New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-14
Curzon Credits Jellicoe with
Greatly Gripping Ruth
less Campaign

London, Feb. 13.-Speaking in the
House of Lords to-day, Lord Curzon,
member of the War Council, said that
Admiral Jellicoe, First Sea Lord Of the
Arrairalty, was mot dissatisfied" with
the number of German submarines
which never would return to Germany
The first official explanation of the
decrease in number of ships sunk per
day by submarines, as compared with
the heavy toll week ago, was given
to-day, when Sir Edward Carson told
"Le Petit Parisien" that the British
navy had destroyed "a very large num-
her" of U-boats. Sir Edward added
that the activity of the British sub
marines and destroyers was constantly
increasing.
Recently unofficial reports have been
circulated that more than 200 German
submarines nave been captured or de-
stroyed by the British navy, but no
Official confirmation of this has been
made. The exact number of submarine
victims probably will not be made
known until the end of the war.
There has been most noticeable
falling off in the number of sinkings
lately. The average daily toll for the
thirteen days Of the campaign is l5,O67
tons.
Dati
At this rate the submarines would
sink less than 100000 tons Of shipping
in a month of thrty-one days, or less
than half the aggregate it was predict
ed would be attained.
Admiral Baron Beresford, drawing
attention in the House of Lords to the
submarine menace and asking what
measures had been taken to meet it,
said:
ave have lost since the beginning
of the war 100000 tons Of shipping
That is fact which the public should
know. but IL is not nearly as serious
as II appears. We have made up the
loss very considerably. Three million
tons which have been lost have been
more or less adequately filed.
The Earl of Lytton. replying for the
Admiralty, said the government would
be glad If il were possible TO take the
public entirely into its confidence, but
that that would involve impartlng in
formation TO the enemy, and the Ad-
miralty was determined that the Ger
mans should have that information by
thTnnph
in Parliament
Defensive Measures Extensive
All the expedients suggested by
Raron Beresford were being pressed for
ward with the utmost energy, together
with many Others, he continued, even
in addition 70 those mentioned by Ear!
Curzon on February Z. Every device
that human ingenuity could frame was
being employed.
Although the new phase of the sub
marine warfare was only fortnight
old. Lord Lytton said that the counter
measures put into effect already had
achieved very considerable success and
justified confidence in expectations for
the future.
Apparently the means the government
IL relying on are a great multiplication
Of destroyers ana the arming OF ner-
chantmcn Lord Lytton said that all tho
sbin wards in the world would not suf-
Gee TO build the destroyers needed, but
every available yard was being uti-
lied for that purpose
Lord Curzcn in his address adduced
set Of figures which, he claimed,
Sboved that the situation was less az
pravating than might be supposed. He
an July. 1914. our mercantile marine
.onsisted Of $500 vessels in excess OF
GOO tons each, with n gross tonnage
of 1s.s50,O00. At the. end OF last Janu
~ tbe decrease had been only between
as,6 a per cent In gross tonnage. Ad.
oiraI Jeilicoe and those who have been
LIN him arc not dissatisfied with what
w. been done, even in the last fort
hight, They were not dissatisfied with
tbe number OF German submarines
that would never return 70 their own