The Hawera Star. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1928. AN ECHO OF THE WAR.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 31 October 1928, Page 6

The Hawera Star.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1928. AN ECHO OF THE WAR.

Delivered every evening by fr o'olook In uswera. Manair.. Normanby. Okaia.ua. Eltbam, Mangaloki. Kaponga, Alton, lurlejville Patea. Waverlev, Mo_oia Wnakamara, Ohangai, Meremere. Frasei Kno.it. and Ararata.

The cable message dealing with the sinking of .the Lusitania! recalls the terrible act that shocked the conscience of the world and mobilised against Germany the public opinion and armed might of formerly neutral nations. It was mo part of the German intention to exempt passenger vessels from attack by submarines, for early in "that year am announcement made it specifically plain that liners were liable to danger, and several were sunk. But the destruction of the Lusitania, when over a thousand men, women, and children ■went to their' death, was the colossal blunder of the war. No happening Shaft such a. powerful influence on the future course of events, and no action taken by the enemy so effectively determined the result of the great struggle. The jubilation which in Germany' greeted tbits tragedy of submarine warfare was soon greatly restrained, for gimong those drowned wow citizens of the United .States, mind the invitation roused by previous sinkings' was l swamped by the rising tide of auger that'followed the, sinking of the Lusitania. Conscious, when too late, "that this act had antagonised neutrals to n. degree little expected, and impressed by the intense feeling shown by the United' States, German, political authorities gave way and issued orders that pafesenger ships were to. be spared unless they made deliberate attempts to injure submarines. This reservation had important conse-

quences, for a few weeks later the commander of a German submarine, assuming a. liner iut'onded to .ram him, .torpedoed her without warning, with the loss of many lives, and American: indignation flamed up anew. To placate it, orders' went out that no, passenger ships wore to be stink without duo regard to the safety of those on board. But Germany, in. a manner that is almost incomprehensible, had 1 succeeded in reaching the limit of American .patience, and what followed is a matter of history. The story that the commander of the German submarine that sunk the Lusitania; was reprimanded by the Kaiser and blamed by 'his fellow-officers is very much at variance with the exhibitions of delight reported at the time. Commander Schweiger lost hi® life ini a. U-boat later in .the war, and the version attributed to him, that the Lusitania, was sunk “iby chance'’ may or may not bo correct. . But outside Germany the opinion will jbe generally held that he was simply carrying out a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare' on, all vessels, dictated by the leaders of the .nation.