The Wanganui Herald. (Published Daily.) TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 1917. THE SUBMARINE MENACE.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15127, 23 January 1917, Page 4

The Wanganui Herald. (Published Daily.) TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 1917. THE SUBMARINE MENACE.

Germany realises that she has no possible chance of /winning the war, and her peace terms have been rejected. Internally her conditions are such to cause the gravest concern to her rulers, who, as a last desperate resort, hope to compel the Allies to accept easier terms than they s are disposed to insist upon by a ruthless extension of submarine warfare. She has had a large number of submarines built, and others are in course of construction, by means of which she hopes to hem in Britain. The results achieved by Germany’s submarine policy during the last four or five months are sufficiently good and effective to encourage her to develop the policy further, and henceforth there is reasonable ground, from the results attained, to suspect that every ounce of industrial energy that can be spared for the purpose is being put into building submarines. Much of the talk that has been heard from Germany about the activity in her shipbuilding for after-war programmes has probably been given forth to hide the fact that most of her yards are feverishly engaged in building submarines. Im Britain and France rue future danger is recognised, and is being met by increased activity in the shipbuilding yards of both countries. There is little doubt that the immensely enlarged radius of activity is causing anxiety in both Britain and France. German naval authorities have hit upon the right method 'by extending the scenes of submarine activity far beyond die North Sea and the coasts of the Western Allies. Such’ a development is the German, answer to the effective British patrol of round Britain’s coast and between Britain and France. Admiral Jellicoe is not without hope that the submarine menace can be effectually dealt with, just as the Zeppelin problem has apparently been effectively solved. Writing on the subject, “Shrapnel” in the Otago Daily Times suggests that in order to combat the menace, Britain and France will have to send their torpedo boats and destroyers further afield, and to that extent weaken their fleets in the North Sea, the Mediterranean, and the English Channel. The control of the Channel will not be so greatly affected, as between Franqe and Britain a 'fairly effective method of netting has been instituted, and motor patrol can be carried out right across the Channel, not only inside the net' lanes, but also outside of them. The range of motor boat control, and also that of armed trawlers, is, however, very limited, extending very probably not much more than 60 miles from the coasts. The loss of ships must be met by an acceleration in the turning out of new boats to supply the deficiency in sea carriage; but that, thought, it may be an effective way of maintaining Britain’s supplies of food and raw material, is a very expensive one. Methods of dealing with the increased and intensified submarine activity are, of course, being worked out by the British and French Admiralties, but the great difficulty is the vastness of the area which is now infested with German submarines.