The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-10-02
u BOAT MENACE

lS GREAT
CONTINUED from PAGE
who was chosen by Premier Lloyd
George for task that is much more
difficult than even that of food con
troller-the control of shipping that
is being sunk more rapidly than it is
being constructed and that, mark YOU
at time when the demand for ship
ping, owing to the transport needs
OF the United States army, Is increas-
i ing daily. But I maintain that moth
ing that has happened alters my con-
viction that the combined ship yards
Of the allies and their combined navies
must make a super human effort to
overcome the losses and growing de-
mand as to Atlantic transport today.
! The whole system of publishing the
figures Of submarine sinkings by the
allies is misleading and l have pro
tested against 1t ever since it was
adopted. I do not believe that any
substantial progress has been made in
stopping submarine depredations. Last
week We were told officially that the
submarine sinkings of British ships
were the lightest since the policy of
ruthlessness commenced. Within a
that the sinking Of French ships over
the same period were the heaviest yet
recorded. In other wards, II is prob
able that part Of the submarine force
Of Germany that is fighting the great
est naval battle OF the world off the
south coast Of Ireland was sent to the
French coast to stop the arrival Of urg-
ent necessities from America for your
daily growing army.
Remember that the army princi-
pally meraced by the policy Of oper-
ating off the coast Of France Is the
American army. The British army Is
supplied from Great Britain to an in
creasing extent as to meat, material
and munitions, across channel OF
twenty or thirty miles, adequately
guarded. The French and Belgian
armies are at home on their own soil.
The giant supplies for your boys have
to travel nearly three thousand miles
and across the very track of subma
rine ruthlessness. OF danger to act
ual transports there is probably little.
Not one Canadian soldier has yet been
lost at sea out of the 40O, 900 boys that
have gone from Canada to France.
Submarine attacks on fast ships are
rarely successful in these days Of
zig-zagg1ng, camouflage and big guns,
but the worlds shipping is sinking SO
fast and the demands for tonnage,
owing to your need for transportation
are so rapidly increasing, that supplies
have to be put on any kind of tramp
steamer. irrespective of it's speed
admit the comparative success of
the convoy system; admit the brav-
cry and ingenuity of the British and
American captains of destroyers; ad-
NIT the worth of some of Mr.. Edi-
sons ingenious devices. There yet
remains the serious statement by the
greatest authority on shipping in
Great Britain that the United States
requires five hundred thousand men
to be engaged in shipbuilding: that
you must build three times more than
the British have ever built in one
year and five or six times what you
have previously accomplished in like
time.
Il am well aware that progress Is
being made here and in Great Brit
ain, but are you getting the six mil
lion tons year that your controller
of shipping states to be the minimum
necessary to make successful what
he truly described as your greatest
effort
"The problem is almost entirely an
American problem. The stoppage of
food supplies from this country to
Great Britain would be trying. but
not fatal. So far as our shipping is
we are not only able to
look after all our own needs. but we
are cheerfully a1lotting much tonnage
to France and Italy. We are glad |.
to do so by reason Of our admiration |
for their work.
TT Is vital that hand in hand with !
the equipment Of the splendid young
men now f1ocking into your canton (
ments, must rise an army of Amert- !
can ship builders. The men who !
build the ships in Great Britain re-
gard themselves and rightly, as per
forming equal service with the men
who face death in the trenches. I
believe that the time will come when
The workers in the ship yards and
'actories-the men in the mines and
Il mercantile sailors-will also get the
medals and ribbons that are
now given to the soldiers and naval
men.
Whenever you set eyes on one of
your fine young soldiers, send this
hought coursing through your brain,
All his sacrifice will be in vain If
you cannot give him the food, the
arms and the housing he viii re-
luire in France, every ounce of which
las to be transported across the sub !
marine zone
Let me urge and urge YOU again
hat the Increased sinkings of the
French ships are significant and what
al on1 ct Nv
'uin of your effort to supply your
'wn men with everything that they
iced in France"