The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-03-06
RELIEF SHIPS W.T. :
UN0|D IN ENGLAND
British Will Store Food
Meant for Belgium and
Release Vessels.
GERMANS UNRELIABLE
Demand Names Of Harbors
Sheltering Ships Before
Granting Safety.
GERMANS UNRELIABLE

London, March 5.-Sir Maurice d.
Bunzen. assistant under secretary Of
state for foreign affairs, has given te
the Associated Press the following ex-
PLANTATION of an agreement between the
British government and the American
commission for relief in Belgium for
unloading and placing in warehouses
the cargoes Of Belgian relief ships
held in the ports of the United King
dom because of inability to obtain
from Germany safe conducts for them.
Cancelled Safe Conducts.
When the German war zone was
declared there were in British water
and on the high seas a large number
OF relief ships which had sailed from
American ports under German safe
conducts absolutely guaranteeing them
against attack. There also were in
British ports several ships loaded with
foodstuffs bought in the United King
dom for which safe conducts also had
been promised under the general arr
rangements between the Germans and
the commission.
In declaring the war zone, Germany
explicitly cancelled all her safe con.
dHcts. giving only a few hours for the
relief ships then in United Kingdom
ports to clear for Rotterdam. 1t was
impossible to get them away in time.
1t was also impossible to commune
cate with the ships on the high seas
as they We're not provided with wire.
less.
"Since then the Germans have al
legged that they accorded these and to
other neutrol ships n further period of
grace. Nobody ever heard of this until
the Germans announced that the Pc
Rod had expired. All that the COM
mission or the world knew was that
the Germans had opened their sub
marine campaign by sinking two Bel
gian relief ships.
Steadily Accumulate.
There has been a steady accumu-
lation of relief ships in the United
Kingdom ports. Their cargoes have
been deteriorating. valuable anchor
ages have been taken up and whole OF
this tonnage. which urgently is re-
quired to take additional relief cargoes
from American ports, has been held
in suspense for a month.
The commission Immediately opened
tinx
the Spanish, Dutch and Swiss govern
ments and the entente governments,
strongly supported their representa-
tons. The only report which the Ger
mans vouchsafed regarding the ships
in the ports of the United Kingdom is
that they will reserve any question
as to the giving of guarantees for such
ships until they have received de-
tailed list of their names and of the
ports where they now are. This re-
quest was received virtually stimuli
taneously with the sinking of Dutch
liners in the English channel
Great sritain's Reply.
His majesty's government has re-
p''N' ''it'S ia Wv" VI tiAS
to give any such information to the
Germans before the latter have guar
anteed absolute immunity to all these
ships, would be to lay them open to
attack and invite treachery. In view
OF the evident intention Of Germany
to hold up this tonnage for the longest
possible period. and in view OF the
urgent need Of these ships to take fur
Their cargoes to the starving popula-
tions in Belgium and northern France,
his majesty's government has agreed
with the commission to discharge the
cargoes In the United Kingdom and
provide storage for them until the
Germans either have given the neces-
| sary guarantees to relief ships from
the United Kingdom ports passing
Rotterdam or have shown even more
clearly than at present that they do not
| intend to give such guarantees.
Meanwhile a regular supply OF
| foodstuffs for Belgium and northern
| France will go in ships passing under
German safe conducts from American
/ nnrtS -