LAST NIGHT’S NEWS.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XVII, Issue 528, 23 February 1917, Page 4

LAST NIGHT’S NEWS.

THE SUBMARINE WAR. THE NAVIES. ; Router's Telegrams.) RecvLed 5.5 p.m.. Fob, 22nd. LONDON, Feh. 21 Jn tho House of Commons, Sir Edwaid Carson, in introducing the Naval Estimates said that- Hie House would Le asked to vole -UK),000 men. To October last eight million men had keen moved oversea with only one or two untoward incidents, besides 012 million tons of explosives and war material. Since the war began ilu> Navy had examined 25,87-1 ships. The submarine menace was a grave problem that was not yet solved, hut he was confident that measures being devised would gradually and greatly mitigate its seriousness. An Anti-submarine Department had been esta'olished, composed of the best and most experienced men. ’1 he number of armed merchantmen had teen increased by over 17 per cent, during the last two months and they were aiming and improving them weeklv. Sixty-nine Allied and neutral steamers, each over a thousand tons, totalling 201 000 tons, were sunk in the first eighteen days of December; sixtyfive, of a tonnage of 182,532 were sunk in the same period of January, and emhtv-nine of a tonnage of 208,031 I,lns. in the same period ol I 1 .■binary. Allogtiuer 118, i)l, and 13-1 vessels had ht-i-ii sunk in these periods respectively. From the Ist to the ISih of February, 017 - ship'-- had arrived, and 5878 had LOT (he United Kingdom. It estimated that there were three thousand ships in the danger /.one at one time. AN ENORMOUS ACFHF.VF.MENT. .MORE ITBLKTIT IN FUTURE. Sir Edward Carson mentioned that 75 oer eeut. of armed and 2-1 per cent, of unarmed merchantmen escaped after attack. The numbers of arrivals at and departures from the 1 nited Kingdom would henceforth he published; also the ships which were attacked and i sea ml lie declared that the German submarine losses were not published because the policy of secrecy was most distasteful to the enemy; also because ibe Admiralty was unaware sometimes for certain, whether a, submarine was actually destroyed. The fact that we had forty encounters with submarines in February was an enormous achievement. Regarding shipbuilding lie declared that no single slip would be unoccupied frjr the coming months, while stops were being taken to reconcile the competing claims of warships and merchantmen. He appealed to the nation to consent to a restriction of imports in order to make the Admiralty’s task easier. THE NAVY’S LEADERS. (Australian and N.Z. Cable At-sn.) Received 10 p.m., Feb. 22nd. LONDON. Feb. 21. The country was fortunate in having • Sir John Jellicor at tho Admiralty. His knowledge of tho service was unparalleled. Admiral Beattv had the confidence ol every man serving under him. Lord Fisher in presiding over the Inventions Board would he associated with the greatest scientists of the country. Sir Edward said he believed that some critics of the Government suggested the nonpubl'cation of ships lost as their publication would give Germany useful information, but ho believed the information would only make tho country more determined to achieve, victory. Despite sinkings not a single sailor had refused to sail. Neutrals might bo nervous and frightened but the spirit of our sailors was going to win the war, and neutrals would soon resume sailings. After giving instances and reports dealing with the fate of submarines, Sir Edward said tho Navy was doing its best but bo was ‘oound to say we must be firmly determined to take such other measures as could ho devised, oh the assumption that it would only Ire by degrees that the danger could bo mitigated. MR CHURCHILL’S VIEWS. Air Churchill formerly First Lord, said that although there wore good grounds for believing that the submarine campaign would not exercise a decisive influence on the war in 1917 wo were not entitled to claim that time was on our side. But wo had at last reached a very high degree in the stringency of our blockade, without losing tho goodwill of neutrals. The. entry of America into the, war would decisively derange the fearful ecjuipoi.se between tho conflicting nations now existing. Tho present relations of the United States and Germany showed that consideration for the rights of neutrals and humanity did not go wholly unrewarded. ANOTHER SAILER SUNK. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn). Received 10 p.m., Feb. 22nd. LONDON, Fob. 21. , Tho British sailor Centurion was sunk. The crow have landed. Tho Worcestershire’s crew have also landed.

ANSWER TO FR JGHTF ULN.ESS 1 METIS]T rOIJGY MADE AfOßl'l DRASTIC, (Reuter's Telegrams, 1 Received 5.5 p.m., Fob. 22nd. LONDON, Feh. 21. An Order in Council has been gazetted enacting, in view of the German submarining, .that unless vessels bound to and from neutral countries adjacent to Germany, call at British or Allied ports in order to he searched they shall, until the contrary is established, ho deemed to ho carrying enemy goods, and will he liable to capture and condemnation,, hut ships railing at British or Allied ports for examination will not ho presumed to he carrying enemy goods, and will not ho eondomned merely because they are carrying such goods. A GERMAN CLAIM. NO .SUBMARINES SUNK YET. (United Service.) Rfceived 12.5 a.m., Feb-. 23rd. AMSTERDAM, Feb. 22 Dr. 1 lollweg in the Reichstag declared that the submarine campaign had surpassed expectations. Germany had not iost a single undersea boat since the beginning ot the unrestricted warfare. C ommanders reported that there was no evidence of Britain’s increased defensive, and wore most confident that the shipping of England and neutrals would he completely stopped. A DIFFERENT STORY. LONDON Feb. •_>•> Tlii- "Morning Post’s' Hilda Pest ici respondent stales thill AnstroGorman naval experts have revised their calculations of blockade prospects. It wa.s previously estimated that England would he starved into submission in two months. Now they say that England will not feel the effects ot rutlilersiiess in less than a year. They must sink 000,000 tons monthly to make a real impression,