Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-10-02
SUBMARINE


Continued from first page.)
you will not be able to transpor. those
vital needs.
SUPERHUMAN EFFORT NEEDED.
you ask me If I agree with Sir
Joseph. I do not profess to have any
of the technicalknow of shipping
Of the hard headed Scotsman who
was chosen by Premier Lloyd George
for a task that is much more difficult
than even that of food controller
the control of shipping that is be-
ing sunk more rapidly than it is being
constructed, and that, mark you, at q
time when the demand for shipping,
owing to the transport needs of the
United States army, is increasing
daily. But l maintain that nothing
that has happened alters my convic-
ton that the combined shlpyards of
the allies and their combined navies
must make superhuman effort to
overcome the losses and growing de-
mand as to Atlantic transport today.
LITTLE PROGRESS MADE.
The whole system Of publishing the
figures of submarine sinkings by the
allies Is misleading and / have pro-
tested against 1t ever since it was
adopted. l do not believe that any
substantial progress has been made in
stopping submarine depredations. Last
week We were told officially that the
submarine sinkings of British ships
were the lightest since the policy of
ruthlessness commenced. Within a
few hours, cables flashed the news that
he st,tr 80
same period were the heaviest yet re-
corded. In other words, 1t is probable
that part of the submarine force Of
Germany that is fighting the greatest
naval battle of the world off the south
coast Of Ireland was sent to the French
coast to stop the arrival of urgent ne
cessities from America for your daily
growing army.
Remember that the enemy that Is
principally menaced by the policy of
operating off the coast Of France Ia the
American army. The British army is
supplied from Great Britain to an In
oreasing extent as to meat, material
and munitions, across a channel Of 20
or 80 miles, adequately guarded. The
French and Belgian armies are at home
on their own soil. The giant supplies
for your boys have to travel nearly
5000 miles and across the very track
Of submarine ruthlessness. OF danger
to actual transports there Is probably
little. Not one Canadian soldier has
yet been lost at sea out OF the 400, 900
boys that have gone from Canada to
France.
DEMANDS INCREASING.
Submarine attacks on fast ships are
rarely successful In these days Of zig
tagging, camouflage and big guns, but
the worlds shipping is sinking 30 fast
and the demands for tonnage. owing
rapidly increasing, that supplies have
to be put on any kind of tramp steam
er. irrespective of its speed.
Admit the comparative success Of
the convoy system; admit the bravery
and ingenuity of the British and Amer
lean captains of destroyers; admit the
worth of some of Mr.. Edison's ingen-
ious devices.
There yet remains the serious
statement by the greatest authority
on shipping in Great Britain that the
United States requires 100000 men to
be engaged in shipbuilding; that you
must build three times more than the
British have ever built in one year
and five or six times what you have
accomplished in like time.
Il am we'll aware that progress is
being made here and In Great Britain, |
but are you getting the six million tons
a year that your controller of shipping |
states to be the minimum necessary to |
make successful what he truly de-
scribed as your greatest military ef- |
fort
AN AMERICAN PROBLEM.
"The problem Is almost entirely an |
American problem. The stoppage of |
food supplies from this country to
Great Britain would be trying but not |
fatal. So far as our shipping is con-
cerned we are not only able to look |
after all our own needs, but we are
cheerfully diverting much tonnage to
France and Italy. We are glad to do
SO by reason of our admiration for
their work.
TT is vital that hand in hand with