CHILIAN NEUTRALITY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144666, 28 April 1915, Page 5

CHILIAN NEUTRALITY.

SERIOUS BREACHES BY GERMANY. It will he remembered that a few days ago a cable message from 1/ondon was published to the effect that tho Admiralty had offered an unqualified apology to tho Chilian Government for the breach of neutrality committed by the destruction of the Dresden while within territorial waters on tho coast of Juan Fernandez;. There is reason to believe that this British disregard of the sanctuary sought by the notorious enemy ship was tho result of a series of gross' violations of Chilian neutrality hy the Germans themselves. From a Peruvian paper we learn that the Chilian authorities had been greatly embarrassed by illegal actions by German vessels, which they found themselves powerless to prevent or punish. Towards the end of November two of the Kosmos liners (a German line operating in South American waters), the Lnscor and Memphis, had been secretly coaled and provisioned, and .surreptitiously left Chilian ports without clearance papers, with the object of supplying the German licet then off tho coasts of” Chili. When called upon for an explanation tho manager of the Kosmos Line said he took no responsibility, as it was well known-that his Government had first claim on all the company’s vessels. This incident led to an order by tho Chilian Government prohibiting the supply or shipment of stores at any part of the Republic to the steamers of the Kosmos Lino. A further serious incident was tho seizure of tho coalladen American ship Sacramento and the transfer of her cargo in Chilian waters. Although it was generally believed that the matter was prearranged Captain Jacobsen has declared that ho was captured, taken to Juan Fernandez, and robbed of his cargo. A Santiago dispatch states that the authorities at Valparaiso had made inquiries and found it established that the German squadron (since destroyed by Admiral Sturdee) had violated the neutrality of Chilian waters by remaining a number of days at one of the small islands off the coast, capturing two neutral vessels and taking coal and foodstuff's from them, provisioning from German steamers that left Chilian ports without clearance papers, and finally sinking tho French schooner Valentine when only half a, mile off the coast of Chili. Similar steps to preserve neutrality have been taken by the Government of Peru, and it was anticipated that the action of both Republics would prove effective to rid tho West Coast of the plague of German commerce-' raiders, wheih have done far more harm to Chilian and Peruvian trade than to the commerce of any of the belligerent Powers. The West Coast Leader (Lima, Pern) published a list of vessels in tho pdrt of Callao in January, from which it appears that, despite the presence of Admiral von Spec’s fleet in tho Pacific, five large Gorman ships had found it convenient to lay up, two of them since tho outbreak of hostilities. On the other hand, British and Russian vessels had boon loading and clearing very much as usual.