SPECIAL EDITION

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11479, 30 August 1915, Page 1

SPECIAL EDITION

AJB- RAIDS. LONDON, Aiyruet © Mr Balfour, to a correepon---«>nt, asking why Eng-lisfa report* of Gc: man air raids were moagre, while Ger man narratives of the BUme event. were rich in lurid detail, and (assorting thut German narratives axe widely believed by neutrals, whi]« the roti wuce of the censored British Frees suggested a suspicion that impleas&nl truths were hidden from a uorvoits publio, quoted the AdmireKy's an* nouncornenti regarding the air rai'i cabled on Augnet 10, and compared this wit.h tho story in the " Deut&ciic Tageezeitunfr," which said: "Our uava-1 air«hipa carried out attacks on fortified const towns and harbours on the mu. coaet of England, deepite etrenui !/ufi opposition, and bombed British warships in tho Thameß docke, London, md torpedo craft at the base at Harwick, together with important posilioDM on this Humbcr. Good results: wre observed by our airships, which rt fumed c-afely from a euccessfuJ undertaking." Mr Balfour commented:—" If on© - story or \he other is faise. why not <ixpiain the discrepancy and tell the world. The German* distort facts. The reason if, simple. The Zeppelin* attack at night time, pref«r»bly on. a moonlese night, when landmarks we elusive and navigation difficult. Errors are inevitable, and sometime*: of eurprising magnitude; The Gej rnaua oonatantly a*eert, and may sometimes believe, that they dropped bomb.' on places which they never approached. Why make their future voyages easier by explaining blunders, Binco their errors are our gain? Why dissipate thom ? Let us l&am what we can from the enemy and teach him only whs*' we must. This reticence is judwieious." " It may still be nskod whether thi reticence was not mere! yaaed to embarrass the Garmane, but also r.7.duly reassure the British. What h&v* (he Zeppelins done How ought we to rate bliem las weapons of attack, ecc [svhat can they do? I cannot pro |phesy. The future method of w&rfafe' lis still in its infancy, but I ca.n sec something of past results. It has unhappily, certainly caused much siiSei--iug to many innocent people. Even this result, with ail its tragedy, has been magnified out of all proportion by all informed rumour. The Home Office stateath at in the past year seventy-one civilian adults and eighty phildren have been killed and 189 civilion adults and thirty-one children injured."