New Britain herald., 1918-08-08
LLOYD GEORGE GLAD AT EVENTS OF YEAR
Praises British Navy as Greatest
 Factor in Allied Success

war situation. He referred particularly to what had been accomplished in the recent drive by the allied forces or the Soissons- Rheims salient to the de- struction of German submarines, of which 50 had been accounted for since the war began--more than half of these in the last year-and the part the Americans now are playing and 1 would play later in the fight for the
 cause of democracy.
 He would be a sanguine man on the German general staff who would now predict that Germany could ob- tain a military decision this year." the premier declared, as he characterized Marshal FOch's counter offensive as
 'the most brilliant In the annals of the war"
 Reverting to peace, Mr. Lloyd George said the people who had made the war still were in evidence and that they could have no peace so long as they were predominant in the coun- cils of the enemy.
 MT. Lloyd George referred to the part the British navy had played in the war, and said that until all the allies were defeated at sea Germany could never triumph.
 When Great Britain decided to throw her whaAe weight into the war four years ago, he continued, she did so because of an outrage on interna~ tlonal rights. Had she not taken this decision the whole course of the war Woud have been different. He pie tured the part the naVies have played in the war in the vast Wildernesses of the sea, with no one to witness or to describe their operations, and said he did not think that many persons real ized that if the allies were defeated on the water the war would be over.
 Navy Tonnage Now S,OOO,OOO
 When the war began" said MT. Lloyd George, the British navy, then the largest in the world, represented a tonnage of two and a half million Now, including the auxiliary fleet, it is eight million. Were it not for this in- crease the seas might be barred for the commerce of the world. Every trade route of the world is patrolled by it's ships"
 The premier then referred to the other activities of the navy, such as conveying, patrOlling, mine laying, mine sweeping and the chasing of submarines. It was here that he said 15O German submarines had been de- stroyed, more than half of them in the last year.
 During June alone," the premier continued British naval ships steamed 8,000,000 miles. To this must be added the efforts of the mercan- tile marine which is now a branch of the British navy and whose men face the same dangers carrying for the Allies, as well as for themselves, most of the American troops that have so valiantly acquitted themselves in re- cent combats.
 I wonder how many people under stand the number of men required to man and maintain the British navy and mercantile marine. There are at least 1,500,0O0, probably 800,000 or 900,000 of whom are of military age. There was an attempt to comb out some of these men. but it was found impossible, for to do so would be letting down the British fleet and to let down the British fleet is to let down the Allies.
 ''I wish to point to the necessity of not impairing in the slightest degree the efficiency, strength and growth of the British navy and mercantile ma rine. During the past two years Ger many has made two distinct attempts to force a decision-One on the land and one on the sea.
 ''The land offensive might have been disastrous, but the sea offensive, if it had succeeded, would have been final. If the submarine had succeed ed our armies in France would have Withered away. No Americans could have come over to assist us and the French troops. Ammunition could not have been shipped and we could not have sent the necessary coal and ma tcrials to enable France and Italy to manufacture munitions.
 If France, Italy and Great Britain were threatened with starvation the war would have been over before this stage had been reached. I do not wish to minimize in the least the great assistance rendered by the American, French, Italian and Japa- nese fleets, but the British fleet is so greater and it's opera tions are on a scale of such greater magnitude that I must digress especially upon this point. Its i'm portanco and the immensity of it's cf- forts in the war should be realized.
 ''The American naval mission which came over recently saw great deal of the effort of the British navy and was immensely struck with the vast ness of the work which is being done. It was especially anxious that steps be taken to make known, rp)t only here, but in America, the gigantic of the task we are doing.
 Chief Military Factor Was Navy.
 Unless the Allies had been conn., plctely triumphant at sea from the outset of the war no effort on the land could have saved them. The British fleet has been mainly respon- sible for that complete triumph. which could not have been secured and maintained without gigantic nf-