U-BOATS HELD.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 March 1918, Page 2

U-BOATS HELD.

POSITIVE ALLIED VICTORY. NO CHANGE NtflY EXCEPT FOR BETTER. j Reuter's Telegrams. London, Feb. 3. Sir Eric Geddes (First Lord of the Admiralty) has been interviewed by the Associated Press on the subject of submarining. "The submarine, as held," he said. "The sinkings are now '.-cduci-d to a level below anything which has prevailed since the Germans threw oil' restraint. t think we ai'c now sinking submarines as fast as Germany can build them. I cannot foresee any change except for the better, but we must have more ships to turn the enemy failures into a positive Allied victory, because the destruction of merchantmen!; still exceeds construction, and tonnage demands are increasing by leaps and bounds. Before the end of 1018 we should be building shipping of all kinds at a rate more than double our record pre-war year." MORE SHIPS FO?i VICTORYSir Eric Geddes added I bat much depended on the American shipbuilding efforts- He hoped that her effort- would be a contribution worthy of the great cause. Referring to the tab els of curves which arc published from time Ui time, he said that all the curves were bending in the right direction. "The destruction of the Allied shipping decreased steadily, the construction of merchant ships increased STeadily, and flic sinking of submarines steadily rises." Sir Eric Geddes explained another curve, namely, the factor of exaggeration in the German statements of sinkings. In the early months of unrestricted warfare the margin of exaggeration was fairly small, but with tile br-sening of the enemy successes of last July. August, and September German exaggeration began to increase, and were continuing to increase, indicating a fairly accurate reflection of German official confession and their measure of failure. AMERICAN TRANSPORT DANGERS. Referring to the United States War Secretary's warning about concentiation against American transports he said that there might probably he heavy losses—as life-saving in mid-Atlantic was not easy —if they were to transport the proposed numbers of American troops. lint there was no evidence that the Germans at present wero withdrawing U-boats in preparation for ,-uch a concentration. All the evidence showed that there were as many submarines new operating as ever. The decreased losses were due to the steady improvement in the Allies' antisubmarine methods. "They get few chances, and meet disaster more frequently." Our policy of secrecy with regard to U-boat losses is ono of the chief causes of the steady deterioration of German crews. Even the commanders of submarines arj not what they used to be. The brave, capable commanders to-dny are exceptions- The averaga submarine '.s in no way equal in efficiency to the U-boat of a year ago.