The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-11-02
New First Lord of Admiralty
Gives First Definite
Navy Figures.
DECLARES INGENUITY
WILL DECIDE RESULT
Predicts Long Struggle and
Urges Allied Nations
to Conserve.

VINO recently succeeded Sir EDWARD
Carson as first lord of the admiralty,
made his first address in parliament
today and gave some interesting and
anxiously awaited figures on the work
of the navy and shipping in general.
He declared that between 40 and 50
per cent of the German Submarines
operating in the North sea- the Allan
tic and the Arctic oceans had been
sunk, and there was an indication of
the unceasing war the British and
American patrols are making on the
submarine in his statement, that dur
| ing the last quarter the enemy had
lost as many submarines as during the
whole of 1916.
Make Progress Against Subs.
Sir Eric. suplementing the recent
statement by Premier Lloyd George in
Albert hall, said that he could give GER
tain information which would show
| that I'VE are making reasonably salts
! factory progress in overcoming the
menace of the enemy's submarine Ac-
tivities."
The general situation regarding sub
| marine warfare he summarized as fol-
lows:
Our defensive measures have. dur
| ing the last seven months, proved SO
efficacious that in spite of the in
| creased number of ships passing
through the danger zone there has been
steady reduction in the damage done
by enemy submarines. In the mean
time we are sinking enemy submarines
to an increasing extent. Our often
sive measures are improving and will
improve still more and multiply.
| Ingenuity Will Decide.
| "But, on the other hand, the Ger
mans are building submarines faster
than they have hitherto done and they
have not attained their maximum
strength. it appears to me, therefore
that in the submarine warfare, as else
where, it is becoming a test of deter
mination and ingenuity between the
two contending forces.
| AT present we may be justified il
feeling that his attack on our trade is
held and is being mastered and we ;lr.
Justified In looking to the future will
courage and determination, confiden,
that he will fail"
The first lord said it was interesting
to recall the position Of the German
mercantile marine. continuing:
Germans Lose Half.
AT the outbreak of the war Germany
possessed over 100000 tons of ship.
ping. Today nearly half of it ha.
been sunk or is in the hands OF our
selves or our allies. She has a SO pei
cent reduction to our IA per cent.
1T is well that the British publ.
should be told what it is up against
We must not consider ourselves alone
but the alliance as a whole
| Fuel and Food Economy.
He pointed out that while Great Brit
ain has plenty of coal for victory, Ital,
and France have not, and it was essen
tial that there should be the creates
possible economy in food and in al
imports in order that tonnage shoult
be saved so that it may be diverted t,
other vital needs of the alliance. II,
declared:
I'VE must lay our plans for a lon,
war. | see no signs Of it's being
short one, and all by their econom,
can help the navies of the allies defea
the submarine
Referring to the success of the con
voy system in general, he said:
IN September 80 per cent of tn
total vessels sailing the Atlantic trade
were conveyed, and since the convo
system started, the total percentage o
loss per conveyed vessel through tn
danger zone was one in 200. l wis
to acknowledge fully the valuable con
tributions made by the United State
i in fhiS I,
destroyers Joined us under command o
Vice Admiral Sims, from whom W
have received the heartiest co-opera
tion and whose counsel has been o
great value to u.s.