The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1915. GERMANY'S THREAT OF PIRACY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 214, 17 February 1915, Page 4

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1915. GERMANY'S THREAT OF PIRACY.

Of the many outrageous pronouncements made by Germany since the outbreak of the war, none have attracted such a gc neral outburst of indignation and protest as that in which it was intimated the initiation of a policy of submarine warfare to sweep all trading vessels oil' the seas_ It even aroused America to sending a strongly-worded Note to Berlin, the effect of which, as this morning's cables show, has been to make tiermany climb down from at least part of her programme. When this declaration of open piracy was first made, it- was treated in some quarters as cither a joke or a mere attempt at bhifl', but in the light of the atrocities already committed by the nation of '-kultur" Here i j reasonable ground for assumiig that tile tin-eat was not an idle one. Every reverse indicted on Germany seems to enrage the responsible authorities, and stir them up to seek some avenue of revenge. Hitherto it has been defenceless women and children, as well a.i peaceful towns, that have hud to bear tile vials of German wrath, but the terrible slaughter inllicted by the Russians on the German forces in East Prussia lias evidently made such a deep impression on the susceptible minds of the defeated nation that no scheme of barbarity would seem too horrible to adopt; hence the idea of a commerce raid on lines hitherto unthought of. Rut what can he expected of a nation which can circulate sr.eh a despatch as the following.-—"What care we for lamentations over British babies struck down by our Weapons! What care we for the Belgian refugees whose dinner is salted by our submarines! Belgian r-iiigics should be contraband, because '

England is pressing them, into the war service." As was recently pointed out by a naval writer, commerce destruction by submarines is a confession of weakness, for the Kaiser's submarines should not be wasting time sinking small merchant snips if they could sink warships, while other authorities are unanimously of opinion that such a form of blockade cannot succeed, it i is, however, of far more importance to I learn the, views of the First Lord of the British Admiralty on this latest freak oi tlie enemy. Reference to the cable columns in this issue will certainly reassure any timid New Zealanders, for Mr. Churchill speaks in no uncertain language on this matter. "We will," lie says, "take reprisals, because Gernuuiy cannot be"allowed to adopt a system of open piracy and murder," and he intimates in plain terms that Britain is prepared to starve Germany out by applying the full force of the naval pressure upon the enemy. What that force is can be judged by his further remarks, wherein he states: "The paralysing force which the Navy exerted could alone decide the issue of the war. The Navy is as sound as a bell." Every

word in tins forceful pronouncement is pregnant with a meaning that no one can mistake. It is only recently that a naval correspondent pointed out that Germany has not yet felt the eliect of a real blockade, but the time ">as surely come when she should be tau^nt ! what it means. If we decided to blockade Germany effectively, we should as- ' sist neutrals as well as ourselves and our Allies. There is no question that it could b e done by making fuller use • of our naval, power, and the words of Mr. Churchill fully bear out the contention. The purpose of the Royal Navy, says ' The Times, is to engage and destroy the ships of the enemy, and > that purpose will be inflexibly pursued, ' in spite of all subtle temptations to . abandon it for other objects. The Ad--1 miralty lias more than once made plain tlie position, Raids on coastal towns or on merchantmen will not be allowed to modify the general naval policy that is being pursued, though it may amplify and enlarge its scope of action. Fortu- * nately for the Empire, there is net the most remote, possibility that the Admiralty will depart, in spite of all the submarines and airships that Germany can bring to Dear, from that policy which has succeeded beyond the most favorable forecast, and, simultaneously, placed the Empire under an obligation that it seems unable to appreciate. Should Germany carry out her threat, ' Uhe consequences will be on her own , head. Some damage may jc done _y ; submarines, and probably some lives 3 lost, but the day of reckoning will as- ' suredly be a heavy one when the might o? Britain's silent fleet is brought to bear on the pirates and murderers acting under the Kaiser's orders. War ia sufficiently terrible in itself without recourse to acts of cold-blooded vengeance that are anathema to all really civilised people.