New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-27
How the World Shall
Kill Its russian Cobra
Tells
How French Navy
Fights U-Boats
Hopes for 900 Patrol Ships;
Private Yards Building
Submarine Chasers

Paris, Friday, May 26.-Rear Admiral
Lacaze. the Minister of Marine, reply
ing to interpretations, outlined the
means Of defence against the undersea
boats in the Chamber of Deputies to-
day
81 see no reason why ! should not
speak of these methods in public" said
Admiral Lacaze. "It would be childish
to think thew are unknown to the
enemy. They consist of a system of
patrol boats. of arming merchantmen
with guns and fitting them with wire
less; of seaplsnes, nets, mines, smoke
raising devices and drsgnets.
Il sought to get patrol boats built
here and buy them abroad. i secured
the world over with missions, covering
the ground from America to North
Cape, from the Cape of Good Hope to
Japan, but England had been before
hand. When. | entered the ministry i
found 243 patrols. Now we have 552."
"A Socialist voice: at is formidable.')
Adding to U-Boat Patrol
81 do not say it is formidable" con-
tinued the minister, NOR even sufh-
cient, and | have drawn up scheme
which will increase the figure to 900.
| continue to buy in London, the
worlds centre for shipping. | am
obliged to do so because our shipyards
had been almost completely abandoned;
because, as result of that short-war
theory which weighed so regrettably
upon all decisions taken at the outset
OF the war. the yards had been trans
formed into war material factories to
meet the pressing need of the national
defence. We have now got back most
of the srsenals and a number Of pri-
vate yards, together with skilled work
men.
THE guns we mount on the patrol
boats have been referred to disdainfully,
but you cannot put 1O-centimetre guns
on a small vessel. A patrol boat armed
with 95-millimetre guns met two sub
marines armed with miillmetre
guns. sank one and put the other TO
hight.
I'VE have 1900 dragnets, as well as
500 curtain nets and 5,0OO 2O-1ee'
float nets. which indicate the presence
of submarines. We have special bombs
for submarines and apparatus TO throw
them.
Seaplane Posts Organized
1--WE have organized seaplane posts
all around the coasts, so that the zone
of action of each post Joins that OIL
its neighbor on either side. by Octo-
Der all merchantmen and patrollers Will
be fitted with wireless, and all mer-
chantmen supplied with guns Of as
heavy calibre as possible, for which
measures programmes have been drawn
up even beyond what was thought pos
sible.
For building the plates and frames
required. VI. Loucheur (under secretary
for munitions in charge of the manu-
factdring sections) has started up again
all the rolling mills. They will be able
20 supply US with the plates asked
for. and we hope that the merchant
marine will also be able to obtain the
quantity of plates to which 1t Is en-
titled ,,.I
Deputy Emmanuel Brousse delivered
an ;nternellation concerning the meas
nres which the Ministry of Marines
purroses 20 take to assure safer navi-
cation of the Mediterranean, particu-
iarlv near the Spanish coast. lie as
serted that the routes of the regular
steamship lines were not sufficiently
patrolled. adding:
"Lately French vessel and an
American vessel were torpedoed twenty
kilometres from Port Vendres. Three
hours passed before the patrol boat
was ready to leave Port Vendrres, and
bv that time the submarine had es-
capped" A.. ~.
spbmarines obtained their supplies and
oil in Spanish waters and that the
French transport Medjerda was tor
pedoed by a submarine which was
screened behind a Spanish sailing yes
sci. .;oh
several deputies criticised the lack OF
adequate patrols off Algeria and the
Atlantic ports, the submarine debate
was adjourned until Wednesday.