LAST GERMAN THROW

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9632, 12 April 1917, Page 7

LAST GERMAN THROW

HOPES IN U-BOATS j f ADEQUATE MEASURES ADOPTED BY /ALLIES. Mr W. S. Forrest, the Paris correspondent of the United Press, <ras m February granted an interview by Admiral Lacaze, the French Minister for Marine. “If Germany is building on hopes that the new submarine blockade will cut off the Allies’ supplies, decrease their military strength, and thus end the war, those hopes are misplaced, for the blockade will never succeed,” said the Admiral. , “It is quite impossible for me, ho went on, “to so how competent German officials can believe that their new move, which is said to bo aimed principally at France and Italy, can achieve the hoped-for results. It cannot, on the whole, dhange the conditions which have hitherto prevailed It the German people arc looking to then submarines to bring them peace . e them know that, since the beginning of the blockade, about the same number of French merchant ships have been arriving at our ports, viz., more riian 100 daily. The conditions are not much changed from those of 191 b, during which year the average Frcnoft imports doubled from 21 to 5 million tons monthly.

TRIFLING PERCENTAGES. “The blockade may reduce the present figures somewhat, hut it u impossible, to stop imports altogether. Take the base of two of the n l. : V n French imports—coal and flour. The enem 7 is able to sink little more than I per cent, —0.53. to be exact—-of the average imports of coal, while the loss of flour is under 1 per cent., which is loss than a French baker usually wastes. . . _ “This is the third time the Germans have announced a merciless submarine war. Twice their plans have quickly coxae to an abrupt end, and the losses m the world’s tonnage have never been so high as to bring about critical conditions. , . . “As far as the Allies’ supplies are concerned, even - suppose the submarines do destroy more than formerly, the question simply resolves itself into who is able to hold, out the longest. For a long time Germany has been enmeshed hy economic difficulties and now she is deprived of all sea trade, except with Scandinavia. The worst that can happen to us is that more rigid restrictions may be imposed on civilians, for we may rest assured that we will keep ample supplies of all necessities for war purposes. This, however, is hypothetical, for we have hot yet begun to worry about supplies.” A LAST ATTEMPT AT BRUTE FORCE. The Admiral said he did not believe that the Germans possessed the greatly increased number of submarines of which they had boasted. “My opinioh is,” he went on, “that this boast has been made for neutral consumption. We saw a similar German trick when commercial submarines were started. Ostensibly they were to’ carry merchandise, but in reality they _ were used to supply war submarines in the open sea. It is my opinion that the real motive of the new sea frightfulness is an attempt to destroy the morale of the Allies.by a last exertion of brute force, the Germans being conscious that they cannot attain the military results at which they aim. Brute force, however, signally failed against the French valour at Verdun, on the Marne, and on the Somme, and it will fail in this case also. The longer tho war lasts the more must the Germans realise that brute force is worthless.

“If you ask who will he victorious in this war, the answer is that the side having the will and the morale to hold out a month, a day, or even an hour longer than the other will be the victor. Germany is now feeling the pinch far more than the Entente Powers.” The Admiral was silent as to the means whereby the Navy is fighting tho “U” boats, but he was confident that the measures taken were ' adequate for the purpose.