Paris, March 16.
A report addressed to M. Poincare, President of France, by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of War and the Minister of Marine exports the German Govern: ment as having decreed measures violating the rules of war by declaring the waters around the north of France and the United Kingdom to be a military zone in which allied and neutral merchantmen would be destroyed, regardless of innocent lives, and claims the right of reprisals.
A decree follows declaring that all merchandise consigned to or coming from Germany will be seized and sold or sequestrated, irrespective of whether the cargo is carried in a neutral bottom or not. Neutral ships, passengers and crews will run no rit Neutral cargo bound for neutral ports will be respected, but the French authorities can make exceptions regarding certain products.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.