ENGLAND'S SEA POWER.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 March 1916, Page 5

ENGLAND'S SEA POWER.

HER TASK. iS FAR GREATER THAN THAT OF TIRPITZ. ' An "Old Sea Dog'' in the Ouiu State Journal writes:— There appears to be a growing belief among Americans that the so-calleil "blockade" of England by German submarines has seriously jeopardised the former's sea power and her ocean trade. This is a mistake, notwithstanding the occasional sinking of large vessels. I have just received an official analysis of the overseas trade of Great Britain for the first year of the war. Summarising this analysis, it appears that the British Government requisitioned for transporting troop and ammunition 20 per cent, of English steamers, and that in one way or another 244 liritish ships of all kinds had been destroyed by the enemy. Yet the extraordinary fact remain that at the end of the first year of the war England's oversea trade is practically as large as it was in the pieceding year—and that was a record year. To some ext'tht this is accounted for by the fact that the destruction of the British ships has been partially offset by the capture at sea or seizure in port'of over 100 German ships, each of 1000 tons or oVer, but principally by the fact thjat since the war tile tendency has been to use larger ships for freight arid |to carry heavier cargoes—thus making up for the decrease of tonnage available for freight by the transferring of 20 per cent, to the needs of the Government. Many of the big passenger ships are now using most of the space for cargo. The German submarine "blockade" was declared last February, and yet ever since then the stream of cargoes pouring into Great Britain has larger than ever before in history. In the ocean trade only vessels of 1000 tons or upward count. Of those, up to July, only 124 out of a total of 3600 had been de-. stroyed by the Germans, and against this loss must be set the 100 vessels of this size taken from the Germans, not counting new vessels built. So that, after all the sensational raids by German submarines against the British Navy and mercantile marine, the importations of foodstuffs and everything else are now greater than ever before, and the British flag is seen flying on every sea except only German waters. Contrast this condition with Germany's plight. Not a single German ship, war or mercantile, sails on any ocean or any sea except under the protection of German land guns, within the restricted German coast area, and German oversea trade is absolutely non-existent. Furthermore, under the protection of its Navy, England has transported to France and is now transporting hundreds of thousands of soldiers, vhilq at the same time moving Jarge armies to Egypt, to Turkey and from India, Canada, Australia and New Zealand—the most stupendous feat of its kind in the world's history. It is just beginning to be appreciated by students of the terrible drama now unfolding in Europe that, contrary to general understanding, Great Britain is playing a part which in its purely physical proportions is far greater than even that played by Germany, notwithstanding the hitter's vast preparations dating back forty years.