Bisbee daily review., 1918-03-15
GERMAN PLAN
FOR STARVING
NATIONS seen
Teutons Doing Best to Pre-
venf Neutrals From Getting
Food; Many Vessels Sunk
Without Warning.
CRr Review Leased wlrel

CBy Review Leased wire)
WASHINGTON. March 14.-Ger-
many's latest campaign of ruthless
ness against neutral shipping is at
tributed by the war trade board in a
statement tonight TO be q deliberate
plan to aut off the north European ma
ions from American AMI allied food
supplies and there by reducing them
through starvation to a political and
! economic dependence on the Teutolic
war lords.
While the board makes no refer
ence to the determination of the
United States and England to take
over Dutch ships in American and al
lied ports unless the Netherlands gov
eminent accepts a pending economic
agreement its statement throws in
teresting light upon the subject which
led TO this decision. Hope is express
sed that the neutrals will contrast the
respective attitudes of the United
States and Germany toward the prob
lem of feeding them. Following is
The statement:
War Board Statement
+ "Cermany's war leaders are using
he submarine war to preve NJ
fulfillment of American, evidence and
indications in the possession of the
war trade board show that Germany
is employing tie submarine menace to
prevent neighbor neutrals receiving
any food or favors at the hands OF
the United States and its assistants
in the war and to coerce these neu-
trails through starvation into political
and economic dependence upon Ger
many quite as much as to strike at
the communication of its opponents
Germany's ostensible aim in pro
claiming the ruthless submarine cam
paign.
Further indications tend to show
that the submarines are being used
along similar dog-in-the mangeT-tact-
les to destroy neutral shipping with
out regard to its employment in or
der to weaken prospective neutral
competitors after the war and to drag
down neutral tonnage as far as pos
sile toward a position of equality Tor
lnferiority) with the German mercan-
tile marine, which has lost between
10 and so per cent of its ocean ton
mage, so that the neutral trader may
be equally as badly off as his Ger
man rival for tonnage in the aTer the
war race for commerce.
Sinks Ships Outside Zone.
No other Interpretation can be
)laced for example, on the question
Of repeated instances destruction of
neutral Danish ships ON voyages be-
tween Iceland and the Danish moth
er country entirely outside of the war
zone nor upon the multitudinous mis-
takes whereby Dutch and other neu-
trail ships clinging to the precarious
narrow way left upon through the
prohibited zone are torpedoed outside
the zone by U-boat commanders,
whose word that the vessels were
within the zone is later accepted un
questioned by the German prize
courts.
Prominent ship owners in Scandin-
AVIAN countries have stated their be-
lief that many sinkings were inspired
only by the intention to get rid of
neutral tonnage so as to increase the
relative value of German shipping
AVAILABLE at the end of the war Exam
nations of the captains of the tor
pedOed ships before the marine courts
n these countries bear out this belief.
he testimony repeatedly showing
hat vessels were attacked far outside
the zone.
Would Prevent SaiIinas.
The intent of the Germans to pre-
sent neutrals from receiving food and
supplies under relief agreements con-
cluded with the United States is IL
lustrated v the German veto placed
On the temporary modus vivendi which
Holland. providing for the provisioning
Of that country. Two food ships load
d with supplies for the Netherlands
along with eleven Belgian relief ships
have been waiting in American ports
for weeks unable to sail because of
the refusal of Germany 10 permit an
equivalent amount OF tonnage leaving
Dutch harbOrs, the obvious plan OF
he German authorities being TO gath
er all Dutch ships into home barbors
and then prevent any of them sailing
by threats to torpedo any vessel leav-
ing Holland waters.
Try to Friehten Neutrals.
To relieve the food situation in HOl-
land the war trade board mas finally
authorized the transhipment of the
'ood in question from the two Dutch
steamers to the Holland liner Nieue
Amsterdam. which is sailing shortly.
''The present campaign of threats
and intimidation against the Scandina-
ian neutrals now carried on in the
semi-official North German Gazette
and other organs of the German press
is obviously intended to friehten the
northern neutrals from completins
agreements which benefit the neutrals
quite as much as the United States
and its assistants.
Now success of the earnest efforts
of the United States government to