The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-07-07
GERMAN REPORTS ALLECE BRITISH
 CRUELTIES LIES
Treatment In German West Africa Placed At leu
 tons' Doors

London, July 7.-1n reply to some remarkable stories of British mis- treatment of natives in German West Africa which recently have been cir culated by the German wireless, an official statement of the situation in that district has been given to the Associated Press. I declares that whatever sufferings have been endur- ed by the natives of Ovamboland were due,e not to British mistreat- ment, but to neglect of the German government prior to British occupa- ton, and gives some details of the work of restoration and reconstruc- ton which the British undertook as bsoon as they came into possession.
 The most recent German wireless communique on this subject was is- sued on May 80, and said in part:
 Terribly critical conditions have been created in German West Africa owing to the occupation of that coun- try by the English. A missionary writes to a South African mission pa per: Tn the Ovambo country the ter TOTS of war were followed by even greater terrors of famine. Now and then the country has ben visited be- fore by similar afflictions, but the German government took care to pre- vent suffering by helpful precautions so that the afhictions never reached extreme severity. After the English came, these precautions were neg lected and hunger was able to ravage the unfortunate country without meE- cy. Thousands of natives have fallen victims to English neglect and mis- government
 The facts as established by reports from the Governor General of South Africa, illustrate the reckless false hood of the German official state ments. The British reply is as fol- lows: IA
 '''The territory of Ovamboland was included within the borders of. the German Protectorate of Southwest Africa, but was always left severely alone by the German administration. The events referred to in the wireless report occurred in 1915 and were di- rectly due to the neglect of the Ger against famine.
 Owing to a succession of droughts, want began to make itself felt in Ovamboland in 1913, and the famine
 culminated in total failure of the crops in the beginning of 1915. | Immediately after the surrender l of the German forces at Tsurmeb in
 July, 1915, the starving Ovambos I who hitherto had been shut in Ovam-
 poland by the German forces operat- l ing directly between them and the
 Union forces, commenced to stream south out of Ovamboland in search of
 succor which had been denied them
 by the Germans. Overs LOCO Ovam-
 bos reached our posts in northern districts and were immediately placed
 in hospitals and depots and every.
 thing possible done to nurse them
 back to health and strength.
 Within two months of our occu- fpationf of the Protectorate, a large
 fleet of motor lorries had been or
 gsrIized to convey food to Ovambo-
 land to succor, those who had been unable to come south and relief mea-
 sures were in full operation Our of
 ficers distributed large quantities of
 foodstuffs and relief parties were or
 ganizd to assist struggling 'Ovambos on the road. These measures were
 carried out in the face of. enormous
 difficulties of transport and in addi- ton to the heavy task of feeding our
 own people in the northern part, o1 fthe Protectorate under abnormal cir
 cumstances.
 I "It cannot be emphasized toe strongly that long prior to the British occupation of Ovamboland famine had existed there to an intense de-
 gree nor can it be doubted for a mo.
 ment that the German Protectorate
 government is wholly to blame fol 1.-the neglect to assist the Ovambo. during the years 1913 and 1914 ant the first six months of 1915.''