The Daily News. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1914. THE GERMAN RAID.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 165, 18 December 1914, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1914. THE GERMAN RAID.

So the German navy lias at last endeavored to justify its existence A squadron of its fast cruisers, taking advantage of the fog that prevails in the North Sea so frequently at this season of the year, left their lair, and, dodging the mine-nelds and the British ships, made a descent upon three of the unfortified towns of the English coast, throwing shells into them, killing over thirty and wounding over sixty inoffensive people, causing considerable damage to property, and then scuttling homeward and escaping from the British patrolling warships. It was an audacious raid in its way, but it should prove not without its advantage. It will, for instance, bring home.forcibly to the people of the Home, land as nothing else possibly could a reality of the dangers that beset them, and the fate that is in store for them should the' Germans succeed in breaking through the British naval cordons again in anything like force. As a stimulus to recruiting, too, the' raid should prove of inestimable value. If, as the American authorities say, the raid was planned to create a scare, it will fail absolutely in its object. British people cannot be intimidated in that fashion. It was certainly a new experience for a hostile Bhot to bo fired on an English town. Probably it is the first time in the history of England that such a thing has occurred. But the possibility of a German raid was known, and provided against as far as possible. Instead of being frightened,.the War Office tells us that at the three towns bombarded there was an entire absence of panic, the demeanour of the people being all that could be desired. British destroyers were early on the scene, but no action of a decisive nature took place. The Germans may come again, as the Times says, until they come once too often. At least, it is to be hoped so. The British Navy will be blamed for allowing the enemy to break through, but the .North Sea is a wide expanse to keep guard over, and in the darkness or fog it would manifestly be impossible for even a mighty fleet like the British to blockade effectively all the German coast. Conditions are entirely different from those of Kelson's days, when he could, and did, absolutely blockade the French and Spanish seaports. That cannot be done now. Big ships cannot patrol entrances to harbors, or even sail in proximity to the enemy's coast, for there are to be considered the big guns of tne fortresses, the mines, submarines, and the deadly torpedo. To attempt Nelson's tactics to.day would be to risk the (!e- ---; stroying of entire fleets, Britishers can rest assured tuat the- Navy knows what is best to be done, and is doing it. A heavy responsibility rests upon the Navy at such a time as this, and no one recognises or appreciates it more than the brave sailors who are keeping vigilant watch in tlie stormy seas of the North. It is, of course, conceivable that our warships, not anticipating an attack upon defenceless towns, were concentrating upon the trade routes, but, in any case, it is plain that even a huge navy like the British cannot be everywhere at once, and that an enterprising enemy may break through and cause damage at any time. It is against international law to attack an undefended towns, but right from the very commencement, when the German Chancellor threw aside the treaty guaranteeing Belgian integrity I as a worthless "scrap of paper," the Germans have disregarded every international law, every humane law, every moral law, every divine law. Nothing is held sacred by these "cultured" barbarians. All is fish that comes into their nets, and the killing of non-com. batants or combatants is all the same to them. As we write a cable reports that all the German raiding vessels were sunk. This, however, is not confirmed, and the message can only be accepted with reservation. Everyone will hope it is true that the Germans have been made to pay for their atrocious behaviour in firing on our defenceless cities, but unless British cruisers of equal calibre engaged them, the chances are that the Germans escaped. The fact seems to be established that they were attacked uy our destroyers, but the latter have not the gun-power to do effective work against heavily-armored vessels like the Germans employed in this enterprise. They might be able to use their torpedoes, but if the enemy's boats were I travelling at any pace, and the light w<9 j bad, as is indicated, the possibility of the torpedoes reaching home would be somewhat remote. Further details of this epoch.marking adventure will be awaited with considerable interest.