The Sun MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1917. PIRACY, AND THE NEUTRALS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume IV, Issue 938, 12 February 1917, Page 6

The Sun MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1917. PIRACY, AND THE NEUTRALS.

While America continues to "hedge" openly on the submarine question, Germany's millions have become more reconciled to the prospect of further misery by the assurance that England is to he starved out in three or four months. The American attitude is worth a note in passing. Apparently President Wilson made up his mind beforehand that in the event of an American ship or American citizens being put under by a German U-boat he will he content to accept the enemy's statement that the vessel "was not deliberately torpedoed under circumstances admitting of no extenuation." Such a guarantee would be easy for German diplomatists to supply, even in the face of convincing evidence that an outrage had been wantonly committed on America's honour—if America has any honour left to outrage. The submarine blockade of the British Isles and France has so far resulted in very heavy losses of valuable merchantmen, bat judging from the proportion of neutral ships included in the sinkings by the time England is starved out, Norway will have no merchant ileet worth mentioning, while Sweden's will be sensibly depleted. It is an extraordinary situation. Germany has set out to injure her greatest enemy by cutting oif her oversea supplies. In doing so, she threatens to bring starvation to Hie door of the European neutral nations. Holland is in the throes of a serious food crisis, but she dare not lift her voice above a whispered protest because of the fear Germany has inspired in the hearts of the smaller Stales. Norway, 100, is finding it difficult lo make both ends meet, and on top of that, her vessels are being sunk without warning and, in numerous instances, her people engaged in the maritime trade are being ruthlessly murdered. In short, the bully of Europe has assumed the new role, a role characteristically tyrannous, of telling the neutrals what they must or must not do at sea, and when that dictation is not obeyed, there are submarines to enforce her will. We can imagine the uproar had England done in the first place what she should have done when the blockade of Germany was begun; given no heed to the feelings of Holland, Denmark, and the Scandinavian countries. A relentless blockade which would have prevented foodstuffs, oils, and essential metals filtering through to Germany per medium of these neutrals would have had the latter gasping and the enemy in sore straits to-day; probably Germany would have been in a stale of actual starvation. But the blockade was not applied so strictly as it should have been at a time when it

might have been most effective. Though the amount of tonnage sunk by the submarines since the blockade commenced demonstrates that heavy 101 l is being taken, the Civil Lord of the Admiralty strikes a reassuring note. The Admiralty, he says, has not the slightest fear or doubt as to its ability to defeat the enemy's onslaught. The shipyards are busy on hundreds of standardised vessels, and the arming of merchantmen fore and aft is proceeding apace—the equipment of thousands of steamers with guns and gun crews is not to be effected in a week or two. The increased size and armament of the newest German submarines has intensified the Admiralty's problem, but it should not be long before losses begin to diminish, signifying that the menace is being effectively countered. Meanwhile Britain must grow more and eat less, and await with patience the spring message of Sir Douglas Jiaig and his comrades-in-arms.