CAN REPRISA SUCCEED?

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15918, 4 June 1917, Page 3

CAN REPRISA SUCCEED?

.(.KUOII Ol'B OW.V COHKESFONDENT.) LONDON', April 20.' The practicability of. making reprisals on such.ii nation as the Germans without inflicting new injuries on our 6wn pcoplo has arisen sigain this week in* the' case of the raid" ion Frciburgl "A couple of years ago, when Mr Churchill announced tha£ submarine.crews would receive, special, and not such good treatment as< ordinary prisoners ol war, the Gofmaris 'at. once selected a number v of British officer'prisoners—including one New Zealancicr —and proceeded to treat them rather worse than wo treated . their submarine ratings.. There was at once an outcry hero, and j the policv was dropped without even • a show of light. "Vybon the Germans sank tho hospital ship Gloucester Castle without warning, the British' Government definitely'announced thnt-.ro-prisals, Tvoiild bfc t&kpuj and ,tlic jHiblu* j awaited tlio result Vith interest. It canio ou Tuesday/ wh'on tho Admiralty announced "a reprisal bombardment ot tho town.of Freihuj-p in ronsequence of the attacks marie'- by German submarines, on British hospital . ships.' j Certain damage. whs done in a very j thoroughly, plfanned offensive, and the j good people of Freiburg no doubt, yelled for vo'ngeunce. The .i..iied authorities took tho: precaution .to drop nuiny printed leaflets telling these good Germans wlia-i it \v,as ail .about, and, tvliotlier tlicv belioved" if or not,. it -is probablv the. first tinu-- thev have been told that British hospital ships do-no. carrv tit troops and munitions. .Ibo German wireless the following day wailed out a loti" complaint acamst this barbarity, 'which' 'they declare resulted in the limited loss of 11 liyos , and 27 persons injured. They mention significaiitlv that. ( *tbo 'loader of tho raids, a; British lieutcnant-colonel. fell into our hands," but thoy make no threat of lenrual treatment against him.