PURE FICTION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 81, 18 November 1911, Page 6

PURE FICTION.

AN ALLEGED INCIDENT AT SUVA. DENIAL BY GERMAN CONSUL. London, ■November 17. Tl so German Consul-General declares 'that the cabled Cormorant incident at Suva is pine fiction. When he first’ heard of the story a month ago lie cabled to the German Consul at Fiji, who reported that when the Cormorant arrived there was no British warship in the harbour. Two arrived within a couple of days. t The intercourse between the Cormorant’s officers and the -Government officials was entirely friendly. The Cormorant’s commander and officers were present at a party given by the Governor in honour of the warship Cambrian's officers. The Cormorant remained, for six days at Suva.

The Consul also denies the Melbourne statement that a German cruiser of strong power and armament laid been cruising among-the Pacific Islands within striking distance of Australia. Only two small German cruisers,, the Cormorant and the Condor, and the survey ship Planet, were in these waters.

The officer in charge of the Garden island naval station declares there can he no truth in the Suva story. Otherwise, the naval authorities would have heard of it.'

A message from Vancouver stated that tho steamer Manama brought a report that the captain of the German cruiser Cormorant at Suva asked permission to send important cables to Germany, hut the captain of the British cruiser Prometheus refused, giving the German warship a brief time to leave the harbour. The latter left.