The Chronicle PUBLISHED DAILY. LEVIN. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1915. THE WAR.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 4 February 1915, Page 2

The Chronicle PUBLISHED DAILY. LEVIN. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1915. THE WAR.

Genua 11 newspapers are reported by "" cable to be jubilant over the activity > of Germany's submarines, which they declare is threatening to cut off England's food supply and to strike at the root ol' her trans-oceanic trade. * I The.se boasts are based oil, the .fact that > German submarines of the large tvpe > that have recently been added to the navv, have torpedoed three steamers i'l the Irish Sea and the Tokomaru off Havre. It is not pleasant, certainly, to think that the enemy can patrol the narrow seas round the English coast and destroy merchant shipping, and the posibilities of the extension of that kind of warfare arc great. It is ' too. the kind of warfare which Grand Admiral von Tirpitz. the German .Min ( ister of Marine, particularly favours. "What will America say," he asked a * correspondent of the- American United ' IVcss at the beginning of December. "if Germany declares submarine war oil all ©nemy merchant ships? England." lie continued, "wants to starve us. AVe can play the same game. Wo can bottle her iUip and torpedo every English and Allies' ship wliicb nears any harbour in Great Britain, thereby cutting off largo food supplies." The sinking of the Tokomaru, nearing the end of her long voyage from New Zealand. will bring home in a forcible manner to the people of this Dominion, Germany's method in warfare. The enemy is, of course, quiet justified In sinking tho merchant ships of Britain and it is immaterial whether cruisers or submarines are employed for the purpose, hut the dictates of humanity, to say nothing of the rules of civilised warfare, certainly demand that the lives of tho non-combatants comprising the crews of the ships shall he safe" guaided. Hithexto the captains tvt the German ""commerce-destroying cruisers have shown themselves humane men, who "have played the game," and seen to it that tTie orews and passengers of the steamers have been plac* ed in a position of safety before sink--Blho ships. But the *x>mmanders of the submarines which are taking the of the last cruisers do not appear to have the same scruples. In November tho French steamer Admirnl Ganteanme. crossing the Channel with nearly 2000 people on board, was tor pedoed without, warning, and sunk by a German submarine. Bad it not been for the prompt assistance of other I stpnmt,l-s . the whole of the crew would j have been drowned. Since then the I Gorman. Admiralty have announced | their intention of waging war mn Britj ish merchant ships by means of submaj lines. Apparently their successes against British warships have been so ■ew that they have turned their attention to earoro + rniv>,i r -~J -11