The Dominion. MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 1918. SHIPPING AND SUBMARINES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 94, 14 January 1918, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 1918. SHIPPING AND SUBMARINES

Though the latest figures ' show 'that the enemy's submarines have been levying a heavy toll on our merchantmen, we have the satisfaction of knowing that the measures which have been taken to make good the losses and to hunt down the underwater pirates are becoming more and more effective. An authoritative statement has been issued declaring that the figures relating to the number of sinkings by submarines, the number of /submarines sunk, and the new output of tonnage are entirely in our favour. The submarine war is stilla very serious business, but it will never succeed in bringing Britain to her knees, ,and the course of events indicates that it is not likely to greatly , hamper the United States in getting ner troops, munitions, and supplies across the Atlantic. The facts and figures available amply justify Mr. Lloyd George's recent reference to "the increasing failure of the submarine campaign," and this "increasing failure" is upsetting Germany's last desperate hope of. victory. America is making her power, felt in this phase of the struggle more quickly and more effectively than was allowed for in the enemy's calculations. The Germans said: "In 1917 America will not count.. She. has no army. In 1918 she will not have very much of an army ; 1919 will never arrive." That, said Mr. Lloyd George, is how they reckon at Potsdam. "Why. did they say that? Because, said Potsdam, .'before 1919 arrives the shipping tonnage of the world will be rusting at the bottom of the deep sea.' " Potsdam now realises that the task of annihilating the world's 'tonnage is too big for the German submarines to perform, and the German people are beginning to seo that they have been buoyed up by false hopes. A table prepared by the American Shipping Board shows that the world's available tonnage in the early part of September, 1917, was 31,000,000. _ This did not include vessels on inland waterways, in the Baltic, coastwise shipping, or enemy shipping. The reduction of 31,000,000 tons by such an amount as to cripple the Allies would be an extremely formidable task, and the difficulties and dangers that beset the work of destruction arc increasing every day. And the great shipbuilding programmes of Britain and America, have also to be taken into account. Eeferring to the titanic strugglo between the powers of construction and. destruction, Mr. Lloyd George in a memorable speech delivered on October 22 used these words: Thcro are fluctuations, there are ups and downs, there are bad days and good days, good weeks and bad weeks; but our monthly loss, in tonnage now is not more than one-third what it was in April last. The losses in German submarines' during this year—ten months, not quite— are more than twice what tliey were the whole of, last year. Time is on our sido. Our shipbuilding is increasing; we have laid down plans and made arrangements by which we can turn out next year four times what we turned out last year. America is doing the same. A great deal, of course, depends upon America's effort, but wo know that America prides herself on her capacity for doing big things in a big way. The British Controller of Shipping has asserted that the programme of the United States must be large enough to outbuild submarine destruction. ' Even if this moans tho building of 0,000,000 tons a year, this is not impossible if tho United States puts into it an effort comparable with thu efforts tho Allies put into creating their armies, navies, and munitions. To build 6,000,000 tons of shipping would require, says Sir Joseph Maolay, about 3,500,000 tons of steel, or less than 10 per cent, of America's output. It would take not more -than !iOO,OOO men, tho majority unskilled. America has already made a start on a great scale.- In September last the Shipping Board announced that the Government had under construction in deadweight tonnage, including 400 vessels of foreign ownership which were requisitioned on the stocks, approximately 1036 cargo vessels of 5,924,700 tons capacity. This total is made up as follows: — Number. Tonnage. Wood vessels 353 1,253,900 Composite vessels 58 207,000 Steel vessels 225 1,663,000 Requisitioned vessels 400 2,b'00,000

The vessels referred to have actually been contracted for and some of them were duo to be oft' the stocks before the end of last November, and most of the remainder before the end of 1918. The Shipping Board's statement proceeds:—

In addition to tho above, Congress in a pending Bill i» authorising the construction of nuditioiiiil vessels whose total deadweight cupaeity will bo nearly 5,000,00(1 tons, Plants t'o." tho major portion of these- additional vessels are now in course of preparation, and many of t.neni will be ot special types adapted lo particular necessities of war. With the passage uf tho pending Bill the Congress will have authorised dollars for tho Shipping Board and tho Emergency Fleet Corporation.

And all tho time the British and American Navies are finding new and increasingly effective ways of hitting back at tho submarine pirates who are being hunted with almost incredible skill, courage, and persistence. Their work has become' desperately perilous, and one can well believe the reports that German sailors are showing great unwillingness to face the terrible hardships and dangers which the submarine crews are called upon to endure.