Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1918-03-09
U.BOATS SUNK
FAST AS BUILT
Sir Eric GeddeS of England Gives
Credit to American
Navy.
MORE SHIPS Being MADE
Declares the Loss to the Worlds
Tonnage in February Was Half
That of the Same Month
Last Year.

London March 6.-"For some
months, Sir Eric Geddes, first lord of
the admiralty, said, 1--WE believe that
we and the Americans have been sink
| ing submarines as fast as they are
! built"
The trend of the figures of loss of
! shipping by enemy action was stead
| lily improving. Sir Eric stated The
loss to the worlds tonnage during
| February was little more than half
the loss during February of last year,
he said.
Submarines were being destroyed in
| increasing numbers, he continued. and
as the methods employed against them
We're developed the numbers would be
enlarged still further There was 81
| growing reluctance on the part of
! German crews to put to sea The
chances that a submarine would re-
! turn from voyage in the waters
| around England were one in four or
one in five.
In the waters around the British
| isles, which had been the enemy's
chief field for submarine operations.
| the greatest successes against the u
boats had been ObSained so far. lat
terly with the help of American naval
| forces said Sir Eric.
On the other hand, conditions i'm the
! Mediterranean had been more difficult.
| Losses there accounted for some 30
per cent of merchant ships sunk. The
| resources for combating the Subma-
rineS in those water were less ade-
| Quate and the successes obtained less
| satisfactory
our allies are making every effort
! 10 increase their production of ships.
! Sir Eric said, but despite glowing
| reports in the American press and
great as the effort of that country
I doubtless is there is no doubt a con
siderable time must elapse before the
/ desired output is obtained"
Sir Eric, whose address was deliv-
/ cred in the house of commons. said
| the naval forces of the allies in Euro
pean waters would be augmented
shortly by force of Brazilian war
/ ships.
German Exaggeration increases.
Sir Eric said the rate of exaggera-
tion in the German reports of tonnage
alleged to have been sunk was in
/ creasing steadily.
The first lord said he was seriously
! concerned at the increasing number Of
vessels lost at night Ii appeared the
enemy was assisted in this matter by
negligence on the part of shipoNners
who displayed lights instead Of dark
! ening their vessels.
1t became increasingly evident, the
first lord Went on, that as the re-
sources for combating the subma-
rines improved it would be possible
| to turn attention more to the Medi-
terranean,
1T was perhaps natural Sir Eric
| continued, that cooperation between
Great Britain ana the United States
! should be extremely close"
On behalf of himself and his col
! leagues he wished publicly to pay
tribute to the whCle-hearted and gen
erous devotion TO prosecution of the
| war which governed the action of
| every representative of the United
States navy with which they came
into contact. The personnel of all
ranks, he said, had the respect and
esteem of the officers of the British
! navy.
Concerning shpbuildinc, he said
there was no lack of materials at the
present time and that there were
more men in the yards bur the out
put reached only $1,000 tons in Janu-
AIRY. although it should have been
| much larger.
Ii was true the weather was excep-
tionalIy bad and also that January.
| owing to the holidays always was Il
! bad month for the output Of Sims.