LONG SEA ROUTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 219, 16 September 1939, Page 9

LONG SEA ROUTES.

Many British Vessels On The Oceans. RAIDERS' HAZARDOUS TASK. (Received 12 noon.) LONDON", September 10. The Ministry of Information, in outlining the task of the protection of British trade routes, states that a daily average of 1545 British merchantmen of 3000 tons and upward is at sea in every ocean of the world, in addition to a further 705 in harbour. Throughout the navigable globe the Royal Navy has 85,000 miles of sea routes to protect.

It is believed that no German cruisers are at sea in the broad oceans, but it may still be possible for enemy raiders disguised as merchantmen to slip to sea in the same way as the notorious raider Wolf in I9IC-18. Improvements in wireless communications and the use of. aircraft, however, make the task of isolated raiders hazardous.

There can be no such thing as command of the seas in modern naval warfare. The expression was better interpreted as control of the sea. British sea control has always been exercised in accordance with the international principles of humanity and safety of the crews.

Enemy merchantmen are invariably considered, and the Admiralty's policy will be to safeguard trading in more remote parts of the globe by following evasive routes, combined with such patrols as the circumstances warrant.