French Deputy's Theory Denied By War Ministry M. Leon Daudet, who is a Deputy of Paris, astonished his fellow citizens by propounding the theory that the bombardment of Paris by a Big Bertha during the war is simply a myth and that no such gun ever existed. M.. Daudet explains this by the hypothesis that it was done by electric guns situated in an isolated factory or farmhouse only! a few miles from the city. 'This' would explain why the capital was nob submitted to a more intensive bombardment. Had the Germans been really able to construct such a gun as a Big Bertha and to bom bard Paris from 18 miles away they would have built several batteries of such weapons and shelled it regularly. In support of his argument} he mentions that no Big Bertha has ever been discovered by the Allies.
But his theory, interesting as it is, does not agree with the information in the possession of the Ministry of War, one of whose artillery experts has pointed out that not only did American officers discover guns of the Big Bertha type in the Skoda factory, in Austria but the Ministry actually possess the German plans for the construction of these guns. Further he declares there is nothing particularly remarkable about them shice they differ from ordinary naval guns only im length of barrel which was made about a, third longer than that of any naval gun in use. The projectile was fired not by electricity hut by a specially heavy powder. It was really a shell with a falco point in mild steel which made it two shells in one. The Ministry has proof that there were six of these jong range guns in. action and more were under construction when the armistice was signed.
The "Matin" states that the guns when firing on Paris were manned by a crew of German naval seamen. under an ital. The first knowledge the Germans had that their shells had reached Paris was from a French communique on March 24) 1918, which stated that the enemy had fired on Paris with a long range gun. When the naval artillery men received the news of their success they celebrated the occasion with abundant champagne. Their - joy was short-lived. French airmen had discovered the whereabouts of the guns and a 12inch howitzer at Vailly-sur-Aisne dropped a shell on! them which killed or wounded many of the naval gunners, AmsterpaM, June 17.~In a speech here to-day Sir Walter Townley, the British Minister to the Netherlands, expressed the opinion that a large fleet for the Dutch East Indies was unnecessary because neither the Great Powers nor the East would derive any profit from a war in the East.—Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.