RECKLESS MINE-LAYING

Grey River Argus, 11 April 1916, Page 2

RECKLESS MINE-LAYING

RECENT GREAT EXTENSION. The recent great and reckless extension of German mine-laying pi'ovoked some interesting comment from Mr. H. B. Pollen, the well-known naval writer, who can offer us no very great hope of completely dealing with either mines or submai - ines in open waters. In course of his remarks, by the way, he menitons a fact Avhich the cables have not aprised vs — that anchored German mines have been found off the Spanish coast. This, by no means affords us pleasant reading 1 , yei in view of the Germans now having submarines fitted with minelaying facilities, as described in this .^column recently, the thing cannot be regarded as wholly unexpected. But, foi Mr. Pollen's comment : — "The restrictions imposed upon mine-laA r ing by the Hague. Conventions," he says, "are well known. Germany has never observed these restrictions, and the development of mine-laying submarines confers on her the capacity to lay these mines where she will. It is obviously impossible for any system of sweeping to keep the channels leading to all commercial port constantly swept, and the fact that mines are laid so far afield as the Spanish coast is a final evidence that there is no pretence that they are laid with any miltary object, or so as to destroy belligerent shipping only. Indeed, the fact that neutral vessels, mostly not bound for belligerent ports at all, have been sunk at the rate of nearly eight a month since the war began, is conclusive evidence of the character of German contempt for civilsed opinion. We must, I fear, be prepared for an increase in the loss of merchant shipping both from this cause and from attacks — at least on otlr own shipping — by submarines in raeas in which these boats have not hitherto operated. Nor can we reasonably hope very greatly to restrict the operations of submarines in the open sea by the kind of counter-of-fensive that has been effective in home waters. The only effective means of limiting their action would be by making the supply of oil and other necessaries to them impossible. But without the co-operation of Powers now neutral, this cutting off of supplies is exceedingly difficult. The only limitation then to the destructive malignity of our enemies will be the opportunity afforded to them, and, for practical purposes, the only way of limiting their opportunities is for all merchantmen to be armed." j