American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1917-11-09
WAR ON GERMAN U-BOATS
WINNING.


ceeded Sir Edward Carson as first lord
Of the admiralty. made his first adj
dress in parliament last week, and
gave some interesting and anxiously /
awaited figures or the work Of the
navy and shipping in general.
His declaration that between 40 and
80 per ent Of the German submarines
operating in the North sea. the Al
lantic and the Artic oceans had been
sunk, was not the least interesting Of
his announcements. and there was an
indication of the unceasing var the
British and American patrols are max
ing on the submarine in his statement
that during the last quarter the enemy
had lost as many submarines as dur
ing the whole Of 1916.
Referring To the question Of pub
fishing the tonnage Of British mer-
chantmen lost through submarines, he
said he had made q o careful in
v~estigatiOn. and has approached the
subject with the idea that 10 was de-
sirable and it ought TO be possible TO
give the public figures, because. he
added. 1T is hardly conceivable that
the enemy does not know what he is
sinking.
4 have studied from a variety of
sources" said the hrst lord, the state
ments made from time 70 time by the
enemy as 10 tonnage and position. and
have come TO the definite conclusion
that not only does he not know what
is being sunk. but that he would like
very much indeed 10 know what is be-
ing sunk regularly month by month.
or week by week. or even exactly for
q period"
Submarines sent Down.
The general situation regarding
submarine warfare can best be demon
strated by the following figures. Since
the beginning Of the war between 40
and 50 per cent OF the German sub
marines operating in the North sea,
the Atlantic ocean and the Attic ocean
have been sunk. During the last
quarter the enemy has lost as many
submarines as during the whole o.
1916.
As regards the sinkings Of British
merchant tonnage by submarines. th'
German official figures for August ar'
sos. 900 tons of all n~ationalities. Thel
sank a little more than one-third O
that amount Of British tonnage and
little more than half Of all |nationali
ties.
For September their official figure
were $4,000 tons. They sank far les
than one-third of that amount o
British tonnage and less than One-hal
of that amount of all natiOnalities.
The Germans claim that Our ton
mage is falling so low that there ar
S not enough ships on the sea 10 enahl
their submarine commanders TO main
= tain their bag. Let me give YOU III
facts. In April last. the heayies mont
i Of British losses by enemy submarine
] since the war began. our trade flOWe
presumably in satisfactory volume fl
the enemy submarine. In Septembe
4 last. his lowest month of sinking. on
$ overseas sailings of all ships Of owe
s 1900 tons were 20 per cent in humble
o and 80 per cent in tonnage higher tina
Il in April. The enemy must. therefor
r md another and better explanatio
n for his sack Of success. a supp
g il.
The explanation is that the lor
arm OF the British navy reached dow
+ into the depths and thus the harve
u reaped is poorer and the number
German submarines which do not r
II turn is increasing.
b Since April. the highest month fl
e British losses. they have steadily d
creased. and l~atterly a 10 marked d
Of gree. September was the most san
factory month. October was on
Ie slightly worse and better by 80 D
al cent than any other month since u
le restricted submarine warfare bega
Id The net reduction in tonnage in q
Ia last four months is 80 per cent lie
H than anticipated in the estimate pI
pared for the cabinet early in July.
The total net reduction since [
IN beginning of the var from all eau
es in British tonnage on the official re
n lister in ships over 1900 tOns is und
in two and a half millions Of tons gro
+ or IA per cent. and that after a peri
h when u great armies and their ma
in niicent equipment received priOri
es and the great growth Of Our navy "
ne simultaneously achieved. 10 the det
he ment of mercantile shipbuilding. NJ
Ut that the submarine is for the prs
nj ent doing less damage and the
IN cNuANCc VI Tie NOQAlA. GlN 4-uAA
ing devoted to a far greater and an
ne %creasing extent TO the ~upbuilding
IN. the mercantile marine. look for I
results still more formidable.
Summarized. the submarine w
as fare amounts 10 this: Our defens'
TO measures have during the last sew
Is months proved so efficacious that
as spite of the increased number Of sh
as passing through the danger one th'
IN. has been steady reduction in the da
ed age done by the enemy submarines.
a the meantime we are sinking enc
submarines to an increasing eNte
he Our offensive measures are imprOvi
sg- and will still more improve and mu
he ply.
The But on the other hand, the Germ'
9TH are building submarines faster q
lad they have hitherto done and they hi
10 not attained their maximum strens
r11 II anncnrr y, ma rharaFn~a that