BRITAIN’S SURE SHIELD.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 4811, 7 March 1918, Page 5

BRITAIN’S SURE SHIELD.

THE NAVY AND ITS WORK.

HOW THE CHANNEL IS GUARDED.

NAVAL ESTIMATES BEFORE THE HOUSE. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association Reuter’s Telegrams. (Received March 6, 6 p.m.) LONDON. March 5. Sir Eric Geddcs (First Lord of the Admiralty) in introducing the Naval Estimates in the House of Commons said that generally speaking naval warfare proceeded increasingly in our favour- It continued to be chiefly a trial of strength between the enemy , submarines and Allies submarines. ! We depended on indisputable infor- ! mation from neutral sources in re- | gaid to the certain success of our other enterprises. Occasional raids on our convoys and the English coast were the natural outcome of i a blockaded enemy trying to harrass the blockading fleet. He believed that the of the Goben and Bres- * Jau from the Dardanelles was a similar raid. The Joss of the Breslau was serious for the enemy. j Regarding the recent enemy raid on Dover Straits, he said it was commonly believed that the passage of submarines through Dover Straits had been prevented by nets and other obstructions since early in the war. ! That was not *the case- Undoubtedly a considerable number of submarines passed through the straits towards • the end of last year. Recently a more vigorous policy was adopted and a surface barrage was maintained across the channel day and night in order to obstruct tile passage of submarines and at nighttime patrol boats numbering over a hundred burned flares that any submarines attempting to pass on the surface had a reasonable chance of being engaged. Regarding Dover, he said night raids of this kind could always be undertaken by a determined enemy. Dealing with submarine operation, he said the Allied Naval Council’ had decided to extend those utilised for home waters, where they had proved most successful, to the Mediterranean where the main operations had now been placed under the charge of Vice-Admiral Calthorpe.. This was one of the first fruits of the Allied Naval Council, from which he hoped to derive material and increasing benefits. r. He said the British were establishing at various points in the Med iterranean and Adriatic large works for combined aerial and naval uarlaie. British Naval officials, at the request of the Greek Government, were assisting in the reconstruction and reorganisation of the Greek navy and dockyards. ... . He emphasised the cordiality of relations between the Allied naval heads and announced that the forces in European waters would shortly be augmented by Brazilian warships. He specially dwelt on the close Anglo-American co-operation. He said the losses of merchantmen were still tending to decrease and the loss to the world’s tonnage in February was just over half that of tne previous February. The loss for the live months to the end of February was 10 per cent, loss than for the corresponding five months. The output 0 f shins in Britain in Januarywas only 55.000 tons, but he hoped the output for February would be double that. The main cause for the decrease was labor troubles and unless there was a speedy improt ement the point at which production would balance losses would be dangerouslypostponed. _ . . He emphasised that Britain must rely, in the coining critical period, upon her own resources, for a considerable time must elapse before the desired American output materialised. Sir Eric reiterated that the submarine menace had not yet been mastered, but- the submarines were being increasingly destroyed and he was confident this increase would continue. He knew the German submarine crews were growingly reluctant to put to sea, especially the North Sea and North Atlantic and the Channel. The chances of submarines m these waters retuining home were about one on four and recently the Anglo-Americans had been sinking submarines in Home waters as.fast as the enemy was building them- Britain and the “Allies were now able to devote more time to submarines in the Mediterranean. The enemy continued to increasingly exaggerate the tonnage sunk in ordei to “hearten their people. The losses of convoyed ships continued low.