IS THE BLOCKADE EFFECTIVE ?

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2703, 24 February 1916, Page 5

IS THE BLOCKADE EFFECTIVE ?

QUESTION RAISED BY LORD SYDENHAM MINISTER OF BLOCKADE OPERATIONS TO BE APPOINTED By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright" (Rec. February 23, 8.40 p.m.) London, February 22. Lord Sydenham, speaking in the House of Lords, raised the question of the effectiveness of the blockade—whether taking full advantage of our son power. The speaker contended that we had not brought sufficient, pressure to bear on the enemy to nffoofc his internal conditions. Submarine) tactics had altered the methods of enforcing blookades. The great fall-in the German exchange note indicated that Germany was buying largely in outsido markets. The real difficulty, lie said, was due to the polioy which produced the Declaration of London, which was still alive and potent. He urged that all commodities essential to Germany's carrying on the war should he made absolute contraband, and ridiculed the idea of winning tlio war by attrition. We would only win by striking hard blows. The war should bo ended as soon as possible, the terms' of peace securing a non-recurrence of this German frenzy! Il'o moved that in conformity with the principles of international law and tlio le"itimate rights of neutrals, a more effective use should' be made of the in preventing essentials reaciiing the enemy. Is the War Running Us? Lord Beresford said that if the Government had established an effeotivo blockade at the outset he honestly believed that tlio war would have been over iiow.* Wo had only got a sort rf blockado by proclamation. Tho war would novor bo won by Ordcrs-m-Councii. It was necessary to have a policy n'lirl turn it over to tho' Navy to enforce it. He folt convinced that wo would only be able to win the war hv an absolute blockado. An Ordor-in-Council might be statesmanship, but it was not war. If the -Fleet wero liberated it could grapple Germany by the throat and easily sirasli her. The Government should finally renounce the Declaration of London The country should rid itself of tho twenty-one amateurs (tfie fTovernmont) who knew liothing about war, because amateurs could not have any foresight Tho management of tho war had been worse since the Coalition. We were not- running tho war-the war ta running us. A Ministry of the Blockade. 1 The Marquis <of Lansdowne, replying, said > that the conduct of the war was in the'hands of a small committee, unhampered by civilians in the Cabinet. 'These complaints about hampering tho Fleet would seem to bo based on a misapprehension. The war had diverted a groat deal of trade, into new channels and the entrepot.business had passed from Hamburg to Rotterdam and Copenhagen. Tlio Government intended to put tlio whole of tho blockade business in charge of a single Minister, entrusted with the general coordination of these matters. The filtration of goods to tho enemy, through neutrals was showing a marked'tendency to diminish, owing to tho Government's measures, and there was no danger of a great leakage recurring. It Would be impossible to hermetically seal all tho channels through which goods mtulit leak. "Wo umwal eanlidoutly tu neutral-i Ui help us to distinguish heUween legitimate and illegitimate commerce. The Government's plau, what.

over its faultshad accomplished satisfactory results, and killed the Gorman export trade and seriously crippled Iter imports. He sometimes wished that the people of this country could experience for one moment the conditions existing in Austria-Hungary and Germany. Tliey would then realise the plight to which our adversaries had been brought. Debate Adjourned. Lord Loreburn said ho did not beliovo that naval pressure woul(l appreciably accelerate tho end of the war. There was 110 short-cut to the end. It was the Governments of Europe, not the nations, who were responsible for tho beginning and continuance of the war, and the only way of abridging this immeasurable disaster to the entiro Contincut of Europe was to bring the war tu an end themselves. Baron BucUmastcr (Lord Chancellor) said that wo shall certainly have lost if, when "the war'ends, it can be urged that we had used cur" power to infringe the legitimate rights of neutrals. The debate was adjourned.