In the House of Lords on Tuesday Lord Newton explained
the causes of what he called the " perfectly intolerable delay " on Germany's part in carrying out the agreement as to the exchange of prisoners. More than four months have passed since the agree- ment was signed. He thought the delay was due, not to the bad faith of the German Government, but to the essential difference of procedure in the two countries. In Germany all agreements had to go to different Departments, and no doubt there was De- partmental obstruction all along the line during the process. He imagined that the chief obstructor was the German Admiralty. He hoped that all the arrangements would soon be completed. The German Government had made a curious stipulation that on the first experimental voyage across the North Sea " lying-down cases should not be conveyed. As for arrangements for interning British prisoners in Holland, they could not be completed for at least a month.
Previous page
