, 1916-05-17

who have been punished.
New York, May 12lh-Cable dispatches
from London last night announced that
through the efforts OF Mr.. John ID. Rocke-
Teller, Jr., and the Rockefeller Foundation,
aud for the sake Of the starving in Poland,
the British Government has so far modified
it's food blockade rs to permit German ships
fying n neutral fl g TO carry foodstutts to
three million starving Poles until October
Isl. Germany npon her part has already
agreed TO Contribute fifteen million marks
(e3, $50, 000) for The purchase of this food,
and she has agreed to feed the Il, 100000
IN re persons of Poland and Russia now gov
erued by her military staff. III addition she
gives the ships that will carry the food from
New York and other points to Oanzig IN the
Baltic.
London, May 12,h-Tbe "Daily Tele-
graphs" Rotterdam correspondent says, nc
cordng to reliable information he bns re-
ceived, Germany's next harvest is bound to
be a future. 1t is this hopeless prospect for
the future, he says, that has impeled the
German Government to a desperate peace
venture through the medium Of negotiations
with the United States. The failure Of
the harvest is due entirely to the block
adc. German crops will be poor because
German ground is impoverished and the
ground is impoverished because the British
Navy hns cut off fr IN Germany all its over
seas supplies, first of cattle-feediug stuffs aud
second of artificial fertilisers. In all parts OF
the empire farmers have reported that their
land this year will not bear its full yield.
With this fact now before it, the Govern
ment knows that, even if STAYED off III the
meantime, famine next winter is inevitable.
Paris, May 12th-Senator Berepger, writ
ing in to-day's Matin, says that he key to
the War lies in the possession of the Briey
Valley between Verdun and Metz. Since
the war began, says Senator Berenger,
France having lost the Briey Basin has been
obliged to import almost all her iron from
England and America, while Germany hav-
ing occupied the whole Briey Valley is able
to add $1,000, 90 tons to her own annual
output, this explains the assiduity of the
Germans at Verdun. They want to capture
the fortress SO as to effectually prevent the
French from attacking Metz. In q conf
dental memorandum addressed to Choncel-
Tor Won Bethmann-Hollweg on conditions of
future peace by German Industrial Agricul-
tmal Associations on May 20th. 1915, the
+. following passage occurred: eff the produc-
ton of iron and steel had not doubled since
August 1914 the continuation of the war
would have been impossible. The Briey
region now produces so to 80 per cent of
our iron and steel and if that production
was hampered the war would be practically
lost"
Berlin, May 12th-The Austro-Hunga-
rian passenger steamer "Dubiovnik" has been
torpedoed and sunk by an enemy submarine
in The Adriatic, says an Overseas News Agen-
cy announcement TO day. The ''Dubrovnik"
was not armed and was torpedoed without
warning. A Paris News Agency despatch
on May 10Th. told of the sinking by n
French submarine in the lower Adliatic of
an enemy transport laden with war mate
rial. The "Dubrovnik" was a vessel OF A ,736
tons gross, built at Newcastle in 1912. ,
Marine registers reported her last at Con-
slantinople.
London, May 11th-The Irish question
occupied the attention of Parliament to-day.
Mr.. John Dillon, who is one of the most res
pected of the Nationalist but often one of
the bitterest antagonists OF British rule,
attacked tie Government in a speech which
for bitter denunciatian has not been sur
passed at Westminster since the days of
,Parnell. Premier Asquith announced that
he was going to consult with the authorities
in order to arrive at some arrangements
satisfactory to Irishmen of all parties. The
Marquis of Lansdowne intimated to the
House of Lords that the disarmament