THE PRISONERS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 16843, 29 April 1915, Page 7

THE PRISONERS.

MALTREATMENT OF BRITISH. LORD KITCHENER CONVINCED. CONSTANT TESTIMONY RECEIVED. B-» Telegraph—Pres* Association—Copyright. LONDON, April 27. Lord Kitchener, speaking in tho House of Lords in reply to a question in. regard to the treatment of prisoners, saad that hitherto he always held German officers in respect, but now with the greatest reluctance he was forced to accept as incontestably true the maltreatment by the German army of British prisoners. The constant testimony received, not only from bur own escapees, but from French, Russian, Belgian and American sources, that the inhumanity *>t tho German authorities was especially towards the British was beyond doubt. . The Hague Convention laid down sufficient rules for the treatment of prisoners, and if these were observed the belligerents could not reasonably complain. Articles 4 and 7 liacl been flagrantly disregarded. So.no officers Lad lsitelj* boon subjected to solitary confinement in retaliation for supposed ill-treatment of Germans in tins country. Ho hoped shortly to receive evidence on the point. Germany for many years had posed to the civilised world as a great military nation. She had abundantly proved her skill and courage. Surely she should set a standard in military honour which would gain her the respect if not friendship of.tlio nations. Instead she stooped to acts which would indelibly stain her militarj- history, wing with the barbarous savagery of the Soudan dervishes. He did not think there could be a soldier of any nationality, oven amongst tho Germans themselves, who was not heartily ashamed of the slur cast on the profession of arms. Tho usages of war had rot only been outraged by cruelties, but Germans had introduced the method of placing their opponents liors de combat by using asphyxiating gases, when according to the rules of war their attack might otherwise have failed. Germany signed the article of The Hague Convention prohibiting such methods.

The High Commissioner reports:— Lord Kitchener in tlio House of Lords said that British'prisoners wero stripped and maltreated in various ways. In some cases .there was evidence proving that they are also shot in cola blood. Even wounded officers are wantonly insulted and frequently struck, according to the testimony of the Germans themselves. It was only right to say that tlie German hospitals were excepted from the charges of deliberate inhumanity.

REPRISALS POLICY. OBJECTIONS IN HOUSE OF LOROS. LONDON, Ai>ril 27. Lord Lansdowne, - in • the House of Lords, said that ho gj-eatly regretted the reprisals policy, which a Christian country ooukt not deliberately adopt. He deplored the Admiralty’s action towards submarine crews.. The real culprits were the German Government. There were other forms of retaliation. Ho suggested compensating victims out of funds levied on Or map property in Britain. , , . Lord Cromer said that strong feeling existed in the Army against the Admiralty’s policy in regard to submarine crews. . , Lord Lucas said tnat» (icnnany Jiwl now given Sir Gerard. American Aiubassador in Berlin, and nine ol Ids staff permission to visit prison camps. Germany had also agreed to the distribution of the British Government’s monev, which would lio placed in Mr Gerard’s hands, and to the sending of simple foodstuffs to prisoners. SUBMARINE PRISONERS. STATEMENT -BY MR CHURCHILL. LONDON. April 27. In the House of Commons, Mr Churchill, in reply to a question, said that no special conditions applied to Germa.n prisoners because t bay-had fought in submarines, bui special conditions applied to prisoners wantonly killing noncombatants, neutrals and women on tho high seas. They couldnot recognise persons systematically employee in sinking merchant ships and fishing vew&te. without warning and regardless life, on th« «£me footing as sinking of lisn^

era after February 18, and ns long as tho system continued, in a distinct and separate category'. He could not for the present tell how far it woujd he possible to bring homo to belligerent nations at the end of the war the result of their . action, nor what reparation of a special character could be exacted. Tho treatment of submarine prisoners was humane. .America’s representative had been offered facilities to make a report, pro-., vided reciprocal facilities were offered by' Germany. Thirty-nine German submarine men were thus interned. Germany’s reprisals could not be allowed to influence the action Britaiif.regarded as necessary.

to influence the action liman; regarded as necessary. • ■. • GERMAN BRUTALITY. REPARATION TO BE EXACTED. LONDON, April 27. Mr Asquith, speaking in the House of Commons, said that the Germans from the lie ginning had treated British prisoners with indiscriminate harshness. At the end of the war tho Go-vernment-would not forget tho horriblo record of calculated cruelty and crime, and would exact such reparation' against the guilty as it might bo possible to inflict.