The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-11-07
MANY U.B0lTS SUNK
OCCASIONALLY SATISFACTORY
PROGRESS" BEING MADE
AGAINST SUBMARINE
MENACE.
First Sea Lord SIR Eric Gcdd,s Tells |
Parliament What British Navy is
Doing.

London. Nov. 1.-Sir Eric Geddes.
who recently succeeded Sir Edward
Carson as first lord OF the admiralty,
made his first speech In parliamen,
today and gave some interesting and
anxiously awaited figures on the wort;
OF the navy and shipping In general.
His declaration that between 40 ana
80 per cent OF the German subma.
rines operating In the North TEA. the
Atlantic and Arctic oceans. had been
sunk was not the least interesting
Of hts announcements.
Referring to the question Of pub
fishing the tonnage OF British mer-
chantnen lost through submarines. he
said he had had made most careful
investigation and had approached the
subject with the idea that 1t was de-
sirble and IL ought to be possible to
give the public figures. because, he
added, 1T Is hardly conceivable that
tho enemy does not know what he is
sinking"
He regretted to say. however. that
he had not found 1t possible to ar
rive at any form Of publication. which
would not convey most valuable in
formation to the enemy which he did
not now possess. IL information was
given In regular sequence. for specific
periods.
II have studied from variety of
sources" said the first lori, "the
statement made from time to time by
the enemy as to tonnage and position
and have come to the definite con-
ciusion that not only does he not know
what is being sunk. but that he
would like very much, indeed, to
know what is sunk regularly month
by month"
Sir Eric. supplementing the recent
statement by Premier Lloyd George In
Albert Hall. said he could give certain
information which would show that
"wc are making reasonably satisfac-
tory progress I'm overcoming the
menace OF the enemy's submarine ac-
tivitiea"
He added that the house would
realize that however great the loss
Of mercantile tonnage is-and ehe fig
ures are still very formidatle-we
cannot at this stage Of the war pick
any one item to deduce therefrom
that the war. even any phase of the
: wer. g going we'll OF badly"
The kaleidoscope change which
Eoes on In actual warfare, he added.
10 continually occurring In workshops
and ship yards. To ths uningormed
observer Il must appear som etimes
that there Is no method In the mad
ness OF those who control these mat
tera
Tho general situation regarding
submarine warfare can be best dem
onstzated by the following figures:
Since the beginning OF the war be-
tween 40 and SO per cent OF the sub
marines operating in the North sea,
the Atlantic and the Arctic Oceans
have been sunk. During the last quar-
ter the enemy has lost as man. sub
marines as during the whole OF 1915
AS regards the sinking Of British
merchant tonnage. the German official
figures for August are sos. 900 tons O
all nationalities. They sank a little
more than one-third os that amount
OF British tonnage and n little more
than half OF all nationalities.
For September their official figures
are $4,000 tons. They sank far less
than one-third OF that amount CT Brit.
ish tonnage. and less than one-hal
OF that amount Of all Eationalities.
THIS Germans claim that our ton
mage Is falling so low that there are
not enough ships on the sea to en-
able their submarine commanders to
maintain their bag. Let me give yor
facts. In April last. the heaviest
month OF British losses by enemy sub.
marines since the war began. our
trade flowed presumably in satsfa,
tory volume for the enemy subm arine
In September last. his lowest month
OF sinkings. our overseas sailing OF al
ships OF over 800 tons we're 30 PEI
cent In number and 80 per cent f.
tonnage higher than in April The
enemy must. therefore find another
and better explanation for his lack of
success. I can supply 1t.
The explanation is that the long
arm OF the British navy reached down
into tha daDfhs and thus .ha b,rva,,