CONTROL OF SEAS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20044, 16 September 1939, Page 5

CONTROL OF SEAS

BRITISH WAVY’S TASK HAZARDS FOR RAIDERS COUNTER BLOCKADE U-BOATS INSTRUCTED (Reed. Sept. 16, 9 a.m.) LONDON, Sept. 15. The Ministry of Information, in outlining the task of protection of British trade routes, states that a daily average of 1545 British merchantmen of 3000 tons and upwards are at sea on every ocean throughout the world. In addition 705 are in harbours throughout the navigable globe. The Navy has 85,000 miles of sea routes to protect. The British people would be brought to the verge oi starvation in a few weeks if lert to their own resources. There can be no such thing as command of the seas in modern naval warfare. The expression is better interpreted as control of the seas. British sea control is always exercised in accordance with the international principles of humanity. The safety of the crews of enemy merchantmen is invariably considered. The Admiralty’s policy will be to safeguard trading in the more remote parts of the globe by evasive routing combined with such patrols as the circumstances warrant. No German Cruisers It is believed that no German cruisers are at sea in the broad oceans. It may still be possible for enemy raiders, disguised as merchantmen to slip to sea as the notorious Wolf did in 1910-18, but improvement's' in wireless communications and the use of aircraft make the task of isolated raiders hazardous.

A message from Berlin states that U-boats were instructed to begin an immediate counter-blockade. The Rotterdam correspondent of The Times says that the German contraband list is divided into two sections. The first which is described as ‘ unconditional,” covers all sorts of war materials, and the second', which is conditional, includes foodstuffs, .uxuries, textiles and raw materials. The German press is working at full blast to convince the German people of the wickedness of the British blockade and the justice of the German defence measures. It stated that Britain starves women |jnd children and dictates to neutrals what to buy. The Stockholm correspondent, of

The Times says that despite her desire to keep up normal trade relations, Sweden cannot send Germany more than half the usual 10,000,000 tons of iron ore annually now that the Brit=ch blockade bars the outlet as in the Great War.