While Mr. Neville Chamberlain will probably have given his review of the war today at the Guildhall, on the occasion of the Lord Mayor's banquet, Mr. Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, has reported on the naval situation to the House of Commons, It is a most assuring statement, and completely refutes the claims which have from time to time been put forward by the German propaganda machine. Thus he was able to repeat with greater emphasize now, what he reported six weeks ago, that the Allies were definitely gaining the mastery over the German U-boat. That is just as clear from reduced German claims of shipping sunk, as itis from British reports, there is not the slightest doubt whatever that heavy casualties have been inflicted upon the German submarine and that the menace has been brought well under control. Indeed the majority of recent losses has been of neutral ships which have not up to the present availed themselves of the Allied convoy system, the efficacy of which has been amply demonstrated, With regard to the naval losses which the German propaganda ministry claims have been inflicted upon the British fleet, Mr. Churchill was picturesquely definite. He could not resist saying that Britain could be quite content to engage the entire German Navy, using only the vessels which at one time or another they had declared they had destroyed. It is extremely unlikely that the challenge will be taken up, because the Germans have alleged the sinking of vessels in such numbers and of such classes, that, were such a fleet brought together, it would completely outclass what Germany could put on the seas, even if their cruisers acting as sea-raiders were brought back to assist. His assumption with regard to submarines that Germany had lost between two and four each week is interesting and important, for if an average is taken of three a week then Germany has lost just about half the submarine. strength with which she embarked upon hostilities. Driven further afield as they have been, their continued destruction presents some greater difficulties than when they were operating upon the densely-crowded traffic lanes closer to European ports, but, nevertheless, they are being found and dealt with in satisfactory quantity, and while it may be possible to build sufficient submarines to repair this wastage, the problem of training new crews sufficiently is by no means one easy of solution.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.