Case Made Worse Two suggestions have been put forward for Jacaling with the case of the rescue of British prisoners from the German war vessel Altmarit, Jone, that the whole question shall be submitted the League of Nations, and the second, that Jo committee of experts under President Hoosevelt should arbitrate in the matter. Norway is fully entitled to submit the matter to the League and will not be criticised it she does s0, though it would be something of an irony for the League to be called upon to decide a question under that very international law which Germany has consistently violated since she embarked jupon this war. The suggestion of arbitration is, however, wholly inacceptable. There are three parties to the incident in question, and no real Hiudgment could be delivered which failed to take account of German actions in violation of international law and those dictates of humanlity which have been callously disregarded them. Lord Halifax has made the Britists attitude quite clear, and unfortunately for ithe Norwegian case, so has Mr. Halvdan Kot, the Norweigian Minister. He is reported to Hhave told the Norwegian legislature, that even they had known there were British prisoners lon board the Altmark they would have allower that. vessel to use territorial waters. According to the Foreign Minister's statement the Altmark was fying the German government service flay, Jas distinct from the naval or mercantile fags, Jwhich seems to indicate that the Altmark, being identifiable as neither Ash, Mesh, nor fowl nor Jgood red herring, was permitted rights which Norway denies Great Britain, The Altmark was definitely @ war vessel, engaged upon a warlike mission, and in the carrying out of it made use fof territorial waters. Had she remained an unduly long time in any Norwegian port she jwouta have had to be interned in the ordinary course of things, and the fact that she was factually moving through territorial waters does Met do away with the fact that she was indeed seeking refuge in them. If Norway is thus going permit her waters to be used by one belli-Jgerent' she cannot in all fairness deny similar use to the others, and to do so would fbe u breach of that neutrality in the observation lof which Norway has displayed a very apparent passivity. Tt Is a fallacy that only belligerents lowe duty to neutrals. They in their turn have equal responsibilities to the former which have be fully borne, and if neutrals cannot maintain their neutrality in an efficient manner they leannot expect much sympathy if belligerents Hind themselves forced to take into their own Ihands the defence of their very obvious rights.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.