THE SUBMARINE MENACE.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 April 1917, Page 6

THE SUBMARINE MENACE.

STARVATION IMPOSSIBLE.

PLANS TO BEAT "U" BOATS.

London, February 8. There is no denying the fact that the latest phase of Germany's submarine campaign has made the average Englishman "think furiously,'' and has caused a good many of our optimists to tone down very considerably their confident prediction that we should speedily discover that the Germans could do no more damage with their underwater craft than they had been doing. The toll taken of British and neutral shipping during the past fortnight 'has, howeven, shown most clearly that the Germans have not only put many more submarines into commission, bub that the newest "U" boats are much more formidable craft than their predecessors, being considerably swifter above and below water, more heavily armed, and possessing the ability to keep at sea for a much longer period without returning to their bases for supplies. And it is useless to blink the fact that a very serious measure of success has attended their operations since Germany announced 'her intention to sink at sight any vessel plying within certain limits without regard to their nationality or character. That she meant what she said has been made abundantly clear by the sinking of a vessel laden with salt loaded in Spain for delivery in Norway; by the destruction of two, Belgian relief s'hips, by the sinking witliin Spanish territorial waters of a nit/ate-laden Peruvian ship; and by the torpedoing without any warning whatsoever of the British passenger liner Port Adelaide.

It may be that their success is only a "flash in the pan," and that the bigger submarines now operating wili speedily meet the same fate that waited upon their smaller predecessors a year ago. At first, it will be remembered, the German submarines seemed to be,having it all their own way, but presently our Navy "got wise," as the saying goen, to their tricks, and in a marvellously short time the risks to our shipping from "IT" boat operations were very small indeed. We do not know how many German submarines, were permanently put out of commission by the British Navy during the period referred to for unless one of these vessels was captured or destroyed under circumstances that prohibited secrecy, the Admiralty made no announcement concerning our success, and even at this late how- we are not even permitted to know how many were accounted for during that period. \\ hat information we have had came from Germany in the shape of a portion of during a debate on naval affairs some months ago. Therein the speaker, who was not m lovo with mad-dog submarining, and questioned its efficacy as a means of bringing Great Britain to her knees,-made a statement to the effect tr.at since the British Navy had serioustaken the submarine menace in hand Cermanv had lost over MX) "TJ" boats That statement was not challenged so we may take it that the speaker's' estimate was not, at any rate exaggerated. ' ° I

DEFEAT By «TJ" BOATS IMPOSSIBLE

As regards the present campaign people at Home are confident that the Wavy will again "get on top" of the enemy, and Mr. Bonar Law has assured the country that there is little cause to 'ear serious interference with our vital supplies from overseas. It i s true that we have no longer the superabundance of normal time.'), but we are told that a general acceptance of the individual limitation which the Food Controller asks for will make anything like real privation a very remote possibility There is enough food for all, but there is no margin for waste.

In the course of his speech in replv to Mr.| Asquith in Parliament yesterday, Mr. Bonar Law made reference to the submarine menace in these terms:— "The Navy ha* done all, and more than all, that was expected of it. Without the Navy it would have been impossible for us and our Allies to win in this struggle. With the Navy, in spite of submarines, it is impossible that we can ail to win. lam not going to attempt to minimise the danger of the submarine. It is a great danger—one of the Greatest against which we have to fig'ht. To meet this new danger new expedients lijivc to be devised. Even in the ease of the Zeppelins the improvement did not come at once. This, I think, is far more Jiflietilt, but I think I am at liberty to tell the Hou<e that some of the very host brains in the Navy and the country mve lor some time been concentrated on this problem.

_ 'Lverything that can be done is beta* "one, and-Uicse are, of course, matters' ot speculation, and the most skilful sailor* can only s i ve a guess-I cannot to self nelp feelmg that we may find hat our experience of the similar threats made by Germanv early in 1915 will now be repeated; that she has been doing all she can, and that there is absolutely ]„, chance whatever of her succeeding in starving this country and bringm, about a defeat through this means." 6 PLANS TO BEAT "U" BOATS. Whilst Mr. Bonar Law was giving comfort to the Commons, Lord Curzoii, «'bo h a member of the War Cabinet, was describing to the House of Lords some of our measures to deal with Germany's new threats of ''world-wide submarine piracy." He said:—

"We can multiply, and are multiplying, destroyers to attack and sink the enemy's vessels and to escort our ships its a screen against them. We can arm, and are arming, merchant vessels in the most effective form for defence to an extent and degree which, if you were aware of it, would give you lively satisfaction, but for obvious reasons I cannot divulge the figures.

'"'Wo are employing and developing seionti(i,c inventions for the discovery and destruction of submarines. We are exerting ourselves to protect neutral shipping from the daiuers by which they are threatened. We are organising the sea routes in the endeavor to provide 'lanes of safety' through the dangerinfested zones.

"We are building- at an accelerated rates of speed new vessels to replace those which have been or aro likely to be lost.

'T think it is quite likely thnt before very lpng the people of this country may have to be invited to accept restrictions on the imports of unessential commodities in order to release shipping on a scale far in excess ofanytliing yet done. "We are now approaching the supreme and terrible crisis of the war. Possibly in the months before us deeds will be attempted by the enemy that will surpass in horror and atrocity aiythina ,tlmt he

has hitherto essayed. We must use every resource to beat him. It will require the mo3t tremendous effort and entail a greater cost probably than anything that hitherto has been cheerfully paid.''