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Show FRANCE TO TAKE FULL MEASURES FOR PROTECTION PARI?. Fb. 19. "The sinking by German Ger-man v of merchant ships is simply an ex--tension to the sea of her war against noneombatanis on land," said Victor An-ganeur. An-ganeur. the French minister of marine, to "the Associated Press today. "The French Government has absolute confidence in the naval situation." continued con-tinued M. Augagneur. "and is not intiml-datfd intiml-datfd bv the German bioe!-:ade. When the stennier Admiral Oanteaume. bearing wain en 0 nd rl-.iidren refugees. vas tnr-p,--d,ed mul twenty lives were lost, great indignation was felt throughout the Hv-inzed Hv-inzed world, but we now regard the sinking sink-ing of merciiHut vessels with a certain i al'ii. t,'--rm;:nv did not wait until Feb-r;:.-irv IS to beirin torpedoirtg." With regard to Germany's alleged rea son for her announced sea blockade, M. Au(?agneur said : "Germany evidently felt the great efficiency ef-ficiency of the allies' blockade of German Ger-man porta and the proclamation of a counter blockade is the result. We expect ex-pect merchant vessels to be sunk. Not, however, as many as Germany expects. The torpedo is not an infallible weapon, as is shown in the case of the steamer Dinorah, which, after she was torpedoed, was towed into port. "Measures for protection will be taken, the nature of which I am not at liberty to disclose. Ultimately German submarines subma-rines themselves will 'be sunk, perhaps even sooner than they expect. "The Germans cannot justly complain of the allies' blockade of Germany, as the right of an army io invest a town and starve it into surrender hitherto has been recognized as legitimate. The present pres-ent melhod, although largely exercised through pressure brought to bear on the civil population, shows no essential difference dif-ference from the investment of a town." Dealing with the right, of merchant vessels ves-sels of belligerent countries to fly neutral neu-tral flags M. Augagneur said : "This practice lias always been recognized recog-nized as a legitimate ruee ol war and even has been resorted to by men-of-war, provided they hoisted their true colors before entering into action. The Germans Ger-mans have no cause for complaint on this score, as they used it themselves when the cruiser Kmden enteied the belligerent bel-ligerent port of Penang not only flying false colors, but disguised with a false smokestack." |