It is officially stated that the number of British tankers in commission is larger than at the outbreak of war, when the tonnage was 3,279,000. The total of British tanker losses up to January 7 amounted to 68,000 tons, or 207 per cent. of the whole, and this deficiency has been more than made good by new building, acquisition, and in other ways. The same is true of the French tanker fleet.
No Interference with Petrol Supply to de furni said to be coming from the port Trawlers Machine-Gunned more British trawlers were yesterday by German planes, but they all managed to escape un-'Two of the boats, the Burn-and the Dandolo, were attacked Off the north-east coast of Scotland.
were bombed and machine-by two German machines, none of the crews were hit, and trawlers returned to port safely. third boat to be attacked was to the coxswain of the "which brought ashore the of the mined Italian steamviata, a German plane bombed machine-gunned the trawler. bombs struck the rail and fell the sea, and two others missed ship altogether. The captain of a said to have been Clash with Nazis Described on patrol over the North on Wednesday, a single aircraft the R.A.F. Coastal Command sight-a big, twin-engined, finely stream. ed German monoplane which the (Continued on page 8, col. 5)
The Germans have recently published figures designed to show that British tanker losses are 4.51 per cent. of the total fleet. This is entirely false, according to authoritative quarters in London, which add that the Germans can draw little consolation from the true facts, which prove conclusively that German activities have not interfered with normal supplies of petrol and oil to the United Kingdom.—Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.