Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-11-02
Merchant Marine Is First Line of
Naval Defense in This
War.
ARE FEEDING MANY LANDS
English Freighters Fight U-Boats
While Neutral Craft PLY to Safe
Zones-Half Tonnage Working
for France Sent by England.

emit status of Great Britain's merchant
feet as affected by the war will indi-
cate more clearly than any statement
heretofore issued the extent to which
the merchant marine has been abb
sorbed into national service under the
Immediate control of the government.
There is no more emphatic proof
Of the measure in which England has
placed her resources at the disposal Of
the war cause-than this analysis of the
merchant fleets disposition. British
ships are working for France, for Italy,
for the unfortunate neutral states that
would be threatened with starvation
If the allies did not help to keep them
alive. Troops, munitions, equipment,
food supplies have been brought from
all quarters of the world In British
ships, not exclusively for British con
sumption, but for all of Britain's al.
lies and for neutrals. Without the
British merchant marine the worlds
international commerce would be al
most at a s%tandstill.
A famous authority on shipping and
naval affairs recently pointed out that
the merchant marine has become the
first line of naval defense In this war;
and 1t is literally true. A majority of
merchant ships are nov armed, and
therefore take the same chances as
warships. They are attacked by the
enemy on sight and they fight the en-
envy on sight.
Keep Out Of Danger.
Neutral vessels have sought the less
dangerous one of operation and ply
their trade in waters far from the Ger
mar submarine bases, where they may
reasonably be certain to remain un-
molested. To the British merchant feet
Is left the uncomfortable duty of serv-
ing in those waters where submarines
are thickest, where mines are strewn,
where the Germans show the least con-
Germ for humanity, where every hour
and every mile represents the serious
chance of death and destruction.
The French ministry of mercantile
marine has issued a statement which
sets forth the condition of the French
merchant fleet. 1t is stated that the
French merchant marine amounts to
$4,167 900 tons, of which 100000 tons
has been loaned to France by Great
Britain. Thus 1t appears that half the
tonnage working for France Is furnish
ed by Great Britain. This Is particu-
larly interesting In view of the we'll
known fact that French shipping has
been dealt with rather tenderly by the
German submarines.
The greatest of French shipping cor
porations has been particularly fortu-
nate in this regard, and a curious ex-
PLANTATION Of the fact is current In both
France and England It is that this
corporation represents a large invest
ment by one of the most powerful and
influential religious orders of the Ro-
man Catholic, and that the Germans
have made 1t a policy not unnecessarily
to give offense in this quarter, Second
~, 1t is a matter of frequent note that
certain French ships are always per-
mitted to escape, while other vessels
In the same waters are invariably at
tackled.
Almost Cut OF.
France is now almost as completely
cut off from the privilege Of commerce
with her neighbors by land as Is Great
Britain. To put it in the reverse, she
is almost as dependable on shipping
as England. Before the war, accord
ing to the French ministry of marine,
France imported by land 100000
tons annually, while last year her
imports by land amounted to only L.
100000. Inasmuch as the total of
imports in 1915 was 100000 tons, the
proportion received by land Is very
small indeed. Inasmuch as France Is
at present much less capable of liv.
ing within itself than is England, by
reason of the necessity particularly to
import metals and coal, it may fairly
be said that France is even more de-
pendent upon maintaining her touch
with the sea than is England.
The French government is co-operat-
ing with England in every possible
way to increase the production of new
tonnage; but Frances contribution
must necessarily be small compared
to those of England and the United
States.
The French minister of marine said
that Great Britain would shortly have,
to recall a part of the 700 vessels
which she had lent to France. British
needs are increasing rapidly, and no
vessel will be recalled from the serv-
Ice of an ally unless it is, agreed be-
tween the two countries that 1t is
more Necessary to England than to the
ally.
The British nation before the war
was importing $4,000 900 tons of goods
q year, which fell to 100000 tons in
1915 and will be considerably further
reduced this year. Before the war
foodstuffs represented less than 25 per
cent of the imports in 1916 two-thirds