BE READY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIII, Issue 124, 27 May 1919, Page 5

BE READY

LESSON OF THE WAR SPEECH BY BOED JELLICOE. ENEMY'S LAST CHANCES. (Australian & N.Z. Cable Association (Roe, 1.25 p.m.) ADELAIDE, This Day. Lonl Jetlicoe, .speaking at a Parliamentary luncheon in his honour, after detailing the difficulties in- dealing with ■the submarine menace and the griyd work aaomplished by th.c British Navy and mercantile marine, .slid he had very serious anxiety in the early days as to what the result would be. He did his best, and he did not hesitate to say that if the German submarines had been manned by Britishers, not a British ship would have been left afloat. It was an extinordinarily easy task, and the way the Germans failed over it showed want jpf initiative and dash, which, to his surprise, the German fleet showed throughout the war, 1 here was never much anxiety regarding the Glgvrrf'ng* snvfare fleet; hut dispersed raiders were difficult to tackle. If the Germans had liked, they could have sent out hundreds. Thank goodness they failed to realise how easy it wat. The lesson learned during the war was simple. It was to bo ready. We, no doubt, ITd long yeaig of peace before us, but he would not trust the destinies of the Empire to anybody but the Brush Navy, backed by iho valuable assistance of the great overseas Dominions.