NAVY TRIUMPHS

Sun (Christchurch), Volume IV, Issue 1275, 14 March 1918, Page 5

NAVY TRIUMPHS

SUBMARINE RAVAGES REDUCED

WORK OF THE BRITISH WAR CABINET

TREMENDOUS LABOURS AND ACHIEVEMENTS By Cable—Press Association. — Copyright. (iw.uc., (Eee. Mardi 11, 0 a.m.) LONDON, March 13. The War Cabinet's history for 1917 was issued to-day. It is an important historical record, and also shows tin 1 tremendous labours and achievements of the Government. It emphasises that the whole character of the war gradually changed last year, involving a complete transformation of British administration and organisation. Regarding the submarine campaign, the document frankly admits that if the enemy had been able to maintain the rate of sinking reached in February, 1917, the military operations of the Allies would largely have been paralysed. The Navy, however, had triumphed. The document contains much to give confidence that the worst has long since passed. The document deals fully with Imperial' affairs, the Imperial War Cabinet, the War Conference, and the constitutional development of India. The height of enemy submarine attack on merchantmen was in April, 3917, since when the numbers of sinkings have steadily decreased. In the last quarter of 1917 the sinkings had decreased to the same figure as in the last quarter of 1916, which was before the unrestricted submarining began. Since the quarter ending September, 1916, there has been a steady rise in the number of submarines sunk, and although for the last quarter of 1917 the graphs show that the number sunk did not increase as compared with, the third quarter of last year, there was still, when those graphs were issued, half a month to go, and the September quarter had already been equalled. From December, 1916, the sinking of ships increased rapidly, reaching the culminating point in June, since when the decrease lias been much more rapid than the previous increase; and the destruction of submarines, while remaining about the same from December, 1910, to March, 1917, showed thereafter a rapid rate of acceleration that in the June-September quarter attained its maximum so far, without, however, as in the Case of the sinkings of merchantmen, showing a subsequent decline.

SUPPRESSING DISORDER IN IRELAND.

CONDITIONS INTOLERABLE IN ANY CIVILISED COUNTRY

(A. & N.Z.) (Rec. March 14, 8.4(1 a.m.) LONDON, March 13. Lord Salisbury, in the House of Lords, moved that the present situation in Ireland had become a danger to the Empire and a menace to the successful prosecution of the Avar and to life and property, and calling on the Government to enforce- hnv. He paid a tribute to the Government's efforts, but said the existing treason, disloyalty, anarchy, and attitude toAvards the war proved the danger of establishing any form of self-govern-ment in Ireland. lie instanced the victimisation of soldiers and the destruction of bridges, the insults to the National Anthem, and the demonstration against American sailors. Lord Salisbury declared that the trouble was all due to administrative feebleness. The Government had been afraid to touch the leaders, and anarchy had now reached a point which was intolerable in any civilised country. The conditions were much worse than the public was permitted to know- The disorder had spread far beyond County Clare, and was now rampant in Limerick, Tipperary, and Galway. It would become more general unless put down in Meath. lie warned the Government of the danger of Sinn Fein attempts to create a republic. The Federal solution was the only solution,-but the Government meanwhile must maintain order. Lord Sydenham criticised the Government's negligence and

apathy in Ireland. The position, he said, was largely due to German influence.

Lord Curzon, replying, gave an assurance that the Government would take no step leading to Irish separation. The Right Hon. H. E. Duke (Chief Secretary for Ireland) had the Government's unqualified support. Sinn Feinisra rarely overstepped the mark until the' December agitations. Their acts could be treated villi contempt from the military point of view. There had been many arrests and prosecutions, but the lawlessness was exaggerated.

Lord Curzon acknowledged the assistance of the Irish Catholic Bishops in order to save Ireland from lawlessness and civil Avar. Armed force could easily be applied, but the results would be incalculable. It might accelerate, not stifle, the conflagration. Political agitation had been replaced in the last few months by criminal conspiracy. An earlier attempt to use force would not have carried public opinion with it- The military were now given full power in the disturbed areas, with instructions to disperse meetings of agitators, arrest leaders, and strike at disorder. Lord Curzon regretted the painful necessity of the use of force, but Lord French's report confirmed the good results of strong action. The disturbance had boiled over, but had not yet cooled, lie could not say how long military measures would'be necessary, but the Government was determined to enforce law. The Government's policy might not be heroism, but it was sanity and common sense. Lord Selborne said the Government's policy had been disastrous. The Government had not taken adequate measures. Lord Lansdowne said a disquieting feature of the disorder was the outburst of agreement with the enemy. Recent acts in Ireland amounted to rebellion.

Lord Salisbury withdrew his motion, in view of Lord Cur zon's assurance.

TASK OF NEW NATIONALIST LEADER.

EFFORT TO CREATE UNITY AND CONCORD

(A. & N.Z.) (Ree. March 11. 10.50 a.m.) LONDON, March 13. Tlie Dublin correspondent of the ''Daily News" states that many Irishmen expect that the first action of Mr John Dillon (who has succeeded Mr John Redmond as Nationalist Leader) will be to renew the advances made recently to Shin Feinors not to contest by-elections until the general election, when it will be possible to test the feeling of the country. Mr John Dillon passionately desires to restore unity and national endeavour. The Sinn Feinors may now be willing to meet him half-way.

EXPLOITING THE RUMANIAN OILFIELDS.

ENEMY PROPOSES TO MONOPOLISE INDUSTRY

(A. & N.Z.) (Ree. March 14, 11.20 a.m.) THE HAGUE, March 13. Negotiations are progressing in Bueharesl for the exploitation of the Rumanian oilfields, representatives of -Austro-German banks participating. It is proposed to form a monopoly of the entire industry with a German capital of 800,000,000 marks and an (Vustmn capital of .100,000,000 kroner.

ALLIES' POLICY OF AERIAL WARFARE. STUTTGART SMARTING UNDER REPRISALS. (A. Si N.Z.) (Rec. March 1-1, 10.50 a.m.) BASLE, March 13. The Stuttgart burgomaster has made urgent representations to Marshal von Ilindenburg, calling for instant reprisals against Britain. German newspapers show that the Stuttgart raid was one of the most successful attacks known. It last 20 minutes. Bombs crashed on houses, and fires started in widely-separated parts of the city. ENEMY AIRSHIPS ATTACK YORKSHIRE COAST. (A. & N.Z. & Eeutcr) (Rec March 14, 9.25 a.m.) LONDON, March 13. The Press Bureau reports that airships attacked the Yorkshire coast in the evening. A few bombs were dropped slightly inland. The raid is still in progress. An overnight message stated: —"A Zeppelin raid over Yorkshire is reported. BOMBS DROPPED IN THE OPEN COUNTRY. (A. & N.Z. & Renter) (Rec. March 14. 11.25 p.m.) LONDON, March 13. The Press Bureau reports that three enemy airships participated in last night's raid. Only one approached a defended locality, namely, Hull, where it dropped four bombs, one of which demolished a house. A Avoman died of shock. The other machines wandered for hours in remote districts at great altitudes, and "unloaded their bombs in open country. They then proceeded seawards. THREE TONS OF BOMBS DROPPED ON BRUGES. (A. & N.Z. & Renter) yTlee. March .14, 11.25 a.m.) LONDON, March 13. Admiralty naval aircraft dropped three tons of bombs on Bruges dock on Monday night. «■ They raided billets and sidings at St. Pierre-et-Capelle yesterday, started large fires, and machine-gunned the enemy trenches. SEVENTY BGI/EBS FALL ON NAPLES. (A. & N.Z.) (Rec. March 14, 11.20 a.m.) ROME, March 13. Naples was bombed by a single dirigible from Lagosta Island. Twenty bombs fell from a height of 12.000 feet. The old church of St. Bridget and St. Nicholas was destroyed. LARGE NUMBER OF BOMBS DROPPED. (A. & N.Z. & Eeutcr) (Rec. March 14, 11.25 a.m.) LONDON, March 13. Sir Douglas Haig reports:— The Portuguese completely repulsed a raid on a 700 yards front south-eastward of Laventie. The hostile infantry was caught by machine-gun fire in front and on the flanks, and suffered heavy losses, both in endeavouring to cross our wire and when retiring through the artillery barrage. There are many dead Germans in No Man's Land. The enemy raided a post eastward of Zonnebeke. Three raids further south were successfully repulsed. Our aviators made several 3'econaissances on Monday, well eastward of the enemy line, and dropped 500 bombs on large sidings and ammunition depots at Elnyfe, and on depots southward of Valenciennes and south-east of Cambrai and southward of Douai. They dropped 200 bombs during the night on a dump Aid railway sidings north-east of Saint Quentin. All returned. Our aviators also dropped a ton of bombs on factories, the station and barracks at Coblentz. Bursts were seen on all the objectives. The bombs caused two fires. A very large explosion was observed in a building in the south-west corner of the town. A few hostile machines were encountered, but ail ours returned.

SERIOUS SHIPBUILDING POSITION IN ENGLAND

MASTERS AND MEN OFFER SUPPORT.

(A. & N.Z.) (Eee. March 14, 9 a.m.) LONDON, March 13. The shipbuilding employers and the shipyard employees issued a joint statement after to-day's conference, with a view to showing their realisation of the serious shipbuilding position. They state that on January 2 the Prime Minister, replying to their deputation, announced that the various shipbuilding departments would be co-ordinated. A joint reply has been sent, advocating the unification of the departments, and asking that a joint committee of masters and men be consulted before action is taken affecting the industry generally. This request has not yet been heard. The statement concludes by expressing the belief that construction would have been speeded if the joint recommendations had been adopted, and offering loyal support in order to secure the largest possible output of ships.

SHIPBUILDING DEPARTMENT REORGANISED

(A. & JST.Z.) (Eee. March 14, 10.50 a.m.) LONDON, March 13. In the House of Commons the Eight Hon. T. J. McNamara (Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty) appealed to the House not to support the'idea of taking the shipbuilding out of the Admiralty's hands. It would be a fatal mistake to put the matter back into the melting-pot. The dislocation and delay would be grave. He appealed to all to do their utmost. He announced a reorganisation of the shipbuilding department. General Collard takes charge of the National Shipyards Sir Thomas Bell is to be director, Mr John Brown has charge of ship repairs and the construction of auxiliary ships for the Navy, and Mr James Lithgow deals with merchant construction in private yards.

Writing of national shipyards, the establishment of which he opposed the Eight Hon. Geo. Lambert, M.P., declared:—"Our magnificent mercantile marine, of vital moment in these days of agony, has been wasted frittered, dissipated. Instead of conserving it, wc have squander-d it ' How should we set about replacing lost tonnage? The obvious course would have been to aid, help, assist those great private yards that have built what was the envy of the world—ihe British mercantile marine. We are waging war, so those great establishments were kept short of steel, shorf of material, short of men, and the Government in ils wisdom decided to establish national shipyards. Was this policy the result of mature thought ' Certainly not. What Government has time to think in time of war? °An advisory committee of distinguished shipbuilders had been purposely formed for counsel in such affairs. They were practical men, had been enVaoed in shipbuilding, had emerged successfully through the ordeal of a' world's competition. But were they consulted? Again, certainly not! Will the national shipyards increase the output of tonnage? That is the dominant consideration. The answer is obvious, for the following reasons: (!) They can only be constructed and equipped now at absolutely abnormal cost. There is a positive dearth of labour and materials for present private establishments. (2) They must compete with the existing yards for machinery, plant, tools, and requisites. (.",) They must (haw ski Hod labour from private yards, and already Government officials have been makin"overtures. (4) Labour can only be obtained for the national to the detrfmeiit, of the private yards, a course of action which will react en and retard the output of the whole industry. At the new national yards everything has to be created. Imagine a bare piece of laud to be turned into "a shipbuilding establishment! On the Clyde and on the Tyne there are buildings, there is the plant, there are generations of accumulated skill and experience—skilled managers, skilled foremen, skilled workers. Surely if unskilled labour is to be profitably utilised, it must be directed by "men competent in their trade, who can only be found where the present shipyards exist."

JAPANESE INTERVENTION IN SIBERIA.

GERMANY FINDS HERSELF FRIENDLESS. (A. & X.Z. & Reuter) (Roe. March 14, 12.30 p.m.) AMSTERDAM, March 13. The Gorman Press is reticent concerning Japau. The only serious comment hitherto lias been in the "Frankfurter Zeitung" and the "Vossisehe Zeitung." The former declares that Germany played the Entente's game of excluding her from Asiatic markets. By breaking up Russia, they gave the Entente an excuse to encourage Japanese penetration. Germany had no more hope now than before of conducting a Far Eastern policy, except in connection with Britain and Russia. Ilerr Balzmann, in an article in the "Vossisehe Zeitung," says:— Germany's Russian policy has cemented the AngloAmerican and the Anglo-Japanese alliances, and the security of the English Indian and Australian colonial possessions has been renewed. Germany again finds herself friendless in the world, while Britain laughs in the background.

AMERICA HURRIES TO HELP FRANCE

GENEROUS RESPONSE TO APPEAL FOR AID. (A. & X.Z.) (Roe. March 14, 9.10 a.m). WASHINGTON, March 12. France has urgently appealed to the United States for greater speed in shipping troops to France. As a result, America will send a division of drafted men without delay. A second draft of 800,000 will be called gradually to the camps, in order not to interfere with industry and tureAt least 150,000 skilled artisans will be called up by October.

A message published yesterday stated that an earnest appeal lia>l been received from France for more fighters.