DANGEROUS FICTION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12615, 18 November 1911, Page 5

DANGEROUS FICTION.

(Press Assn.—By Telegraph.— Copyright.? SYDNEY, November 17. The German Consul-General -declares that the cabled Cormorant incident at Suva is pure fiction. When he first heard the, story a month ago, he cabled the German- Consul at Fiji, who reported that when the Cormorant arrived there were, no British warships in the harbor. Two arrived within a couple of days. The intercourse of the Cormorant's officers and the Government officials was entirely friendly . ; . 'The Cormorant's commander and officers, were at a recent party given by the Governor in honor of the warship Cambrian's, officers. The Cormorant remained six daya at Suva. He also denies the- Melbourne statement that a- German 'cruiser jof strong power and ' armament .'has been cruising in: the Pacific Islands '-within striking distance of Australia, ; . and .'• says that only two small German 'cruisers, the Cormorant and the Condor ,,attd the survey .ship, the Planet, are ;in -these waters.' ■ .7.'.:: [■ The officers in charge of the Garden Island station declared there can be no truth iii the Suva story, otlieru'ise, tlie naval authorities would have heard of it. ..'. ; ; (Received November 18, 8.5, a.m,). MELBOURNE, November 18. . Senator G. F. Pearce, Federal Minister of Defence, states that he does not consider there is any : dagger i'.to' ■■'peace by the presence at Sufro '-of the -_ German warship Cormorant, which . visited the South Pacific previously without, disturbing the : equanimity 'qf the!" ; defence authorities. : , ;• ,"•:■;-. \* AUCKLAND, tliis,day r Dr. Fredrich Schone, of .B.erjiu,.. who is at present in Auckland, states.: that the alleged naval incident, at ;-Fiji mentioned "in the . cable message .^vas; \vith- :- out any foundation. He was<a guest^pn the Cormorant during that ves'tseTs'a'rmse among the islands, and when she; V "sited. Suva he states that the relations ibStween the commander arid the ijapta-iiv :|of H.M.S. Prometheus, which was;'*a-t '•^u'va at the same time, were of a mpst-frie"ild- s ly character, and that; no Request to despatch cable messages was either made or refused. - -