The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1917-05-02
SAYS U-BOATS SUNK
100000. TONS. IS.
Says English Merchant Fleet Can't
Stand Much Longer at Present

Amsterdam, April >29.-(Via Lon
don) In the first two months Of un-
restricted sumarine warfare shipping
to the amount Of more than 1,600,-:
900 tons was sunk was sunk by the,
Germans, DR.. Karl Helfferich, Ger
man secretary Of the interior, told
the Reichstag main committee yes
terday. Asserting that the subma-
rine campaign was proving a great
success, he continued: ~
"The first months results excelled
the best previous results by 25 per
cent, the second months by so per
cent. Exact figures cannot be given,
but in the first two months the
freight tonnage sunk exceeded IL
100000, of which more than 1,00O,
600 was British. Perception Of eco
nomic conditions in England is made
difficult by the fact that the Britishi
Government, since the beginning Of
unrestricted submarine warfare, has
decided on far reaching satisfied
concealment. England could no lon
ger afford the publicity Of the ear.
lier period Of the war. So. 3
"From our figures one may es6-
mate the total tonnage still available
for British trade at 1000, 900 to To-
100000. It is clear the British mar.
chant feet cannot long bear sindREs
at the present rate. Adequate ssub-
stitutions by new constructors aanO
impossible, as the British increase n
ships in 1916 Notwithstanding eEsEy.
effort, was not sufficient even to NJ
place the normal diminution Of
peace time" .-,-.4 .,s.
Says Plan Will Fad.
sThe British attempts to reemploy
on q great scale neutral tonnage win
fail, as it is in the interest of nus
trails to preserve their fleets for the
time when peace comes again. Sup
posing that England was deprived OF
about half Of neutral ship traffic by
the beginning of the Unrestricted
submarine warfare we arrive at tha
result that arrivals at and sailingS
from English ports as regards tom
mage must have diminished in the
first months of the U-boat war by
one-quarter to one-third. The figures
of the traffic since the beginning Of
the U-boat war represent 40 per
cent less than the average sailings
and arrivals at English ports IN
times of peace. This effect is pro-
gressively increasing. VIC
"Lloyd George justly recognized
that the question of ships will bs
decisive for the future Of Britsh
world power and the issue Of tho
war.
Americas Wooden Fleet.
"The wooden ships which the Un-
tied States intends to build to save
Great Britain will, in all probability,
only come into use when they have
nothing more to save. Great
Britain's attempt to alleviate her
difficulties by drastic restrictions in
importations of the less essential
commodities is doomed to failure
because Of her total imports in 1915
of 100000 tons, 31,000,000 tons
consisted of foodstuffs, luxuries,
wood and iron and among the rest
were many things indispensable in
war times"
Ur. Helnerlch then concluQed,
Short But Secure.
!"We in Germany have been kept
short, but we stand secure. The war
of starvation is turned against its
originators. The American apostles
of humanity who are trying to drive
our neutral neighbors to war against
us with threats of death will not
turn the scales of fate. =,
Realizing her position, Great
Britain is seeking a decision on land,
driving hundreds of thousands Of
her sons to death and ruin. The be-
lief that she could comfortably wait
until hunger had conquered US and
until her great brother beyond the
water came to her rescue has dis
appeared. If we remain true to
ourselves, keep calm, maintain our
nerve and keep our own house in
order by maintaining internal unity
we have won the war;"