New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-11-10
England Taunts Germany
For Declining Sea Fight

LONDON. Nov. 9.-The British Ad-
miralty. replying % the German Sec
retary of the Nays criticism OF the re-
cent speech in the House of Commons
bv Sir Eric Geddes, First Lord OF the
Admiralty, says; c.
"The world knows from the Cattegat
events that the royal navy is waiting
for the high seas fleet, which still con-
tinues TO decline battle. No German
war vessel larger than a destroyer has
how tself to us 150 miles west OF
Helgoland from August, 1916, to Octo-
Der, 1917, when two light cruisers at
tackled a Scandinavian convoy
The following comment on the Ger
man Secretary of the Nays criticism
gas given to The Associated Press TO-
mig t by the Admiralty:
at is quite untrue that sir ETC
Geddes excluded the Mediterranean sea
when he summarized the losses IN BTU
ish mercantile tonnage. The losses
Given were those that occurred IN an
seas. and il was only in dealing WIN
the number of enemy submarines una!
had been destroyed that the FIRST Loru
of the British Admiralty omitted the
Mediterranean owing to the variety Oh
nationalities operating there
"The suggestion that sir Eric gave
the British losses in net tonnage
whereas the German calculations are In
gross tons, is entirely false. Sir Erics
figures dealt with gross tonnage
throughout . e
1T is untrue that his statement OF
losses of British tonnage leaves out
Of the account ships sailing on govern
L. cpltr tonnage pX
GUIDED is that Of commissioned shlps
of The royal navy.
an regard 10 the Scandinavian con-
WOW. Sir Eric Geddes made 1t perfectly
clcar in his statement that since April
~ this wear more than four thousand
and five hundred vessels nave been
convoyed over this route. These ng-
ures. Of course, do not include the es-
cortine vessels, or what the German
Imperial Secretary calls the entire
Guarding feet of patrol vessels
"The figures that Sir Eric gave are
irrefutable, and are so satisfactory that
il is natural Germany has had TO- rely
on sophistry to attempt to disprove or
question them. The world knows from
recent events in the Cattegat that the
ROYAL navy is waiting for the high
seas fleet. which still continues TO de-
cline battle. The German navy is Ger
tainly "a young creation and the tradl-
tons which it is in the process OF form
/ ing reflect no great credit on the chiv-
airy and confidence of German seamen.
at is only to be added that no Ger
man war vessel larger than a destroyer
: has shown itself to US $50 miles west
Of Helgoland from August, 1916, to
| October /, 1917, when two light cruisers
attacked a Scandinavian convoy. FER
contra the mileage steamed by BRUSH
war vessels a month, as given by SIR
Eric Geddes, speaks loud enough 10
those DESTROYS of hearing"
! In his address TO the House of Com
mons on November l Sir Eric Geddes
cid not give actual figures on British
or Allied merchant losses. He said,
! however, that the let reduction of Brit
/ ish tonnage since the beginning of the
war in ships over 600 tons was under
| 100000 tons gross, or Ia per cent. SIR
! Eric declared that between 40 and %
PER cent Of the German submarines OPP
Grating in the North Sea, the Arctic and
the Atlantic since the beginning OF the
war had been sunk.
The First Lord explained that the
British feet had not been sent TO assist
| Russia because such an operation would
take considerable time and because
there were extensive mine fields. Re-
snorsible naval opinion was unanimous
against such course.