Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-12-25
No More Serious Talk of
Stopping Short Of Decis-
i've Finish Than There
Was in 1914
Fault finders Busy as Usual,
but Proud of the Years
Record Fault Found
With Admiralty for Policy
of Secrecy.
BY ED L, KEEN,


but-determined as usual.
Despite the war-weariness which |
necessarily has affected all the bellig-
erents. there Is no more serious talk |
in England today than there was in |
1914. The pacifists may be a bit
noisier, but they are no more numer-
ous nor consequential than they ever
were.
But other folks are noisier too. The
chief symptom OF war-weariness in
England is the steadily increasing |
number Of vociferous amateur strate-
yists. Most Of them are fault finders.
OBJECT TO MYSTERY.
One very considerable source Of pop
ular complaint is the mystery which
surrounds the anti-submarine cam
paign. Britishers generally would
have a greater appreciation of their
navy's work II they knew about it.
Now, there are two main reasons
for the reticence Of the British admir-
atty. One is tradition, and the other is
Germany. The working British naval
officer is the embodiment of British
modesty 1t has been so since the days
of Nelson. 1t isn't good form in the
navy to talk about your work. 1t
might be construed as boasting, and
If there is anything the Englishman
abhors 1t Is this.
The British navy is doing a lot of
things these days that would be read
with the utmost interest and profit
by both the British and the allied
public-but with far greater interest
and profit by Germany. This Is why
successive new first lords of the ad-
miralty have speedily been persuaded
that their previously conceived notions
regarding the desirability of publicity
were all wrong.
WANT DETAIL OF LOSSES.
1t is difficult for the public to I'M
derstand why, for instance, weekly
detailed figures of tonnage losses as
well as the number of submarines sunk
should not be published. You say the
Germans must know these things
themselves. But they don't!' The
British secret service is the finest of
It's kind in the world today-yes, bet
ter than the kaiser's ever was even
in the days of Bernstorff-and it
knows the Germans don't know. There
fore 1t Is policy to keep them guess
ing.
The British admiralty Is convinced
that 1t would be folly to give the Ger
man admiralty opportunity to check
up on the data furnished by it's sub
marine commanders some of whom
are known to be a trifle over nthusi-
hstic about their own exploits. Like
wise 1t is most useful to conceal from
Germany the fate of its submarines.
Some are sunk, some are mined some
surrender, and some are captured. The
Germans know how many they have
lost, but they don't know how they
were lost. This element of uncer-
tainty Is big asset to England. 1t
is one reason why some German sail
ors recently have preferred to go tc
prison than embark on submarines.
The nearest approach to definite
figures vouchsafed by the admiralty
was when Sir Eric Geddes told com
mons that between 40 and so per cent
of all German submarines commits
stoned for work in the northern seas
since the beginning of the war hac
been put out of business.
ASSISTED BY AMERICANS.
In the past year the art of locating
and destroying submarines had de-
yeloped amazingly, and in both thes'
branches of work the British nav!
has been greatly assisted by American
scientists as well as the American
navy, But, as Geddes recently ad
mitted to commons, although tn
weekly toll Of submarine victims ha
been steadily diminishing, the menac
the one great problem Of the war
il not yet conquered.
Thanks to the tireless vigilance o
the British navys patrol work In tn
past year, the German fleet has stage
off the North Sea. There are no NOR
of those sporadic raidings of the Eng
lish coast which so annoyed the Brit
ish people in the earlier days of tn
war. There was just one regrettabl
slip, when two high-powered, speed
German cruisers under cover of fol
threaded their way out Of their Hell
roland minefields, sank . convoy
Scandinavian merchantmen and the
escorting British destroyers and e
safely back to their base.
II was not practicable for Britain
combat the German naval operation
in the Baltic against the Russian flee
Granted the British fleet could ha'
forced the perilous way through to II
Baltic in time and In safety. as e,
planned by Sir Eric Geddes. 1t woul
have been impossible to maintain !
supplies, and the fleet would necessal
ily have died Of inanition. There
not . competent naval authority
England who Would have sanctiont
such an adventure.
GREAT MILITARY RECORD.
Militarily. Britishers have every re-
an 70 be proud Of the years recor
On the west front Haig's success
Aave ham the most notable BSiti