The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-02-20
NORWAY HIT IN
 ENGLISH SPEECH
Chamberlain Says COun- try Indifferent to Use of
 Her Waters By Nazis
BY WALLACE CARROLL Limited Press Staff COrresponden

United Press Staff COrrespondent)
 London, Feb. 2O.-UP)-Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain told the House of Commons today that it was difficult to resist the con- clusion" that Norway had been in- consistent in her duty ~as a neu- tral' and displayed complete in- difference" as to the use that the German fleet might make of Nor wegian territorial waters.
 Chamberlain's charges were made backing up rejection of Norwegian protests against the British navy's invasion of Norwegian waters to drive the German prison ship Alt mark aground at Joesing Fjord and rescue 326 prisoners after 8 pitched battle.
 "Even if such indifference was due to German pressure" the prime minister continued, git is neverthe- less in the view of his majeSty's government inconsistent with active and impartial duty of neutral toward ourselves as 8 belligerent."
 Chamberlain strongly denounced the attitude of the Norwegian gov- ernment toward German ships Oper- ating in Norwegian waters as de- fined by Norwegian Foreign Minister Halvdan Koht. He indicated that Britain might be inclined to follow suggestions that the British navy keep closer watch over the sea chan mel along the Norwegian coast.
 He said that Koht's implied view that there was no objection to a German warship using Norwegian territorial waters for hundreds of miles to carry British prisoners to Geman prison camp was lat variance with international law as his majesty's government understood it."
 "It would legalize abuse by Ger man warships of neutral waters and create position his majesty's gov- ernment could in no circumstanN;. accept" Chamberlain warned.
 q am sure that the house will join with the government in the sat- isfaction they feel at the release of the officers and crews of vessels sunk by the German raider (the Admiral Graf Spee)," Chamberlain said.
 ". The members will desire to congratulate the royal navy most heartily upon this notable addition to its annals.s
 Chamberlain replied to a state ment made yesterday to the Norwe- gian parliament by Norwegian For eign Minister Halvdan Koht and said:
 "This account makes the action or rather the inaction of the Norwegian government even more difficult to understand than I had previously supposed"
 Koht had told the parliament that Norway was not called upon to search the Altmark for prisoners. He defended Norway's action in per- mitting the Altmark to cruise in Norwegian waters and said that Britain had no right to rescue the prisoners.
 Tt now appears that the Nor. wegian authorities conducted no examination of the Altmark at all," Chamberlain said.
 Koht had said that because the Altmark was flying the German state or service" flag she was not liable to search.
 The prime minister told commons that he was surprised that the Nor wegians did not know the British prisoners were aboard the Altmark because of reports of the prisoners published weeks ago
 He pointed out that the Norwe- gians took no action beyond com plaint to the Altmark for illegally using its wireless in Norwegian wS- ters and then accepted the German apology.
 Tt will be seen therefore that not on one occasion but on three or four occasions the Norwegians failed to carry out proper investigation of the case," he said.
 T find it difficult in the circum- stances to resist the conclusion that the Norwegian authorities displayed complete indifference as to the use that might be made of their terri torial waters by the German feet"