A DISMAL STOCKTAKING

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2691, 10 February 1916, Page 5

A DISMAL STOCKTAKING

ByTelecrapli—'Prcsß Association—Oouyrlglil (Rec. February 9, •? p.m.) London, February 8. ' In the course of an illuminating article in the "Daily Chroniclo" oil the subject of "The Allies' Sea Power," tlio writer says that Captain Perseus, in the "Berlin Tageblatt," in a review of the naval and maritime gains during the war, shows that the losses to tho British merchant marine, owing to the Gorman naval campaign,, is less than ■ fivo and a half per cent, of the tonnage. Perseus admits tha* British, sea power is stronger now than at the beginning of the war. Dealing with the submarines, he says ; that Germany had thirty submarine* ■ at the beginning of the war, and probi ably lias about the same now. The • Allies' submarines have greatly in- • creased. Of twelve hundred German ■ merchantmen, two hundred were cap- ■ turn! at the outset, sis hundred took I refuge in neutral ports, and most of the remainder are docked in Hamburg • and Bremen. , s The Allies' sea power at the begin- ■ ning of 1916 is thrice as strong as their ■ enemies. The figures are as follow;— 1 ' ' Allies. Enemies. Pre-Dreadnoughts ... 89 33 i Dreadnoughts and SuperDreadnoughts 62 21 1 Battle-cruisers 71 6or 5 ' Lesser vessels 133 35 [ Destroyers 542 180 I The "Chronicle" says that it is more [ difficult to compare submarine power, ( but it is believed that the proportion i is the same as for larger units. [ : :