THE SUBMARINE WAR

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 47, 23 February 1917, Page 7

THE SUBMARINE WAR

Si • . . _. .. vll iJ IIL'TILVV

SHIPPING LOSSES RECOUNTED

U-BOATS

TELEGRAPH. —UNITED- PBEBS ASSOCIATION.—COPTBIGHT.) " (AUSTRALIAN-NEW ZEALAND CABLE ASSOCIATION.) ■■•♦'"■■ ' LONDON, 21st February. In the House of Commons, Sir Edward Carson, introducing the Naval Estimates, said that the House would be asked for a vote for four hundred thousand men. Up to October last, eight million men had been moved oversea with only one or two untoward incidents, besides 912 million tons of explosives and war material. Since the war began the Navy had examined 25,874 ships. , The submarine menace was a grave problem, which had not yet been solved, but he felt confident that'Bie measures that were being .devised would gradually and greatly mitigate the seriousness of the position. An Anti-Sub-marine Department of the Admiralty had been established, composed of the best experienced men. The number of armed merchantmen had been increased by over 47 per,cent, in the last two months, and the system of arming them was improving every week. Sixty-nine Allied and neutral steamers, of over a thousand tons, totalling 201,000 tons, were sunk during the first eighteen days of December; sixty-five, of a tonnage of 182,532 tons, were sunk during the same period of January; and eighty-nine, of a tonnage of 268,631, during the same period of February; and, altogether, 118, 91, and 134 vessels of all sizes werp sunk during these respective periods. From Ist to 18th February, 6176 ships had arrived in and 5878 had left the United Kingdom. It was estimated that there were 3000 ships in the danger zone at.any one time. FORTY FIGHTS IN FEBRUARY Sir Ed"ward Carson added that 75 per cent, of the armed vessels, and 24 per cent, of unarmed merchantmen, escaped after, attack. The numbers of arrivals in and departures from the United Kingdom would henceforth be published, and also the names of the ships which, after attack, escaped. He declared that the German submarine losses were not published because Britain's policy of secrecy was most distasteful tothe enemy, and also because the Admiralty was not aware-for certain whether a submarine had. been destroyed. The fact that we had forty encounters with submarines in February was'an enormous achievement. Regarding the fate of these submarines, the official reports showed every degree from certainty to improbability. . Regarding shipbuilding, he declared that not a single slip would be unoccupied during the coming months, ■ while steps had been taken to reconcile the competing daims for the construction of warships and merchantmen. He appealed to the nation to consent to-a restriction of imports in order to make the Admiralty's task easier. , : . THE HEADS OF THE NAVY The country -was fortunate in having Sir John Jellicoe at the Admiralty. His knowledge of the service was unparalleled, while Admiral Beatty (Com-mander-in-Cbief of the Fleet) had the confidence of every man serving under him. Lord Fisher was presiding at the Inventions Board, and would be associate^ with the greatest scientists in. the country. Sir Edward Carson said he believed that some critics of the Government had suggested that the names of ships lost should not be published, as publication would give Germany useful information, but he believed that such information would only make the country more determined to achieve victory. In spite of the sinking of vessels, 'not a single sailor had refused to sail. Neutrals might be nervous and frightened, but the spirit of our* sailors was going to win the war. The neutrals -would soon resume their sailings. After giving instances of reports dealing •with the fate of submarines, the speaker said : "The. Navy is doing its best, but I am bound to say that we must firmly and determinedly take such other measures as can be devised, on the- assumption that it is only by degrees that the> danger .-can. be-mitigated." • ■ ' REWARD OF BRITISH ATTITUDE !810 Winston Churchill said that, although there were good grounds for ■believing that the submarine campaign would not exercise a decisive influence on the war during 1917, we were not entitled to claim that time was on our side. We had at last reached a very high degree of stringency in our blockade losing the goodwill of the neutrals. The entry of America into the war would decisively derange the fearful equipose now existing between the conflicting nation^. The present relations between the United States and Germany showed that consideration for the rights of neutrals and humanity did pot go wholly unrewarded. ■ ■ ". .-N