THE LUSITANIA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16907, 5 December 1922, Page 4

THE LUSITANIA.

DID NOT CARRY CONTRABAND. By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright Australian inui A .7. Cable Association. NEW YORK. December 4. The “Now York World” publishes a copv of tho report which Xlr A. Dunley "Field Malone, Collector of tlie Port of New York under the Wilson Administration. t» ade to the State Department concerning the character of the cargo of the Lusitania when she left this port on the trip which ended in her being torpedoed. Mr Malone explains that thousands of inquiries had been made for information from various organisations throughout the world ; that the State Department could not publish the report, because it was part of its archives, and therefore secret; and that he considers the present time expedient for its publication. The report reveals that the Lusitania carried neither masked nor unmasked guns. neither Canadian troops nor troops of any nationality, and no explosives. But she did carry 5460 cases of small arm ammunition, fuses, shrapnel, cartridges and. shell casings. The foreign ainthuration was carried under a ruling of the United States Department of Commerce, which had been in force since 1911. The Department of Commerce ruling stated that the results of tests justified beyond doubt j the conclusions that small guns ammunition might he transported without re- ( strict ion on steamers carrying passen- ! gers. Mr Malone's report farther states that in the T usitania’s structure, at certain points, bases were laid for tho mounting of guns of six-inch calibre, upon an Admiralty order, so that should tho Lusitania be called on for service in the British Navy, she would he more readily adaptable for naval purposes. The bases at all times were, however, covered with deck planking, showing the falseness of ihe assertions that guns were mounted when she sailed. The report further indicates that the vessel was most carefully examined for the purpose of seeing whether a violation of neutrality had been made, and the vessel passed a complete test by competent- inspectors, as being within the American neutrality law. The Cunard liner Lusitania, carrying over two thousand men, women and children, left New York for Liverpool on May 1, 1915. She was torpedoed on f May 7. The total loss of life was 1150, • of whom 114 were known to be Ameriear citizens. The German official report of the sinking was that the submarine sighted the steamer, which showed no flag, on May 7 at 2.30 o’clock, on the south-east coast of Ireland. in line, clear weather. At 3.10 o’clock one torpedo was fired at the Lusitania, which hit her starboard side below the captain's bridge. The detonation of the torpedo was followed immediately by a further explosion of extremely strong effect. The ship quickly listed to starboard and began to sink. “ The second explosion,” says the report, “ must be traced back to the ignition of quantities of ammunition inside the ship.” Tlie jury which sat in Ireland and investigated the deaths of a number of the victims,. after certifying the cause of death, said: “We find that the appalling crime was committed contrary to international law and the conventions of all civilised nations. We also charge the officers of said submarine and the Emperor and the Government of Germany, under whose orders I they acted, with the crime of wholesale murder before the tribunal of the civilised world.” On May 10. 1915, the German Foreign Office sent a despatch to the German Embassy at Washington, expiessing its deepest sympathy at tlie loss of lives on board the Lusitania, but adding: “The responsibility rests, however, with the British Government, which, tlirough its plan of starving the civilian population of Germany, lias forced Germany to resort to retaliatory measures. In spite of the German offer to stop tlie submarine war in case the starvation plan was given up. British merchant vessels are being genoi ally armed with guns, and have repeatedly tried to ram submarines, so that a previous search was impossible.” The British official reply was that as far hack as the previous December Admiral von Tirpitz foreshadowed a pvbmarine blockade of Great Britain, end a merchant ship and. a hospital ship were torpedoed on January 30 and February 1 respectively. The reply further stated that the Lusitania was rot armed on her Jest voyage, and had rot been armed during the whole war. “The presence of contraband on board a neutral vessel -does render her liable to capture,” said the reply, “ but certainly not to destruction with the loss of a large portion of her crew and passengers. Every enemy vessel is a fair prize, hut there is no legal provision, not to speak of the principles of humanity, which would justify what can only be described as murder because a vessel carries contraband.” A German official report issued on May 8 stated: “The Lusitania was naturally armed with guns, as were recently most of tlie English mercantile steamers. Moreover, as i<? well known here, she had large quantities of war material in her cargo.” In the “ New York Times ” of May 9 Mr Dudley Field Malone, Collector of the Port, gave an official denial to Ihe German charge that the Lusitania lad guns mounted when she left the port on May 1. He said: “This report is not correct. Tlie Lusitania was inspected before sailing, as is customary. No guns were found, mounted or unmounted, and the vessel sailed without any armament. No merchant ship would be allowed to arm in this, port and leave the harbour.”