Evening star., 1941-11-12
By the Associated Press,

LONDON, Nou. 12.-Following
is partial tert of the speech
made by Prime Minister Churchill
in the House OF Commons today:
I am able to give some informa-
ton about the war at sea. The
House will remember that very good
reasons were given then for leaving
of publishing monthly figures of
sinkings by enemy action, and how
these precise, periodical statements
made at too frequent intervals gave
the enemy valuable information as
to how his varying tactics were sue
ceeding, but there is no objection to
giving exact figures over a longer
period.
take this occasion to give figures
for the last four months ending with
October and comparing them to fig
ures published for the four preced-
ing months ending with June. In
the four months ending with June
we lost over 100000 tons, or an
average of 100000 tons month. In
the last four months ending with
October we lost less than three
quarters of a million tons, or an
average of 10000 tons a month.
A hundred and eighty thousand
tons contrasts very favorably with
500 900 tons.
l see Mr.. Lloyd George there We
shared in very humble position,
but with full knowledge, terrible
anxieties of 1917. We saw the fig
ures mount, but we also saw the
sudden fall However, we must not
count at all that the danger is past.
New Building Assures
Even More Optimism.
But the facts are more favora BILE
than represented in the decline in
the four monthly period of from
100000 to 100000 because from the
point of view of keeping alive your
lines of communication and waging
war you have to take in account
not only of what is lost, but of new
building
I do not intend to give exact fig
ures about new building, but making
allowances for the new building, net
loss to our mercantile marine, apart |
from captures from the enemy or
United States assistance, the net
loss has been reduced in the last
four months to good deal less than
one-fifth of what it was in the pre-
vious four months This has been
done in spite of the fact that there
never have been more U-boats or
long-range aircraft than are work.
ing now
While that fact should lead us to
increase our successful eXertionS and
should in no way favor an easy
habit of mind, it does give solid and
sober assurance that we shall be
able to maintain our sea-borne traf-
fic until the great American ship
building promised for 1912 comes
into service. The United States are
building merchant ships en- a scale
many. times what we could do in
this island.
If we are able to get through this
year we shall certainly find our
selves in good supply of ships in
1912 and if the war against U-boats
and enemy aircraft continues to
prosper as it has done-sbout which,
of course, there can be no guaran-
tee-it seems to me the freedom
loving powers will be possessed OF
large quantities of ships in l943,
which will enable overseas opera
tions to take place utterly beyond |
British resources at the present |
time.
Sinking of Enemy Ships
On Increase Meanwhile.
Meanwhile, destruction of enemy |
shipping is proceeding with even
greater violence than before. Dur
ing the four months ending October
there were sunk or seriously dam
aged nearly million tons. In the |
Mediterranean enemy losses have /
been particularly severe and there
is evidence that he is finding it very
difficult to reinforce or even supply |
his armies on the African shores.
This last (Axis) convoy was |
particularly valuable one and its
total destruction, together with the
devastation being wrought by our
submarines in the Mediterranean,
is certainly very much to be re-
joiced over.