BRITAIN'S HUGE SACRIFICES.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 October 1917, Page 6

BRITAIN'S HUGE SACRIFICES.

SHIPPING REDUCED.

BY THREE MILLION TONS. London, July 28. Lord Robert Cecil, the Minister of Blockade, in an interview with the Associated Press yesterday, discussed the shipping situation at length, touching particularly on the sacrifices incurred by Great Britain, owing to tlie obligations imposed upon shipping as a result of the war.

Ocean-going vessels of Britain registry before the war were between 17,000,000 and 18,000,000 tons," he said by .way of introduction.

"At present the total, inclusive of prizes, and new ships, is slightly over 15,00(1,000 tons. "The country generally has had to suffer great and increasing sacrifices through the shortage of tonnage caused by war requirements and submarine losses," continued Lord Cecil. "I wish particularly to point out how we havo sacrificed ruthlessly the needs of industry and commerce to war requirements." Lord Robert said that about 6,500,000 tons of British merchant shipping had now been allocated entirely to the needs of the Navy and Army, the Allies and the Dominions, while a further million tons were being used similarly on the outward journey, and, therefore, were lost to the export trade. MERCHANT SHIP'S SERVICE. "The services rendered by these ships are varied," said Lord Robert. "Some of the speediest and most efficient ot them have been converted into auxiliary cruisers, and others into hospital ships. Many of them are engaged in taking coal and oil to the Navy, others constantly engaged in mine sweeping and patrol work, others are assigned to our Allies to supply urgent needs for munitions and other imports, and others are carrying wheat and other foodstuffs for our Allies.

"From the beginning of the war, British ships have been requisitioned on a large scale by the Government, and run in national instead of private interest. The rates paid to shipowners soon became much lower than could be earned by free ships, and British owners therefore were unable to earn the same freights as competitors. Now the situation has reached a stage at which it has been necessary to take complete control of all British shipping, first to ensure the employment of every vessel in the manner most consistent to the national interest, and second to divert from private pockets to the national treasury the Tiigh freights prevalent. SHIPPING REQUISITIONED. "The result may be summarised as follows:

First, the British Government has requisitioned about 97 per cent, of the ocean-going tramps on the British register; second, all British liners have been requisitioned and are being run for Government account; third, every oceangoing voyage of British steamers is now directed by the Government with regard only to how it can obtain essential imports from the nearest source, disregarding the interests of shipowners and exporters alike; fourth, many trades built up in distant waters and'sustained by Biitish industry have been abandoned to neutrals, who gladly seek employment for their vessels in areas immune from war risk; fifth, coastal traffic around the shores of Great Britain is now being '"ubjected to a searching review for the purpose of withdrawing "all vessels which can be utilised for ocean-going work. "One effect of the requisitioning is seen in the fact that the current market value of neutral ships is double that of British ships. , CREWS RUN GREAT RISKS. It also must be borne in mind that officers and crews of British merchant vessels have to run extraordinary risks in bringing necessary commodities hither. The areas around the British Isles have been singled out by the enemy for {special attack, but notwithstanding the risk, the officers and men have never made any difficulties about taking ships through the most dangerous routes." Touching on the sacrifices which the country generally has had to suffer, Lord Robert said: "The diversion of liners from long distance to short distance trade has inflicted injury on many British export trades, particularly to India and the Far East, and also upon the interests of our distant exporting colonies. "Send, a far-reaching programme of restrictions of imports has been effected —luxuries have been excluded, and the importation even of essentials has been reduced to the lowest level. "Third, the restriction on coasting facilities will create serious hardship for coast towns, which hitherto have relied on seaborne supplies. "As to import curtailments. Before the war we imported 58,000,000 tons yearly, last year 43,000,000 tons, and the present year considerably less. Even this large reduction does not exhibit tho full amount of our sacrifices of commodities for use in manufactures or for sale to our world customers. Of the pre-war imports, less than a quarter were foodstuffs. Last year njore than two-thirds were foodstuffs or munitions, leaving less than a third of the greatly reduced total for production industries.

REDUCTION OF EXPORTS.

"Exports to our Allies have increased to some extent, as naturally would be expected, though this increase representing the special and transient feature o; the present situation, affords no substitute for the loss of permanent trade. Our exports to other foreign countries and the Dominions overseas have fallen off nearly one-third.

"The foregoing figures as to imports and exports relate to our whole trade. If it were possible to analyse separately the carrying trade of British ships, the comparison would be still more striking. Fifty per cent, of the British tonnage, which formerly contributed to the national revenue by its earings in distant trades, now has been brought home. "The gap thus created is being filled to some extent by neutral shipping, which has been withdrawn from the European trade to take advantage of the profitable opportunity to obtain business which the British, for the time being, at any rate, are compelled to surrender."

Lord Robert emphasised the vital importance to tlii> Allies of stopping the trade in iron ore and wood pulp which the Scandinavian countries now are carrying on with Germany. SHOULD COERCE NEUTRALS. '•You as!.-.me," eaM Lord Robert, "Tf the T/Vtfv' Suites is justified in threat - cviug .!>' - S";iuiUmY'.;in countries with a stop] (in i i'f feed implies unless the ore tra-ln is stopped. There H 110 que--'.ion at. a!l that the United States is

entitled to act. Whether vour country will lie justified in so doing is a question which will have to be decided at Washington. "Certainly it seems here that the United States very properly may aak Sweden whether she wants American products so much that she is willing to forgo her profits on trade with Germany.

"Iron ore and wood pulp traffic between Scandinavia' and Germany is so important that it is hard to overestimate it. Our military and naval people tell me that without Swedish iron, (Jcrman munition factories would be in a very difficult position. Sweden is exporting directly to Germany the fundamental materials for shells to kill our soldiers and yours. '•lt certainly would be a great mistake to neglect any step which might put a halt to a traffic which means, every ton of it, the loss of Allied lives." Three hundred British Vessels already have been armed, and a large number are being armed each week, said Dr. T: J. M'Namara, Financial Secretary to the Admiralty, in reply to a question in the House of Commons yesterday. He added that the Government was making ,great efforts to get a maximum number of merchantmen armed as soon as possible.