The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-07-31
Sir Eric Geddes Praises
American Cooperation
in OutWitting Enemy
MORE VESSELS TO
BE IN SERVICE SOON
Assistant Secretary Roosevelt and
House Naval Committee, Now in Lon
don, Prouder Than Ever Of Our Coun-
try's Effort in the War.

LONDON, July 31.-ftThere is no
branch of Anglo-American activity in
which cooperation and comradeship
are more marked and more complete
than in the navy" said Sir Eric Ged-
des, First Lord Of the British admiral
ty, speaking at the luncheon club.
There are more than $50 American
warships now based on this side" Sir
Erie said, and Mr.. Roosevelt, Ameri-
can assistant secretary Of the navy, has
assured us this number viii increase
faster in the future than in, the past.
eve are glad to welcome all these adj
ditions to the allied naval strength,
| because every additional ship means
more strenuous war against subma-
rines.
Large numbers of ships are being
required nowadays for the work of es-
corting incoming American transports.
| If a ship is on escort duty it cannot
be hunting and fighting submarines. So
the additional American forces will
mean the release of a similar number
| of British for intensive offensive work
| against U-boats.
In addition to Sir Erie Geddes and
Franklin D. Roosevelt, the American
| assistant secretary of the navy, the
guests included the members of the
| naval committee of the American
house Of representatives.. Mr.. Roose-
velt said:
81 came over here with the object of
learning. That is why | came across
the Atlantic in destroyer. / shall
! spend most of my few weeks on this
side in actually seeing things being
done
, Sir Erie Geddes and myself already
have visited Queenstown and we have
found things working there Just as
had dreamed they ought to be working
"a keen, unified energy Of British and
American forces aiming at common
end It has been a great pleasure t.
meet Sir Erie, TO travel with him on an
American destroyer and to find him q
he man, talking III our own language
! ssThe United States owes much t.
the untiring work of the British navy
, for It is fact that about so per cent
! / Of the troopships carrying Americans
To Europe are British ships and have
/ been escorted by British men-of-war
The United States has, 7 believe
: at, last struck its stride in naval con
stfuction and we shall deliver shipi
a very rapidly henceforth''
As an evidence of the efficiency o.
the convoy system since it was estab
lished by the admiralty about yea
ago it is pointed out that the proper
ton of ships lost during that pcfio,
has been $1,000 OF / per cent. In othe
: words, only l ship out Of nearly got
has been lost.
The naval affairs committee of tn
United States house of representatives
headed by Lemuel p Padgett, TIL
chairman, has arrived in London afte
an uneventful voyage ON an American
J, battleship.
The committee was met by repre-
sentatives of the British admiralty an,
!. other officials and before proceeding t
/ London visited the naval bases an,
! witnessed the joint activities of tn
q British and American nayies in thos
4 waters.
r The members Of the committee Wis
II tied Vice-Admiral Sims, Ambassado
} Page and the first lord of the admiral
tv today and were guests of the Amer
d lean club. The committee will renal
e in England for several days and wi
! then 90 to Queenstown and afterwar
s to France and Italy
! Chairman Padgett said the commit
teemen were enthusiastic over wha
: they had already seen and and wer
prouder than ever Of America s effort
& in the war and happy to find such co1
il dial relations between british an
= American naval officials.