South Wales Weekly Post

"ss??SiSf k t?F*H S FBBT?MVMB! TO IMS ELEVENTH HOUR I BEFORK WAR BROKE OUT, HOW FRANCE WORKED FOR PEACE. Poincare and King George. CORRESPONDEDCE BETWEEN THE KING AND PRESIDENT POINCARE WHICH WAS PUBLISHED BY THE FOHEIGN OFFICE ON FRIDAY NIGHT PROVES THAT UP TO THE VERY MOMENT OF THE DECLARATION OF I WA3. BOTH ENGLAND AND FRANCE WERE WORKING HARD FOR PEACE. The correspondence is as follows:- The President of the French Republic to the King. Paris, July 31, 1914. Dear and great Friend, in the grave events through which Europe is passing I feel bound to convey to your Majesty me information which the Govern- ment oi the Republic have received from Germany. ine military preparations which are being undertaken by the Imperial Government, especially in the immediate neighbourhood of the French frontier, are being pushed for- ward every day with fresh -vigour and speed. France, resolved to continue to the very end to do an thai lies within her power to main- tain peace, has, up to the present, confined herself solely to tiie most indispensable pre- cautionary measures. But it does not appear that her prudence end moderation serve to check Germany's action indeed, quite the reverse. e are, perhaps, then, in spite cf the moderation of the Government of the Republic and the calm of public cpinion, on the eve of the most terrible events. From all the iniorrnation which reaches us, it would seem that war would be inevit- aoie if Germany wore convinced that the British Covernment would not intervene in a conmct jn which Prance might be en- gaged. If, on the other hand, Germany were con- vinced that the Entente Cordiale would be affirmed in c.r:.SÐ of need, even to the extent of taking the field side by side, there would ce the greatest chance that peace would remain unbroken. It is true that our military and naval ar. rangements lea ve. complete liberty to vour Majesty's Government, and that in the letters exchanged in 1912 be-tween Sir Edward Grey" and M. Paul Cambcn, Great Britain and France entered into nothing more than a rrvtiiai agreement to consult one another in tne event of European tension, and to examine in concert whether common action were ad visable. But the Ci.ar.iCte_' of close friendship whch public feeling h"3 given in both countries to the Entente between Great Biitain and tranee, the confidence with which Otr two Governments have never oeased to work for the maintenance of peace, and the signs of 1 sympathy which your Majesty has ever shown to France, justify me in informing you quite frankly of my irupressions, which are those oi the Govwiiment of the Republic and oi all France. It is, I consider, on the language and the action of the British Government that hence- forward the j" LAST CHANCES OF A PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT depend. We ourselves, from the initial stages of the crisis, have enjoined upon our Allies an attitude of moderation, from which they have not swerved. In concert with Your Majesty s Government, and in conformity I wi+h Sir E. Grey's latet suggestions, we will continue to act or: the same lines. But if all efforts at conciliation emanate from one side, and if Germany and Austria can speculate on the abstention of Great Britain, Austria's dcinaiiiU will remain in- flexible, and an ag; cement between her and Russia will bci'cnie impossible. I am pro- foundly -o.ivinced that at the present mom cut, the more Great Britain. France and Russia can give a deep impression thatthey are united in the.r diplomatic action, the more possible will it be. to count upon the preservation of peace. I beg that your Majesty will excuse a step which is only inspired by the hope of seeing the European balance of power defi- nitely reaffirmed. R. POINCARE. Th King to the Pr-p-io-nt of the French Republic. Buckingham Palace, Aug. 1, 1914. Dear and great Friend, I most highly appreciate the' sentiments which moved you to write to me in so cor- dial and friendly a F-p- rl t, and I am grate- ful to you for having stated your views so flillv and frankly. You may be assured that the present situation in Europe has been the cause of much anxiety and ™-roccupation to me, and I am glad to P,;p 1.. +1, 'It Our two Governments 'tave workea t.u amicauiy together in en- deavouring to find a peaceful solution of the questions at issue. It would be a eoTirc" of real satisfaction tf) me if our united efforts were to meet with su'ccess, and I "'I'" still not without hope that the terrible events which seem so near may be averted.. I admire the restraint which you and your Government are exercising in refrain- ing from taking undue military measures on the frontier, and not adopting an at- titude which could ;n any wise be inter- preted as a provocative one. o Tam Personally using my best endeavours with the Emperors of Russia and of Ger- many toward s finding some solution bv which actual military operations may at any rate be postponed, and time bo thus given for calm discussion between the Powers. I intend to prosecute these efforts in- termission so long as nny hope remains of an .micable sett! vnent. v Believe me, M. lc President, (Signed) GEORGE R.I.

I LONDON SENSATION. DISCOVERY IN HYDE PARK. The body of a middle-aged woman was on Friday night discovered in a ditch at the north-western corner of Hyde Park, Lon- don, with several wounds in the lower part of the body, and also in the throat and on th.- arm, apparently inflicted with a knife. It is stated that no weapon has been found by the police, who are diligently pursuing their inquiries into the affair. "PARTICULARLY BRUTAL MURDER." Further investigations show that the woman, who has been identified as Annie Eldzfbeth Jarman, of Crescent-street-, Nott- inO" Hill, aged forty-one, was the victim of fnu] play of a particularly brutal type. Detectives have been digging in the vicinity in the hope of tracing the weapon with which the murder was committed, but so far their efforts have proved unsuccess- ful.

"MAftGH! DON'T HOT! of 4ft WAR FEVER IN IT-AL' yii f i ROME CROWD IN I MARTIAL MOOD. I ROME, Friday. Parliament has entered upon its work in a spirit of dignity and restraint. None who witnessed tne strange happenings in the streets and passed from them to the i unruffled atmosphere of the Chamber will readily forget the impression. At noon in the streets there was that feeling in the air which indicates that the soul of the passing crowd is held by some real emotion. Before the Parliament House a great open space filled with people, but troops cleared them into the Corso and formed a close cordon, all in pei-fect good, temper, The waiting multitudl chattered, greeted friends, and gossiped with the, soldiers. Suddenly they were silent, sLi etching to see ahead. A great shout rent the air for Signor Salandra, the Premier, as his motor-car passed, and; there was a deafenljag chorus of "Viva la Guerra?" The chattering began again, and Signor Marinetti, the Futurist, seized women to distribute leaflets headed Marciare, ncn marcire!" (" March, don't rot!") The crowd became em- P. T h ere were three phatic, callirg for war. There were three trumpet blasts, a clarge by the troops, and the crowd gave ground, leaving Signor Marinetti a prisoner. In another direction a young man led up a crowd carrying a tricolour. Hera, and there there were short speeches,! iskirmishes, and cheers, and once a signifi-! I cant volume of noise greeted the cry of I "War oe. Rovolutiont let them choose?" | Inside the Chamber business prcoeeded with admirable calm. Touching upon the earthquake disaster Signor Salandra rose to the occasion. He caught the ear I of the whole Chamber in the measured dignity of his speech. One passage seemed to bear significance beyond the mntter of the earthquake. The Italian peopie/' he said, forti^cd in their hour of trouble, will hold firmiy and undaunted to their faith in the future of .1. "aly Italy to-day more than ever, Calif: upen hsr sons to remember that destiny lies not in the narrow compass of tho present nor of this generation. Let us look to the memory of the past and to all our hopes i and ideals which are founded on the future." In this striking peroration he I asked the Chamber to face the inter-i national position with singleminded patriotism. The ovation which greeted; his warning was a splendid answer. Meanwhile out in the streets the crowds: called for war. The enemies of Italy must have seen in the calculated dignity of the Chamber that Italy ho.ds herself un-i troubled and ready to declare herself only when the hour strikes.—(" Daily Mail.),

PARIS FEELS THE I STRESS. SAD HEARTS AND SECRET I SUFFERING. I The tragedies that lie behind the/ screen of war, intimate and sordid, in Pans, would astonish those who see only on the surface of things (says the Times.") Women who had their lilv tOr-ears, their rec-eption days, their; boxes at tho opera, are in great straits. In the privacy of their homes they dress doils for a mere pittance for the French bt":0ion at San Francisco. Painters whose pictures in normal times sell for hun- dreds of pounds are glad to part with them to speculative dealers for as many francs. If this is the case with coie.1 brated artists, it is not difficult to pic- ture the suff.-rings of the obscure. The condition of the theatre worker is perhaps more hopeless than any. He is legion in Paris, the world-centre of the drarra, and has the "triste" consola- tion of starving in company. The people have No heart for the theatre: that is most powerful argument of any. No house is without its secret sorrow—! a husband, brother, son missing, maimed, or perhaps dead. And other and material reasons con- tribute to the dearth of theatres. One is the comparative absence of communi- cations. The undergrounds and trams stop running shortly after 11 o'clock; there are no omnibuses--they are all at the front-and taxis are practicaily non- existent in the night. Thus the dwellers in suburban Paris have no choice but to remain at home. I

THREE LOAVES A I WEEK. BERLIN'S FOOD RATIONS. I BUTTER HALF-A-CROWN A I POUND. Some interesting glimpses on life in the German capital aie given in an article by Miss.Mary Jones, of Bryn Geler, Bryn- road, Lampeter, who recently returned from Berlin, where she had been detained until February 5th. For the iast seven years Miss Jones has been engaged as a tutor in Germany. Unemployment and distress are rife, in- dustry is practicaiiy at a standstill, and such I is the scarcity of food that every family in the capital is restricted to three loaves of I bread a week. People are kept in ignor- ance of the actual happenings of the war, the Fall of Paris has been openly cele- brated, and the newspapers have not men- tioned the British naval victories. Potato Bread. I No luxuries are used. The principle foods in Berlin during the last few months were potatoes and stale bread and dr.pping. Meat was very expensive, while potatoes were sold at ten pounds for 3id. An ard-er has been recently issued by which every family is allowed a maximum of three loaves a week. Any person who sells more than the specified number is liable to imprisonment. Bread is now made in Germany of potato flour and potatoes, and it is very heavy and difficult to digest. Before she left shop- • keepws were prohib'ted from telling flour. This course was adopted in order to see what sort of a harvest would be reaped this year. Loaves that were previously sold for 5d. now realised 7d. and 3d. Fight for Petroleum. I Butter was 2s ta1. per pound, and meat Is. 6d. to Is. 8d. Cooking eggs were sold for ld. each. Coil was plentiful, but petro- leum was very scarce. Policemen kept order outside petroleum stores, women often fight- ing with each other in tneir efforts to pro- cure some. Candles and matches are verv scarce and expensive. German people this year had to do with- out their Annual Christmas trees owing to t,he distress prevailirg. Trade is very slow in the big shops, and no English fashions are exhibited. Leather is very dear. Nearly all shopmen have left for the fronts, and have been replace by girls.

TREBOETH GROCER'S AFFAIRS. t A meeting me creott.ors of Mr. David Gricrson, of Treboeth khop, Treboeth, near Swansea, grocer, was held at tho Official Receiver's Office, Swansea, on Friday. The receiving order was made or, the 4th Feb., on debtor's petition. Liabilities amounted to IC456 4, i d., to £456 4s. 7d., assets £ 115 12s. 3d., leaving deficiency at £ 34o 12s. 4d. Debtor alleged causes oi failure were due to "a lot of illness td self, wife and family, bad trade, i eceiit, want of capital, and pressure by creditors. There were no resolutions, and tne ofIiciall Lieceiver remained trustee. t

FOOLING THE GERa MAN PUBLIC. I -I THE COMING FOOD I FAMINE. I I THE PEOPLE'S BITTER CRY. At the hospital here (says a "Daily Ex- press" correspondent in Northern France) I had a talk with a wounded Berlin lawyer of some distinctnn. He had been promoted from li-s office to the ranks, went wirough rhe fighting line,, and has been presented with a single ticket to London, all in six short weeks. He lost his arm at Bethune, and when I saw him he held in his solitary hand a copy of the "Express" asd other London papers; so I said, "I see you read our journals. "On; yes." he answered. "it is as I pre- dicted. We shall have a bread famine in our country. It means great .suffering." "Have you not good bread in Germany ?" I asked. t "No; it was bad enough when I was,, there, but now it is worse." "But how did it happen that when you were so perfectly equipped in all else, the very staff of life was neglected?" "We have but little," he went on. "Be- fore last harvest our Government circulated a report that our harvest would be the gieat- est ever known, and, as a fact, it was the poorest. I b..I10Vving war was at hand, the Govern- ment--I and all my fami'ly are OOcialists- without consultation or sanction, secretly sent emissaries through the Americas to pur- chase all available cereal. This was during June and July last, and after an endless line of lighters filled with grain began climbing the Rhine-fed canals of Germany from all the western ports, the farmers, believing there was a surplus, foroed their stock by overfeeding, and grain was lavishly used in many ways. The Government, was morally afraid to imdeoeive the people before the war reposi- tories were filled, and so the farmers went on feeding. Before even a quarter of the grain had been delivered from abroad war was precipitated—t-wo months too soon. The Emperor could not, as a SèHh; man, allow to pass an opportunity be had been praying for, hecause our SOCIalIst pertv was daily growing stronror and pressing hard to reduce taxation, which would have meant a reduction in the army, and that would have provoked a civil war. So The cvclons of war was saddled, and it is bsin"s: ridden; to end- But how can brea.d," I inquired, "be mere a question of the day than ammuni- tion?" Becan^e," lie said, "not one-fourth of the cereals Wught was eTer delivered, after the war b2gan, England's fleet saw that it should not arrive- .1 "When the har- vest lie was laid bar-c we began to retrench, but it was too late. Now, naturally, the G-erman army's upkeep is considered before ie neople's, and even the most refine^1 families are forced to eat a class of bread at which the stomach not only rebels, but aiter a while rejects. I "SInce being in the hospital nere i have read the English papers, and I find that ihis blockade comes as a despairing protest against the outrage England is committing. Wait a,nother mouth or two, and there will come a cry from every mouth, from the finest mansion in Berlin to the lowest tene- ment in the A cry for oreao. "If we could but a coming har- vest it would help a little, but vcmen can i aige beets not cereals, and from the prisoners we have at work there can be bnt a half-hearted result. In the jneantime c supply is dwindling, and for an army like ours bread is as necessary as powder." "But you have a few million horses yet to ;nt?" T said.. "Y ovt cannot eat the c keand bave it." he repb'cd. We need aJl the horses for the war" "You mentioned powder a moment ago, I said. Will voy have a powder famine, t;()? Dupont and other great experts say that if the war continues to expend nowdei at the present rate, the powder famine will crmo first." "We do not need meat, men, iron, or ven copper, and we. will not be stopped nowder 'is another ouestion. If England's fl"et and her domination over tlir •waller countries starves rs out of every- thine We cannot fisnt cn. I am surprised that you should s.c- knowl^Te s"f*h a possibility. T observed Don't be," he said; "^v father spent his life as I bave mirte._ battling f.or S"cial- isvn against th:s militarism, which may re- drtce niir conntd to beri- a<?a.-n on the foun- riiili-n we have been fighting for. "It was not until I 6BW Germany from tl--f, I reaped the 11"1 invincible strength against her. and. although it was asrairst my princin'es, I fc-ir—and now?" Then lie *i]entlv w^Vpd :>W<1V.

44 REUTERS WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS AGENCY. SWANSEA MAN WHO SERVED: ON STAFF. Heuter's, of Old Jewry, E.C., the most celebrated news agency in the world, cele- brates its jubilee this week. The company was formed on February 2u, 1865, although the news agency business had been carried on for fourteen years before then. Mr. Dickinson, the chief editor, who has been a member of the staff for over forty years, told a "Daily Express" representa- tive yesterday about Renter's tirst big "scoop," as an exclusive announcement is or,!led in newspaper-land. "It was the news of the assassination of President Lincoln in the theatre at Washing- ton, on April 14. 1865," said Mr. Dickin. son. At that time there was no Atlantic cable, and there was only one mail steamer a week between the United States and Eng- land. "The wekly mailboat had just started when Mr. Heck&her, Reuter's representa- tive in New; York. heard of the President's assassination. Hoe saw that there was not a second to lose, and. jamming the news in. side a tin canister, he dashed down to the riverside, jumped in a tug, overtook the mail- boat before she had got up full speed, and flung the canister aboard. "That was how the first news of Presi- dent Lincoln's death came to Europe, and, a.s there was no other mailboat for a week iliter. Reuter was r, week ahead of v£. J one on this side of the Atlantic in (announcing that tragic and world-startling event." Nowadays Reuter's Agency distributes three or four columns of news to all parts j of the world every day by cable. It not only brings the news of all the world to Lon- d&y, but sends London's latest items every- where, including Siam, Uganda, Persia, China, and Japan. Mr. Gwynne, the editor of the "Morning Post" (and a. native of Swansea), and Mr. Austin Harrison, the editor of the "English Review, are among the distinguished Lon- don journalists who have at one time or an- other served on the staff of Reuter's. < I

RUM RATTON FOR TROOPS. I "Alcohol taken in moderation is a valu- able food, especially when fatigued," said Dr. G. Earle, speaking yesterday at the Institute of Hygiene. Rum was about the most whcl?soma spirit procurable, much more so than brandy, whisky, or gin. Under prop"r (Ontrol th? rum ration was justi?,ed j by scientific mv&stigatien? t

KILLED FOUR WITH SHOVEL I BRITISH SOLDIERS I EXPLOIT. I I DEEDS AT LA BASSEE. Dear Food in Ger- many. PRESS BUREAU. Thursday Afternoon. Tiie following descriptive account, which has been communicated by an eye-witness present with the General Headquarteis, 1 continues and supplements the narrative pubH?hed on the 14tli 'nst. of the move- ments of the British force and the French armies m Jmm2diate Much with it: February 16th, 1915. On Thursday, toe lltii, and iriday, tiie 12th, the lack of serious action on our front continued. There was on both days a cer- tain amount uf shelling of points near the oentie of our line, and on the right our trench mortars did considerable execution on Friday. On Saturday our guns on the right regis- tered Feveral hits on r- bridge, and our line on the east of Givenchy was pushed tor- ward somewhat to a more favourable posi- tion. On the extreme right our guns and infantry co-operated in an advance made I by the French. The German guns were I iicre active than usu'i against our centre j a.nd left. I Germans Take Trenches. I On Sunday, the FL" the German maintained a hpavy fire along the greats part of our front. About 7 a.m. the enemy attacked our line a little to the south of the Y prce Comines Canal and carried a short length of trench. This light success encouraged them to ma .} a second attack. about tr-ee p.m., 011 trenches to the aonth of their objective. Here, too, they captured a small portion of our line, but in the night, of t.he 14th-15th a counter-attack wi-s organised, and the enemy was driven out of all the trenches captured ir the second ascault. though he still retained possess.on of a trench about 80 yards in length, which had been cap- tured in the morning. In th; fighting we took 13 prisoners, most of vi-lom belonged to the 1914 class, and appear to have only just arrived in the field. During the following night, that, of the 15th-16th, anotlier place, and we regained the whole of our line. Nothing of importance occurred during the day of the 15th. Our heavy artillery made some good shooting on the right. One shell landed full in a trench, and is believed to have destroyed some fifty yards of it. Some turther details of the recent fight- ing in the La Ikssee area are now avail- able. It will be remembered that on Feb- ruary 1st, after recapturing a trench which the Germans had taken from us a iew hours before, we gained by successive attacks two nosts on the -an,al bank. As a matter of fact, one of these had been taken from us a short time before, and was not a German "oat a/s stated in the letter of February 2nd. In the first rush on the nearest work one of those unforeseen but dramatic incidents occurred, which often imperil even the best laid schemes, As the storm- ing party was on the point of I da.shing forward, just- at the moment when delay might have been fatal, for it might j;l;t have given the enemy, who were much shaken by our artillery fire, time to recover, a man dropped a box of hand grenades, some cf which detonated. For I one instant there was bewilderment and ) some hesitation, no one quits know'na what had happened. Fortnnately the, ffi u who was leading tha storming party rushe:a ah?ad, and h s men followed him, and carried the enemy's position at the point of I they bayonet, w'th very slizht loss. After this the Germans wO"e kept on the run. Our supports cam. up and, pass-I ng through the first line holding the ?re' covered trench, rushed the next post. Then the party which had made the or,g nal a.ssa,-i advanced through these again and captured the second post. During this fight one of cur men showed iiio-,t con plcuous ga'iiantry. Charging ahead of his comrades, he took np a posi- tion on a mound and shot several of the fleeing Germans at point blark range as t,hev ran p::st him. He then ran on up to a barricade where two of the enemy were manning a machine 6:n and kept them in I play until the rest of our men came up and can tured it. Cur Infantry's Ascendancy. In this quarter our ;-ifa,- -,y have gain-fd an ascendancy over the enemy, which was well shown in the nf-st series of encounters, -which took place among the LéckstacklS on the 6th. During the bombardment previous to the assault the Germans took refuge underground in their dug ods, and our assault was so well timed and so sudden that when they emerged from their burr ws they found our infantrv on the ton of them. The result was -ievei- .n doubt. Those who showed fight were at once bayonetted, but many, recognising the hopelessness but inaiiy, reco g iii,,I?, c; assistance, threw away their arms ana surrendered, some crying for mercy and offering their watches, money, cigars or fruit in order to buy their lives. One German officer was Wyonetted as he was telephoning, presumably for reinforf-e- ments, and four Germans were killed by one of our men who was armed only with a shovel as they were trying to escane past him down a trench. Amongst the spoils of war captured was a large: amount of I Curn.dum ammunition, l,in? many cartridges in which the bullets I had beei? reversed, with their bases out- I j wards. It is stated that when charging for- ward in this attack our stormers main- I tained their dressing as if on parade. I That Birthday. In spite of the disclaimers that the I German activity on the Kaiser's birth- day had no connection wuh that event, "-ome people in Germany were evidently j .ed to expect great successes on that anniversary. Here is a letter dated Jan. 2.5th, which was found on a prisoner:— It appears that for the Kaiser's birthday there is going to be a great actack. All aviators and all Zeppelins will be let loose against France. On the one hand engineers will do their uttnost, and on the other hand the artillery, and then a tremendous assault. Thus along the whole iine the French will be doomed.' You must write to us if this is true. Lie è :;wn in your trenches and do not put your head above the parapet. It will only be a target for the enemy." The Strain Telling. The following chow what wax means to the poor in Germaaiy :— January 3rd. Everything has risen and is frightfully expensive. The rearing of live stock is very difficult as people have been forced to de- clare all their stocks of fodder. The same applies to corn and ether cereals. We ere organising ourselves for a long war, but if it is not over by the spring it will mean real misery for us. January- 12th. Here in Germany it 4? just as if there a -v,-e faanine. Food is fearfully dear, and the lack of hands is rna,k ¡q itself verv much felt. Another extract tells of the calling up of 'he older classes of the La.nd,turm. I must give you sad news that my father has b&en 0a.Ued to the Lanj?turm on January 19th. He ha? b&en dech)r?d Ht. for service. Of the ?five who were cAHfd oi't for examination three have saf;:lv returned here. The repeated references to the rise in I prices and scarcity of foodstuffs is signifi- cant, for it is a feature which has only re- I oantly made its appearance. ¡

NOT B1)TH WAYS. j .0 ENGLAND'S REPLY TO U.S.A. I WHAT GERMANY I BROUGHT ON HERSELF. Grey's Last Word. THE MEMORANDUM COMMUNI- CATED BY SIR EDWARD GREY TL THE UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR I YESTERDAY IS AS FOLLOWSA- The communication made by the United States Amoassador in his Note to Sir Ed- ward Grey oi tile 16tn instant- nas oeen caie- t'uiiy consiaered, and the follo"ig observa- tions are oiiered in i,epiy:- 2. At tiie tin.e wiwn his Majesty's Government gave directions for the seizure of tne cargo 01 the steamship kv ilhelmina as ecrtrabaii(i they had before them the text of the decree ma-de by the German Federal Council on January 25, under Article 45 of which all grain and Hour imported into Ger- many after January 31 was declared de- liverable only to certain organisations under diiect Government control or to municipal authorities. The vessel was bound tor Hamburg, one of the free cities of the Ger- man Empire, the government of which is vu ted in the municipality. This was one of the reasons actuating his Majesty's Uov- v?rnment in ceciding to bring the cargo of the Wilhelmina before the- Prize Court. 3. lnfarniation has only n%w Cached them that by a. subsequent decree, dated February 6, the above Ankle 45 was re- pealed, it would appear for the Express pur- I pose oi rendering difficult the anticipated proceedings against the Wilhelmina. The repeal was not known to his Majesty' s Gov- I ernment at the time- of detention of the cargo, or, indeed, until now. 4. How far the ostensible exception of i-r;ported supplies from tae genera] Govern- ment monopoly of all grain and flour set up by the German Government m:y affect the question of the contraband nature of the shipment seized if, a matter which will most suitably be investigated bv the Prize Court. Yarmouth Forts Lie. 5. It is, however, necessary to state that I the German decree is not the only ground on which the submission of the cajgo of the 'Wilnelmina to a Prize Court is justified. The German Government have in public i announcements claimed to treat practically every town or port on the Eng- lish east coast as a fortified place and base of operations. On the strength of this contention they h::vc subjected to bombardment the open towns of iarmouth, Scarborough, and Whii-by, among others. On the same ground, a num- ber oÎ neutral vessels &aiiii? for English port on the east coast with cargoes of goods  on ohe German list of conditional oontra-j band have b?en seized by German CruiMJ'S í and brought before the German Prize Court. Agam, the Dutch ve&s'? ?a.na, bav¡n! sa,ucd hom CaLiornia with a c1rgo of grain I consigned to Dublin and Belfast, was sunii I in September last by the German cruiser Karlsruhe. This could only have been justi- fied if, among other things, the cai-go could have been proved to be destined for the Bri- tish Government or armed forces and if a presumption to this effect bad been estab- lished owing to Dublin or Be'fast- being con- sidered a forti-fied place or a base for the atrmed forces. 6. The German Government Cannot have it both ways. If they consider themrolvc# justified in destroying by bombardment the lives and property of peaceful civil inhabitants of j English, open town- and watea-ing-n'sees, and I in seizing alid sinking ships and cargoes of conditional contraband on the way tbUher, on the ground that they were consigned to a "ortified place or base, a fortiori, his I Majesty's Government must bo at liberty 1 to treat Hamburg, which i? in part protected I by the rtittications at the mouth of the Elbe, as n fortified town, and a base of opera- tions and supply for the purposes of Article 34 of the Declaration of London. If the owners of the cargo of the Wilhelmina desire to question the validity in international law of the action ta.kt'n'bv order of his Majesty's Government, they will have every opportu- nity of establishing their case in due course before thy Prize Court, and ti; Majesty's Government would, in this connection, recall the attention of the United States Govern- ment to the considerations put forward in Sir E. Grey's note to Mr. Page of the 10th in- stant as to the propriety of awaiting the re- sult of Prize Court proceedings before diplo- matic action is initialed. It will be remem- bered that they have from the outset given a definite assurance that the owners of the Wilhelmina, as well as the owners of her cargo, if found to be contraband, would be' equitably indemnified. All Germany's Fault. 7. There is ont) further observation to which his Majesty's Government think it right, and appropriate in the present con- nection, to-give expression. They have not. so far, declared foodstuffs to be absolute contraband. They have not interfered with any neutral vessels on account of their carry- ing foodstuffs, except. on the basis of such foodstuffs being liable to capture if destined for the enemy forces or Governments. In so acting, they iiavc been guided by the general principle, of Sate universally upheid by civdised nations and observed in orac- tice, that the civil populations of countries at war are not to be exposed to the ticatment rightly reserved for combatants. This dis- tinction has to all intents and purposes been swept a(vay L- swept afvay by the novel doctrines pro- claimed and icted upon by the German Government. 8. It is unnecessary here to dwell upon the treatment that has been meted out to the civil population of Belgium and thcee puis- of France which are in German oc- cupation. When Germany, long before any mines had been laid by British allthorJties preceded to sow mines upon the high sas; a^i. this means, rank a considerable number not only of British but aLso of ren- tral merchantmen with their unoffending creWs, it was, so hie Majesty's Government hrld, open to them to take retaliatory mea- s-ures, evejj if such measures were ,,f "a kind t involve pressure on the civil popnJation- not indeed of neutral Sti,tes-biit, of their enemies. They refrained from doing so 9. When, subsequently, English towns Hnd defenceless British subjects including ? trien and ?-'drpn were deliberately and systematically fired npon and killed by ships Hying the flag of the Imperial German Navy, when quiet country towns and villages, void 01 defences, a.nd possvssincr no military or naval importance, were bombarded by Ger- I'mlm airships, his Majesty's Government ?tin abstained from drawing the logical conseouences from this form cf Attack or defenceless citiz?ns. Further steps in the same direction are now announced, and in fact have already been taken, by Germany. I Brit:s" merchant v*s.»?ls Have been torpedoed at sight without any attempt. being made to o-ive warning to the crt ,v'.v cpporturjitv°be- i?g given to Fve thpir Hves; a torpedo has been fired against a British hospital ship in da j light; and similar treatment ill threa- tened to all British merchant vrasels in fu- ture as wel! as 1 to any neutral ships that may happen to be found in the neighbour- hood of the British ISles, 10. Faced with this situation, his Ma- ltsty's Government consider it would be altogether unreasonable that Great Britain A r:>, -1 'b Expected to remain Indefinitely bound to tneir grave detriment, by iules and prin- ciples of which they recognis: the instice if in.partially observed as between belligerents, i hut which are at the present moment I openly cpt. fit. drfiance bv I'v-i- ov,emv. 11. If therefore bis Majesty'* Govern- ment should hereafter feel constrained to declare f»bco1nt<» cmtrrbund. or [ (Continued at foot of next column.I j

STOP PRESS.

BY FRANCO-BRITISti FLEET. FORTS SEVERELY DAMAGED. PRESS iiUiiEAU, oufarday. AN ATTACK ON THE FORTS OF THE DARDANELLES WAS MADE BY FRENCH AND BRITISH WARSHIPS. CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE FORTS. NO ALLIED SHIP WAS HIT AND THE ACTION, WHICH WAS SUS- PENDED OWING TO THE FAILING LIGHT, WAS RENEWED ON SATUR- DAY MORNING AFTER AERIAL RE- CONNAISS AN C E.

GERMAN ACTIVITY IN BELGIUM. RESERVES CAUGHT BY ARTILLERY FIRE. FRENCH OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE. PARIS, Saturday. In Belgium the cnot'my sneiled Nie..port, Baiiits and the Dunes. Their batteries were etteeiiveiy checked by ours. The Germane appear to have engaged important forces 111 tHe attack yesteiuuy against our trcncbes ea;-t c-f \pres. They attacked with the bayonet, but we re- pulsed tililiii, Li, d our artillery cgughfc under its lire reserves intended tc support the German attack. The German losses were very high. From the Lys to the Oise, and from the Aisne and in the region of Berry an Bac there was great activity on the part of the artillery. It is confirmed that the enemy's losses in Champagne in the last few days have been considerable, and, according to prisoners, a battalion was annihilated in its entirety. On the heights of the Meuse at the end of the day yesterday the enemy delivered against the trenches which we captured at Lesetarges a fourth counter-attack which was thwarted, like the three preced- ing ones, ov our avti'orv. Attacks in the Vosgcs. I 1^ the Vosgcs the enemy continued, without success, his counter-attack on the Hill 607. south of Lusse. At Sattel (south of Loseeht) the enemy succeeded in getting a footing on the en. tire spur of Reichach. The struggle con- tinues at this point, where we had an ad- vanced post. Rain and snow are falling in the VAsijes.

ANOTHER SKETTY BOY GAINS COI-IMIS- I 8ION. Mr. W. A. S. Daviess, a member tor the Swansea Cricke-t. Club Firs'. XI., and son of Mr. J. A. Da vies, De-la-Beche-terrace, Sketty. who resigned his position in the djils department of Messrs. Vivian and Sons' (Ltd.) Works, Hafold, in October last to join the Royal Engineers as sapper, has now been granied a commission in the Swansea Battalion, into which body he had ran sf erred, and will leave Swansea on "day to take up his duties at Bhy.

THEY P?YEB m .wD Ti?-E GAMEIN | RETUKND BRITISH PRISONERS. i BROKEN IN BODY: BUT NOT IN SPIRIT. A "Daily Telegraph" man who came over from Flusning with the hist batch of per- manently disabled British prisoners, say!F The sight of thesq, broken mea stirs one first witn a sense 01 the tragedy of war, and then to a swift realisation 01 the glory of England. Wheil I speak of them as broken men, I reter Olliy to ineir bodies. The spirits are undaunted. Here I b \Ij seen the halt, the manned, the blind i old men. Strong. "virile sold.ers they wtre; HOW plivsujl wrecks. But though they lost leg or arm or eyesight, their heart has never been shaken. Most of their stories go back to the early dark days, when the little English force was making sucv desperate ellorts to hold back the flood oi' invasion that was engulfing Bel- gium. Uf the 220 odd prisoners who ha\e at last returned to England after weary months of waiting and concentration, the most date their disability to Mons and the fights of the great retirement. Private Jones. AmorZ- so many stones 01 sacrifice it is difficult to pick out one of greater worth than another. In the cabin opposite mine jies Private Jones, ol the Middlesex Regiment. He was first hit bv a rifle bullet- in the ielt leg. The bone w. shattered, and he fell. let;. The bone w. He lay for hours during the heat of conflict, hoping in ram for the end ot it. Suddenly his hopes die with the echo of an exploding ahiapnel. 'lH¿ crashed into his other leg, striking the knee and tearing off the knee-cap. lither of the shell struck various parts of hie, body. i The German line of advance passed nnn as one dead. Fortunately he was picked lp and taken to a Belgian hospital. F or six months he lias lain, in the care cf the rrood Madame Bradunt. The ieg with the Oioiten knee-cap will not heal. As Private Jone,- finished this story, which I worked from him with much ques- tioning, he said: "But when I get back home, sir, it will heal. It only needs a little touch of british soil to h-eal it." In the next cabin is Private Smith, of the King's Koval Rifles. Smith was a Football Player. j Now his right leg has been cut on Trume;lleI hip. Irranresstble Cheerfulness. "Better than login* two legs, sir. satd Private Smith, "an' lots better than losm your 'ead. I'm satisfied if the Government is." is. No word of complaint, no self-pity. Just a soldier slaving the game. Of course we all know now that the humorous element in the English Army is obsolutely irrepressible. But I candidiy admit in regard to the two incidents I pro- pose now to re?te. th&t ii .-?- ;-a<1 n°[' con? before my personal oot.ic? j m:v,ht Have been tempted to say the ^^1 carried away by the emotional s&ttu)e of tht: picture. One of the men was a sergeant ill tile Grenadier Guards. His right leg was gone above the knee. The other-be had had the regimental m^rks torn from his tunic-had lost his left foot. Stepping out of my cabin I saw the first playing a sort of hopscotch along the passage way. He shouted back to his comrade, "Come éÙong here, Bill. They got rings to 'op in." "Bill," who fol- lowed on -his* crutches, camf, up jtigt as I waa taking in my boots. Pushing his good foot in front of him lie said gaily, "Cheer, oh. On'y One Boot to Clears." In a darkened cabin lies Private brown. He has five scars on his face where the Ger- man bullets have entered The cabin is darkened because he cannot see. As he lies stretched out on his bed it is not difficult to estimate he is over six feet tall, and more than thirteen stone. Out of the serai-darkness came the crude words of "It's a long way to Tipperafy," sung in a minor key. I could go on multiply- ing the stories of these sacrifices until I had gone through the roster of these wounded. The three cases I cite are typical. They are, according to the agreement of exchange, the completely disabled disabled they are in body, but not in mind. In talking with a few officers who have ilbeen exchanged, they were cartful tc say Ahat the Germans treated them w!th all the oare possible. In fact, both officers and men agree that in the hospitals they could not have been treated with better care. Once away from the hospitals, however, and this fairness which is due to all enemies was for- gotten. Degrading Dutiss. In the concentration camps an invidious distinction was m-de in the treatment of French and British soldiers. This distinction was not apparent in the treatment of the officers. But the enlisted men were always detailed to do the most de grading and difficult duties about the cainp. The Germans considered the English proud and disdainful, and determined to break their spirit. If this was their hope, they have certainly not succeeded.

NO GUARANTEE AGAINST DUMPING. STATE AND ANILINE I MAKING. KEEP A MARKET OPEN FOR GERMANY. An astonishing development of the State dye monopoly scheme is believed to be en- gag,airig the attention of the Government. This is nothin.g less than the transference of the whole project to what is thought to be the more congenial soil. of India When the Government asked the dye in- dustries to subscribe £ 5.(XJO,000, but of- fered no guarantee that at the end of the war the 1:3,000,000 company in which they Were to sink their money would be sa fe- gua-rded against undercutting by the Ger- man dye manu?actur'ng concerns (which ha.v? a capital of E-?0,000,WO), the British ye uee?s declined to subscribe. There is now reason to believe that the appeal for £ 2,000,000 has failed for the same reasoli-tba LACK 0F7 ANY GUARANEE, or even hint of a guarantee, of protection ?gamst German dumping, though leading ? b.u.eiJMe6g men, including Liberals and Free Tra.doers, ?Ia.re that any amount of capital n?<?saj-y to build up the British dye manu- ? ?dustry would at once be forth-, Mm?nS f the gaar-mtce of a tariff on Ger- ?? ?fter the war were promised. yes aft. the wax w L-re promi s*e d It stated in ?? Lobby of the House 0: Commons 5^  new lde? is to oSJthe 'El'ov"m--t ? 1.(Ii. a sub?dy on condition that it "t's P the manufacture of aniline Ye5 for- India and for export to Great Rp! leaving the 'nian Govei-n- freee e"the Indian Govern- m?vit ?fr<'?f ?? -y ta*itf i4 dasired on The Prime M^ bi* + announcro in the House of Cammo IS that the Government s aniline dye ??" would be di?us?d on .Monday. 1 ,m>

1- ———————————————— 9 ——— (Continued from Treoeding Column. ) to take other measures for interfering with German trade, by way of reprisals, thev con. •identlv expect that such action will not be challenged 011 the part of neutral Stat" by ,appeals to law and usages of war whose validity rests on the;" torming an integral ».urt of that system of international doc- trine which as a whole their enemy frr-nkly boaste the liberty qnd intention to disrs. crard, so long as such neutral StFtteF nnnot compel the German Government to abandon methods of warfare which have not in recent i'istow been regarded as having the sane- ,1,1"" 1* ov humanity. AMERICAN PRESS ON THE SITUA" I TION, I NEW YORK. Friday. The "Tribune," commenting upon the Gerw man reply to the American Note. saye- "The whole German argument simply amounts to all appeal to neutral nations to help her to overooma the military disadvant- ages under which she labours from the in- ability of her fleets to keep the sea." "The World" earsStrict accountability 1:J the first and last word of the United States on this question. It is "ot 1*1 r affair-that British sea power is slowly crushing Ger. many. The "'Sun" remarks"Tliis amagtng Not4 means that Germany does not intend to bo governed by the rules of civilised warfare in the extensive aone wnicb elle has Pro. claimed."