The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-22
BRITISH ADMIRALTY | PUBLISHES FIGURES 1 FOR FIRST TIME Statement Brings Home to America More Forcibly the
 Need of Bridges to France ENGLISH WORKERS l ARE SLOWING UP" One Note of Encouragement
 is That Rate of Destruc-
 tiOn is Less Than l Year Ago

Publication today of the long held secret official British ad- 'miralty figures showing exact. ly the total of submarine losses up to January 1, and that, de spite antisubmarine measures, the undersea boats are destroy ing ships twice as fast as the worlds shiYyards are building them, promises to be the fore runner of some further official announcements which will bring home to America more strikingly than ever before the neeG oe he as es sllis 4~ Err
 Cffumaa Harley he sAippins bo. n possibly nsaks ssae mtl,a. es.s l certain shat in j. speech he is to deliver in New York Tuesday he will give some facts, which, taken lin connection with the recent declara- tion of Sir Eric Geddes, first lord of the British admiralty, and the off cial figures published here today by the British embassy, will show the Ipresent ship construction situation as clearly as the British have shown the rate of destruction.
 The British official figures, published so unexpected here today, when everyone thought they would be indefinitely with held because of the supposedly valuable information they might give the Ger mans, were not without their note of comfort, despite the ringing warning they gave of the need of rushing shipbuild- ing.
 U-BOAT LOSSES LESS While they show more than 11,0o0, 900 tons of ships destroyed since submarine warfare began and only 60O0,oO0 tons of ships built to take their places, they show that the rate of submarine destruction steadily has decreased from the heights it reached when early in 1917 Germany
 
 paign of ruthlessness and forced the United States into war. Officials here regard the new British policy as a frank laying of all the cards on the table so that the public might know exactly what 1t has to face and might place the blame for failure in the shipbuilding pro- gramme. Tho showing was not reassur- | ing. but there was no pessimistlc ut terances which might be interpreted as an expectation that the U-boat campaign would not be defeated.
 LABOR TROUBLES Labor troubles in England, according to confidential advices, have caused se- rious delays in production. While the vast majority of American workmen have rallied to the support of the fight l ing forces their English fellows abroad admittedly have lessened their efforts as their pay increased. The result was a bare $500 tons of shipping produced in England in January and 100000 tons in February, both months far short of the amount necessary if the programme of | 1.S00.oOo tons this year is to be carried out
 American has only begun to build ships. Mir. Huriey's speech in New York will be one of the most important reve- lations of war progress made by any branch of the government, as 1t Is under l stood he proposes to tell the country ex- actly what is being done and how tho United States in the last year has built more steel shipways than all the Eng fish yards put together. The wooden yards also are adding substantially to the merchant marine.
 l ADMIRALTY MEMORANDUM
 Following is the admiralty memoran- dunn:
 Memorandum issued by the British admiralty, showing in gross tons the losses to the world shipping by enemy action, the mercantile shipbuilding out put and the enemy vessels captured and brought into service
 Hitherto the board of admiralty have been averse to issuing any publication other than that contained in the weekly lreturn of losses, although 1t has fre- ouently been pressed upon them that the whole tonnage facts should be made pub- jlic. So long as such publication would encourage the enemy and would stiIfu- late his energies in dangerous dilec- ton. they have not been able to concur in the proposal
 "The figures today will not stimulate