The Hawaiian gazette., 1918-02-05
submarine menace
NET AND OVERCOME.
British Sea Lord Issues State
ment German Press Replies
and Its Figures Are Refuted

\ 81 \ b. |. . .
LONDON, February 81 associated
PrcssI on the anniversary Of the open.
ing Of the campaign Of Teuton sub
marine mthlessness against the NOR.
chant shipping Of the Allies and OF
neutrals AZ well, Sir Eric Cieddes, first
sea lord Of Great Britain yesterday Is
sued a statement TO the Associated
Press in which he declared the subma-
rine menace had been met and over:
come and that now, one year after its
commencement, the situation was not
only hopeful but was definitely advan.
tageous to the Allies.
Germany Claims Success "a
To the statement Of Sir Eric Geddes
the press OF Germany is losing no time
| in replying. Dispatches which wers re-
ceived last night told Of comment in
the German newspapers on such reports
Of his statement as had reached them
and their own Commentaries on the
campaign, which they insist has been
highly successful. These German news.
papers claim muree than nine million
tons Of Allied and Neutral shipping has
been sunk and destroyed by German
Submarines during the year which end.
ed yesterday. To Offset these losses
they claim that only four million tons
Of new ships have been built.
Associated Press Replies
To these statements by the Germans
the Associated Press replies that the
| figures given of losses have been exag
gerated by more than fifty percent. II
has kept and compiled records Of all
losses through unrestricted submarinine
and Of missing merchant vessels which
might have been so lost. From such
records IL bases its assertions Of ex
/ aggerations by the Germans. 4
Losses Now Reduced
4 In his statement to the Associated
/ Press Sir Eric Geddes said the mef
chant ship sinkings have been reduced
10 a point lower even than that when
the ruthless warfare began.
Sir Eric added that Great Britain
is now building merchant vessels a
the greatest rate in her history ant
that the providing of ships in larg'
numbers is now the tremendous con
tribution which America is making Il
the cause of the Allies.
He pleaded, however, that the grea
building program in the United State
90 forward without cessation.
Says News Falsihed l32r& ' M
Il He declared that a comparison o
German statements with the actual eff
|. feet Of the submarine campaign a
known TO the British admiralty show
I that Germany has systematically falsi
4 fed news Of the sinking in an effor
to buoy up German confidence AM
persuade the people to still furthe
sacrifice in the belief that Englan'
. ultimately would be starved out. Ger
man claims that the rate Of destruC
; ton of the submarine was decreasing
are false, he said, and declared tina
though Germany claims the deereas
IN the sinking Of merchant ships i
!; due to their decreased sailings, tn
fact Is that the sailings are humeI
Gus as ever. ia'a
!, No Evidences Of withdrawal Ssl
There is NO evidence, Sir Eric hold
to support Secretary Of War Bake
; In the view TINT the German sui
marines have been withdrawn fror
attacking the English fleets pendin
an offensive they are to undertake
| against United States transports.
"The evidence tends to show tina
the many submarine sinlsings and I'll
unexplained failure Of the U-boats I
return to their bases Is. shattering tn
: morale Of the crews,' he pointed out.