NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15896, 9 May 1917, Page 9

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

EDISON'S SURPRISE PACKET. ' Tho claim of tho New York •'Eveninf "World" that tho United States Nav.-v Consulting Board has solved the sul> marine problem may or may not bo premature. At least it is well known that America did not. wait until she was at war before investigating the submarine problem. Uio Naval Consulting Board, of which Mr Thomas Edison is the presiding genius, has for months past been experimenting in the field of submarinisiu( and ; according to a recent exchange, tho Board already possesses a powerful weapon which it is confidently anticipated will render Germany's campaign of piracy utterly ineffective. Olio direction in which Mr Edison and bis colleagues are understood to havo boon working is in the finding of some method of automatically warning a vessel of tho approach of a submarine. According to tho writer already quoted, the Naval Board •well on tho way to solving this problem sonio months ago. There aro also believed to bo great possibilities in a new wirclcs>controlled torpedo, which can be used both above ami below water. Above tho surface this weapon travels at a speed of fifty miles an hour, while below its speed is 28 mile 8 an hour. It is claimed that it can travel so fast above water as to be immuno from gunlire, and it is said to be moro accurate than the fire of big guns. If the enemy interferes with it by wireless, it possesses the faculty of pointing immediately in the direction of tho enemy and making directly for him. Theso are only a few of the' wonderful claims which are made for thi s new weapon. It may be all. a typical American tall yarn. but. in view of recent statements from New York, it is dccidedly interesting.

THE GERMAN COLONIES. There can bo little doubt that one ef the resolutions of the Imperial Conference which tho Colonial Secretary, in his recent announcement, declared could not be published at the. present juncture, had referenco to the fate of the German colonies. Mr Long some time ago expressed his own views on this matter, and for doing so was brought to book by a certain scction of the House of Commons. Thus it was not to bo expected that ho would invite further trouble by giving publicity to any resolution of tho Imperial delegates on the same matter. "When his early remarks drew forth criticism Mr Long adroitly replied by stating that he was merely expressing tho opinions of thoso ho was bound to represent—the Overseas Dominions. In «a statement to the House of Commons on that occasion Mr Long said: —

"Tho settlement at the conclusion of the war would depend upon the terms made by thoso who -would bo called upon to take part in tho peace conference. It would depend not upon the language used in speeches by individual Ministers, but upon whether wc were determined to throw our whole strength into the completion of the struggle and so secure such a conclusion as would mr.Uc the repetition of this wnr or anything liko it impossible. Mnnj people appeared to forget the immense sacrifices which tho Dominions had made, and he did not think ib was out of place for the Colonial iuinisto.' to put what the v held very dearly plainly before his countrymen. Ho was confident that the feeling which lie ha ( l expressed was shared by those for whom lie spoke. The onlv way in which wc could secure sucii a settlement as would be satisfactory was not by indulging in criticism, but by putting forth our whole strength to securo a real aiul lasting victory."

The statement tu greeted with cheers, and even that militant pacifist. Mr Ramsay Macdonald, expressed plcastiro at the Colonial Secretary's remarks, -which, ho declared, would greatly reassure the country™ UIUTALVS OVERSEA TRADE. Although the German submarine I campaign was far from being such a serious menaco last ycaT as it is today, some figures quoted hy the Liverpool Steamship Owners' Association in its Tcport for 1916 are nevertheless sufficiently interesting as revealing tl.o utter futility of tho German blockade ii)i to the beginning of tho year. While admitting that in the twelve months ending on December 31st tho losses in ships and cargoes wcro heavy, the document states: —"Tho records of tho year hav© again shown how futile is the attempted German blockade. In the ocean trades the losses from war perils liavo in tho year represented 7 per cent, on the total tonnage of British ships employed, and 10s per cent, on the value of tho cargoes carried in those ships; and notwithstanding tlio so-called blockade, caTgoes of tho weight of upwards of -10,000,000 tons were brought from foreign countries into the ports of the United Kingdom. After taking into account tho new ships completed since the outbreak of war, tho total tonnage of the British mercantile marine employed in ocean trades, has been reduced in two and a half years of war by less than 5 per cent." The following table shows the extent to which British imports of food and rawmaterials havo been earned in vessels under our own and other lings. The figures represent the comparative carrying power of British and foreicn ships employed in the; foreign trade of tho United Kingdom, the. carrying power employed under peace conditions being taken as 100: —

Urit. For'n shins, ships. Total. Peace conditions, 12 months ... 07 3!} 100 First 0 months of war "i 0 22 72 Second -17 22 01) Thiitf "> '-'2 03 Fourth ... 21 01 Fifth 11 00 It will be seen from the above tabl» that, comparatively, the war and its demands had at the end of 1910 reduced the total carrying power available for the United Kingdom trado m the ratio of from 100 to 00, and that of such power as is left -11 is in ships under the British, and 19 in ships ■under foreign flags.