Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1918-03-27
THE Pe,Ject LaxutiUe

Ing to cOnndent1al adV1ceS, have
caused serious delays in production.
While the vast majority of American
workmen have rallied to the support
Of the fighting forces, their English
fellows abroad admittedly have les
sened their efforts as their pay in
creased. The result was q bare S.
600 tons of shipping produced In
England In January and 100000
tons in February, both months far
short Of the amount necessary If the
program of 100000 tons this
year is to be carried out.
Hurley to Speak.
America has only begun to build
ships. Mr.. Hurley's speech in New
York will be one of the most import
ant revelations of war progress made
by any branch of the government,
as 1t Is understood he proposes to
tell the country exactly what is be-
ing done and how the United States
in the last year has built more steel
ship ways than all the English yards
put together. The wooden yards
also are adding substantially to the
merchant marine.
Admiralty Memorandum.
Following Is the substance Of the
admiralty memorandum:
Hitherto the board of admiralty
have been averse from any publica-
ton other than that contained in the
weekly return of losses, although it
has frequently been pressed upon
them that the whole tonnage facts
should be made public. So long as
publication would encourage the
enemy and would stimulate his ener-
gies In dangerous direction, they
have not been able to concur in the
proposal.
"The figures to-day will not stimu-
late the enemy, and the admiralty
recognizes that the policy of silence,
necessary as they believe it to have
been from naval point Of view, has
had this serious defect, that it fails
sufficiently to impress upon the peo-
pie OF. this country the vital necessity
of individual and, united effort on.
their. part to make good the losses
caused by enemy submarines.
I'm the spring of 1917 the full
menace of the submarine campaign
was first disclosed. Since that date
we have steadily increased our
knowledge and our material re-
sources,.for this novel warfare.
"The situation should be viewed
from the standpoint of the worlds
tonnage. as in these problems the
mercantile nayies of the whole world,
excluding the enemy, may be regard
ed as one.
Gaining Upper Hand.
Con the subject Of losses the ad-
miralty disclaim any desire to proph-
esy about so uncertain a thing as
war in its submarine phase. The re-
suits Of the past year have shown the
ability Of our seanfen to get upon
terms with the submarine menace
and gradually to gain the upper
hand. This result has been achieved
in spite OF an imperfect knowledge
OF new and barbarous method Of
warfare and Of scarcity of suitable
material. Our material resources
for this warfare are already improv-
ed, and are being rapidly augmented,
whilst science, is placing at our dis
posal means Of offense and defense
Of which we have been in need. Sub
ject to this technical advice and to
the warning that undue optimism Is
fatal, the admiralty consider that the
facts with regard to tonnage losses
speak for themselves.
with regard to the other factor
the production Of merchant tonnage
ANY estimate for the future must
depend wholly on the determination
Of employers and men IN the ship
yards and marine engineering estab-
The production, how
ever, OF merchant ships in the Uni
ted Kingdom during January, 1918,
even making the most generous al
lowance for weather conditions, fell
so far below that Of each month in
fha nrncadinp mn rtor4 that 70 ~,