Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-07-13
CAPITAL JOURNAL
whose circulation guaranteed by
Audi O. Circulations.
THE SUBMARINE WARFARE A FAILURE

While but little is heard recently Of submarine acvi-
ties it is because the first is over and the world is
already becoming accustomed to the ocean conditions.
When the war first broke a battle such now Of
almost daily attracted world wide attention
and the destruction Of human life appalling We
have become accustomed this condition and take it
quite as matter Of 1t is the with the sub
marine An accurate account of losses since the be-
ginning Of Gemanys second campaign OF ruthlessness
shows that there is for the past month consider
able Of decrease in the sinkngs and this while in
crease was promised by the Germans and expected by all
others whose ships sailed the Atlantic.
At first there tremendous excitement and a
shdderng fear that Germany would succeed in carrying
her threats of starving England into surrender We
became almost hysterca but that we have measured
the and have accurate knowledge OF the extent
Of the danger the accounts of the torpedong of big
vessel hardly calls for more than moments considera-
ton
Taking stock of the merchant marine now on hand
estimating the destruction due to submarines, and count
ing the tonnage the shipyards Of the world turning
out it readily that instead of the merchant marine
growing smaller it is about holding its and
within another year will increase despite submarine
activities Atthe beginning Of May there under con-
structon in this country about two million TONS or ten
times as much as was built in 1914 AT the same time
England had quit building ships and her yards were
busy budfng merchant ships AT the beginning of June
she had million and half tons of ships building in her.
yards AT the time France was bending her ener-
gleS along the lines and adding largely to the worlds
carriers General Goethals has promised three Million
tons more within eighteen months, and the board Of
which he is manager has raised his estimates and says
1t will turn out five million tons within that time.
1t has been estimated that the destruction by sub
marines since the war began amounts to about six million
tons This in three years. Within the next eighteen
months if plans carried out besides the five million
tons turned out under direction Of the government there
will be at least million, and perhaps two million tons
turned out for private In other words this
country will in eighteen months build ships than the
submarines have destroyed in three years To these must
be added the tonnage turned out by England and France
well other countries Japan is building at great
and to hold the cargo carrying fleet at its pres
ent capacity will require that the submarines sink more
than double the number of vessels right along than they
sank during the period of their greatest activity On top
of this it must not be overlooked that the destruction by
submarines falling off rather than increasing and this
showing tends to still further discourage the prosecution
of that kind of warfare The submarine war is not ended
but the it is. It's worst feature is not the
destruction of ships but of foodstus They harder
to replace but here too the United States plays great
part and raise enough in average years to
even German destructiveness While there in
creased acreage this year most crops there will be still
greater one next year if the continues and this
country make good practically all losses Germany
inflict on the world either in ships foodstuffs.
Judging from the samples printed some folks think a