisoners ? (5) If the Norwegians believed prisoners were aboard, why did they not detain the Altmarck and remove the sick prisoners ? (6) Why were the prisoners not released or held pending an examination of their legal position? (7) Why did Norwegian warships accompany "the Altmarck?

Lord Halifax declared Norway had failed in lier duty as a neutral. The question of the British Navy's infringement of territorial waters was less important than the fact that 400 British seamen had been kept for many weeks in conditions not fit for a dog. The German violation of Norwegian waters and their treatment of prisoners was contrary to international law and justified the British action.

M. Colban presented the Norwegian protest against the British violation of territorial waters, and also requested the return of the prisoners, reserving Norwegian rights.