ECHOES OF THE WAR.

Otago Witness, Issue 3400, 14 May 1919, Page 47

ECHOES OF THE WAR.

(By Cable). CAPTAIN FRYATT'S CASE. ■ Two members of the commission (German) -which investigated the treatment of prisoners have published a declaration opposing the commission's finding in the Captain Fryatt case. They described the sentence as an utterly inexcusable mistake. THE ARMY OF OCCUPATION. The British and American armies of occupation -will remain in Germany for two years. VON TIRPITZ AND THE U BOATS. The New York Sun's Berlin correspondent states that an intimate friend of von Tirpitz says the admiral's book will blame Dr von Bethmann-Hollweg (then Imperial Chancellor) for the policies which resulted in the war as well as for the failure of the U boat warfare. Von Tirpitz will say that von Bethmann-Hollweg favoured ruthless U boat activities, but his vacillating policy gave Britain the opportunity to organise the vast defensive measures which defeated Germany. A German submarine commander, accused of sinking hospital ships, is lodged in the Tower of London. INDEMNITIES TO RELATIVES OF VICTIMS. The International Congress of Transport Workers unanimously passed a resolution urging the German representatives to induce their Government to use all possible means to indemnify the relatives of the 20,000 people killed in submarine warfare. The Belgian representatives refused to vote, because the conference refused to say " murdered" instead of "killed." INCREASED PAY FOR NAVAL MEN. The Admiralty has increased the pay and pensions for petty officers and non-com-missioned men in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, bringing the pay up to the Australian navy standard. This increases the cost by £2,839,000 annually. The total cost is now £5,447,000 annually, and eventually it will be £6,148,000. SURRENDERED GERMAN VESSELS. In the House of Commons Mr T. J. Macnamara (Parliamentary Secretary for the Admiralty) said that one light cruiser had been sold since the armistice, and arrangements were proceeding for disposing of 11 vessels of different classes. It was hoped soon to dispose of a further 150 obsolete ships, to be broken up. LUNCHEON SPEECHES. Mr Daniels (Secretary of the United States Navy), at a luncheon at the Savoy Hotel, said : "America's day of isolation is over. The war has resulted in a new horizon and a new map. When America entered the war she assumed new responsibilities for a world peace and world conditions, from which she could not escape if she would, and from which she would not if she could. •" - Lord Fisher said the British navy dominated, not domineered, the world. When he first went to the Admiralty he was asked what his politics were. He replied : "I have none." He voted consistently with both sides, and supported the party which gave the most money to the navy. Ha added : "You can play the fool with anything else, and probably ruin the country, but you cannot play the fool with the navy. The greatest Englishman who ever lived was George Washington, and he taught us how to rule the colonies. But for Washington, America to-day might have been another, Ireland."

CONSPIRING TO MUTINY. . A conspiracy to mutiny in the British fleet and among the soldiers to demobilise themselves has been discovered in England according to the Daily Mail. Agitators are endeavouring to incite the troops who enlisted under the Derby recruiting scheme to refuse duty after May 11 on the ground that they were entitled to their discharge six months after the cessation of hostilities under the terms of their enlistment, though this, interpretation is officially disputed. Leaflets have been widely distributed at depots, also at naval stations. Police raids on .a number of private houses resulted in the seizure of literature. The police also raided the offices of the Sailors, Soldiers, and Airmen's Union. It transpires that the Soldiers' Union, which was planning Sunday's mutiny and distributing propaganda amongst the troops, declaring : "You can start a British revolution, which, ~ once started, would never be stamped out. The Russian revolution placed the Russian workers in control of the army and navy. Why not have a revolution of our own and get control of our own country?" The leaders advocated bombing Buckingham Palace and the deposition of the King. Many soldiers, who joined with a view to accelerating demobilisation, resigned on learning the real intentions of" the promoters. SPEECH BY GENERAL PAU. " I never doubted victory after I saw you," crie-d General Pau to 5000 Australian soldiers at the Anzac Day dinner to-night to the Anzaes on furlough in Paris. General Pau had a magnificent reception. The gathering was markedly home-sick, great cheers following Mr Hughes's promise to speed up the homegoing. Mr Hughes said that peace was still elusive, and ho feared that the peace would be unsatisfactory and unenduring. It would not include the cost of the war, nor

be a worthy return for the sacrifices made. Bolshevism was spreading like a prairie fire. The Allies were retreating. Peace was a hollow mockery. Germany had become arrogant. The world wanted to know what the Allies' answer would be if she refused to sign even these terms. He urged that Germany should be told she must sign within i 4 days or peace would be enforced. " Wo hear much about the League of Nations banishing wars." he said, "but the league's leaders, with armies massed had been unable, owing to disagreements, to enforce the terms of the armistice, and whilst the CouncDs of Ten and Four have been talking without acting Bolshevism has made greater strides than in all its lurid history. " Europe is ablaze, Egypt and India are ablaze, and a lasting peace now eludes us." • HONORING AMERICANS. It has been decided to give General Pershing and his American generals an official welcome on the 22nd inst. They will cross the Channel in British warships. The streets of London will be lined troops. General Pershing will will lead a procession of American troops on the 24th, his Majesty the King taking the salute at Buckingham Palace. WAR PAINTINGS. Mr H. S. Power's picture for the Royal Academy has just been finished. It is a large painting, being one of those from the various Australian artists commissioned by the Commonwealth Government to produce works for the War Museum. It depicts the batteries of the First Australian Division changing ground in the battle of Ypres in July, 1917. The Commonwealth Government -has already secured 1500 sketches and studies for the War Museum. CASEMENT'S IRISH BRIGADE. Cap'tain F. E. Guest, Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury, states that it will be impossible to prosecute the men who joined Casement's . Irish Brigade whilst prisoners of war ■in Germany. Orders nave been issued, however, for their discharge from the army on the ground of misconduct. .., HUMBERT AND HIS FRIENDS. - Ex-Senator Humbert has been acquitted on a charge of trafficking with the enemy in connection with the purchase of the newspaper Le Journal in 1915. He acquired a controlling interest in that paper with money supplied by Lenoir, who was arrested on a charge of having obtained funds from Germany. It was alleged that Humbert accepted over £200,000 from 8010 Pasha to pay out to Lenoir. The latter was convicted. and sentenced to death. Lenoir has been found guilty of exchanging intelligence with the enemy and has been senteded to death, and Desouhes (Lenoir's lawyer) to five years' imprisonment. Ex-Senator Humbert and Ladoux (? Landou) were both acquitted. LAND FOR SETTLEMENT. Only 147 English landlords hava responded to the appeal to provide land for settlement for ex-soldiers. These landlords offer to sell 30,000 acres. The Board of Agriculture is compulsorily acquiring an additional 6000 acres. ' RETURNING AUSTRALIANS. Thirty-three steamers are taking troops to Australia during the next four weeks. Most of the vessels are going in ballast, owing to the paucity of cargo offering. REPORTED REVOLUTION IN SERBIA. A revolution has broken out. There is sanguinary fighting. It is expected that Soviet Government will be proclaimed. DEMOBILISATION. (From the Representative with the New Zealand Peace Delegation, Mr Riley.) As regards demobilisation, New Zealand notably occupies the best position among the dominions respecting the percentage of troops returned or afloat, and present circumstances suggest the maintenance of that condition, as 13 ships are leaving England for New Zealand between now and the first week in June. This result is very satisfactory in view of the fact that earlier in the year strikes in various English ports held up shipping for about six weeks, causing serious congestion in New Zealand's' export of produce and stores. All things considered, the dominion has gained a good share of the available shipping, and tha position is new generally satisfactory.

NEW ZEALAND COMPLIMENTED. Many complimentary references , have been made to the fine bearing of. the New Zealand troops at the farewell march past the King at Buckingham Palace last Saturday, when both New Zealand Ministers were present. Mr Massey, owing to urgent business, was unable to leave Paris by the ordinary train, but he travelled by goods train to Boulogne on Friday night, crossed the Channel in a destroyer early in the morning, and reached London from Dover in time to attend at the palace and witness the excellent procession- of oversea troops. The Minister returned to Paris on Sunday night, and on Tuesday they both attended the secret session of the Conference at which the Peace Treaty was expounded, and on Wednesday they were present at the historic ceremony at Versailles. AUSTRALIAN WAP LOAN. The Australian Government is issuing two new series of war savings certificates, bearing compound interest at £5 3s per cent.—one purchasable at 15s 6d and redeemed at the end of fivo years, and the other costing 12s and redeemed at the end of 10 years for £l. e