THE BLOCKADES

Grey River Argus, 16 January 1940, Page 7

THE BLOCKADES

Survivors of Granta TEN MISSING. fAust. & N.Z. Cable Assn.] (Received January 15, 9.0 p.m.). LONDON, January 15. , Survivors .from tfie iship Granta have landed on the north-west coast. It was learned that ten members of the crew are missing. “Columbus” Survivors ONE DETAINED ON SUSPICION. (Received-January 15, 9 p.m.) NEW YORK, January 14. Karl Schluter, a principal in the Rumrich, Hofmbn and Glazer spy trials in June, has been found among the liner Columbus’s crew, during a check of the survivors’ status. He is being detained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Schluter escaped to Germany in 1938, when Grand Jury indictments were prematurely made public. He joined F the liner “Columbus” on her South/ American run.

NORWEGIAN SHIP MINEb. [Aust. & N.Z„Gablp Assn.] OSLO, January 14. A. mjne sank-the? 7 steamer Fredv.P 0 n Sea ')nV January Tl. A Swedish steamer lancled five survivors at Koperviw. Eleven are missing. LIGHTHOUSES A'ND BUOYS. RUGBVj January 14. The Ministry of Economic Warfare announced, to-day: “Vhe Enemy Exports Committee has ifiven permission for the delivery of a (light arid whistle buoy of German manufacture, ordered , by the Icelandic authorities. The decision to allow the passage of this life-saving material accords with the committee’s policy of not interfering with humanitarian activities, on which civilised life is based. It will be remembered that German ‘ airmen, three days ago. attacked a lighthouse tender while she was convoying relief crews to light vessels off the east coast. Referring to this incident, a correspondent in Friday’s “Times” contrasted the attitude of King Louis XIV., with whom we were at war in the eighteenth century, when his men captured some British lighthouse men. The King ordered their release, saying, “Their work is for the benefit of all nations. I am at war with England, not with humanity.”

BRITISH LOSSES COMPARED WITH LAST WAR.

[Aust. & N.Z. Cable Assn.] LONDON, January 13.

An official statement in regard to sea- war says: Despite the enemy’s utmost use of mines and submarines since the outbreak, the British average monthly tonnage loss has only been two-thirds of that in the last war, and one-third of that in 1917, which was the worst year for naval losses, and barely half the losses for the first four months of the last war. For every thousand tons, of shipping sunk, 110,000 tons had safely arrived up to January 30. The contraband control seized 538,000 tons, which was 212,000 over the total loss in the same period.

NOT TRUSTED ? RUGBY, January 13. Reports yesterday of demands made in most premptory and threatening terms .by Field-Marshal Goering to German industrialists, in his new capacity as Economic Dictator for the Reich, have had a curious light thrown upon them by an incident now revealed by the London Chamber of Commerce. Four representatives of British shipping interests were authorised by the British Government to meet, German ship-owners in neutral countries to discuss problems of the cargoes detained in neutral ports. The British business men duly proceeded to Rotterdam, where a meeting was to take place, but so little trust could the Nazi Government repose in German business representatives, apparently, that it insisted that the negotiators should not meet. They must occupy separate rooms, ard conduct the business through a Dutch intermediary. Not content with this precaution, the Nazi authorities provided the German shipping representatives with an official Nazi chaperone—a functionary frem the Nazi Foreign Office.

Aliens in Britain

[British Official Wireless.] RUGBY, January 14. The aliens tribunals, which have been engaged in considering the cases of enemy aliens in Britain, since October, have now, with a few exceptions, completel their tasks. As a result, 436 Germans and 50 _ Austrians have been interned. These 486 people were placed by the tribunals in Category A, which means. internment in camp. A total of 7,199 Germans and 822 Austrians were placed in Category B, which exempts them from, internment, but not from special restrictions. These impose limitations on the freedom of an enemy alien to .change his residence without receiving the approval of the police in advance, and prevent him from travelling without a permit more than five miles from his registered address. In Category C, which exempts both from internment and special restrictions, were placed 47,285 Germans and 6,597 Austrians. The numbers interned are remarkably small, compared with the last war, at the end of which nearly 30,000 enemy iliens were in internment camps.

Where a tribunal was satisfied that an alien was a genuine refugee, it added to the certificate the words, “Refugee from Nazi oppression.” Special consideration was given to the cases of British-born women, who by marriage to Germans or Austrians, had acquired their husbands' nationality. .

The total of 62,389 includes 48,233 refugees, of whom 120 were ordered to be interned, 5.416 were placed in Category B, and 42,697 in Category c. Of 14,156 non-refugees, 366 were ordered to be interned,. 2,665 were given B endorsements, and 11,185 were placed in Category C. Of these 11,185 over 7000 are women, and among the 7000 are 2000 British-born women.