The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-04-30
From the Philadelphia. Public Ledger.

from the Pnlladelphla Public Ledger.
 I\ LEARNING not only because 1t re-
 HAA veals the greatest number of ves- sels reported sunk by U-boat war fare within one week since the ruthless programme of February l commenced. but for it's omission of French, Italian, American and neutral losses, the state ment put forth on April 25 by the British admiralty is justly reprehended by the leading newspapers of Great Britain. Bad as the actual details may be, the effect of their publication could not be worse than the suspense and fear bordering on engendered America cannot gauge her responsibilities in overcoming the damage of Germany's undersea warfare, her peo- pie cannot understand the gravity of the issue involved, unless the extent and lia- bilities of the campaign as 1t progresses shall be fully made known. It is not enough to state that certain numbers of ships, over or under 16O0 tons, have been sunk. It is time to publish the ag- gregate tonnage lost with full compari- sons of ships afioat and available for the carrying trade of Great Britain.
 Despite withholdings of the censorship, some estimate of the seriousness of the authentic account appearing recently in these columns, Great Britain, her allies and neutral nations are losing each month by submarine warfare an aggre gate of at least 100000 tons of shipping. Germany has thus. far succeeded in her programme of cutting by U-boat attack the jugular vein of Great Britain's trade overseas. The means devised by Lord Fisher and his admiralty experts are not enough. They cannot destroy the new and more formidable submarines faster than the Germans can launch them. Without prompt aid from America, England may find Won Tripitz, Hindenburg and Luden- dorff making good their threat to thot- tie the British nation. Is America equal to the task?
 We have on our great lakes fleet of merchant ships with which Germany may have failed to reckon. They are chiefly boats of some 1000 to 2000 tons burden. AdASO SOoAW VI thys S0PoDAo VI AAcnaAAS ~ knots an hour. These ships can be armed and placed bodily. to the extent of 1.500,- 900 tons. in the Atlantic transport service. It is estimated that out Of their own re- sources Great Britain and her allies can withstand the attrition of the accentuated U-boat warfare for at least six months without danger of starvation or serious stoppage of militry supplies. What with drawals will ultimately be entailed of shipping diverted early in the war to mil itary purposes cannot be told; undoubted- ly. the impairmant of the British and allies transport service will be serious. But the American transfer of the great lakes merchant fleet to the Atlantic ocean should forestall such sacrifice | by at least two months, during which time the builders of the United States may prepare standardized parts for the new fleet of wooden and steel motor ves- sells which the shipping board under Gen. eral Goethals has begun to build.
 | A large number of these small freight l CTS. motor driven and possessed of con- siderable speed quickness of control. can be built and launched within a few
 months. Fred Huntington Clark, who re-