London, Apr. 9.
The loss of British merchant ships by German action during the week ended April 7 was the lowest since the start of the war, excepting for the two previous weeks, In which no Joss was. recorded, according 10 an official announcement, Only one British ship of 208 tons was stink, algo one Norwegian ship of 2,110 tons. The total loss of 2326 tons represents only about one-seventeenth of the average weekly losses for the 31 weeks of the war.
The British ship lost was the steam trawler Gorspen, which was sunk as the result of an aircraft attack, while the neutral ship was the Navarra, which went down following an attack a U-boat carried out without warning.
There were no losses dite to mines during the whole week.
Up to noon of April 3, 15,151 British and neutral ships had been escorted In British convoys, with the loss of 29 ships—a ratio of one In 543. The number of neutral, ships con veyed was 2440, and their losses presented only one in 815—Reuter its fall ald to Norway (foud cheers), fand intimated that they will fight the war in Full association with them.
"Powerful units of the Navy are sea. It would not be in the public interest to give details of the work in which they are now engaged.
"We are facing this new menace to the independence of free peoples in the closest collaboration with the French Government, whose forces are ce-operating with ours, have no doubt that this further rash and cruel act of aggression will redound to Germany's disadvantage, and, contribute to her ultimate des feat" (cheers)—Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.