THE SUBMARINE MENACE

Hokitika Guardian, 23 February 1917, Page 1

THE SUBMARINE MENACE

Details to ba Given.

(Australia & N.Z. Cable Association)

LONDON, Feb. 21. In the House of Commons, Sir ltdward #arson mentioned that seventyfive per cent of armed and twenty-four per cent of unarmed merchantmen es-

caped after being attacked by sub-

marines. Thu numbers of arrivals and departures at and from the United Kingdom would henceforth be published, also the. number of ships attacked, and the number that escaped would be declared. The German submarine losses would net be published, because our policy of secrecy is most distasteful to the enemy, ~~ and also because the Admiralty is unaware. for certainy as to wbelier the submarine has actually been destroyed, i In fact we bad forty encounters with submarines during February, which was an enormous achievment. .Regarding the fare of those submarines official reports showed that in many eases it was doubtful to a degree, , varying from certainty to improbability : Regarding .shipbuilding, be. declared ( that no single slip would be unoccupied , diirnig iiic corning months, while steps | would lie taken to reconcile the com pet- } ing claims of warships and merchant- ;

mem Jlc appealed to the nation to consent to a restriction of imports in order to make the Admiralty’s task easier.

Postponed.

LONDON, Feb. 21. In .the House of Lords, Lord Malborough announced that Llovd George’s statement regarding the agricultural policy had been postponed for a few days.