CONFERENCE: Submersible Squabbles

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Against this attack up stepped droop-shouldered Georges Leygues, French Minister of Marine, and delivered through his ponderous buffalo-horn mustachios what the N. Y. World's London correspondent, John L. Balderston, called "the finest piece of advocacy the 'viper of the seas' has ever called forth."

"Compared with other ships," said Minister Leygues, speaking rapidly, crisply, "what are the distinctive features of the submarine. To the gun and torpedo joined together, it adds submersion. The latter discovery is never more surprising nor in itself more unlawful than was, at the time of its first appearance, the steamship as opposed to the sailing vessel.

"It has been maintained." . . . with a quick birdlike glance at Secretary Stimson, "that the submarine could only be used against the merchant ship. Comparison between naval tonnages of warships destroyed during the War period bring forward the following figures:

"As far as the French were concerned, the loss by submarines was . . . three-quarters of the total losses [of warships] suffered. As concerns the British Navy, 191,090 tons; that is, one-third of the British losses.

"What warships the submarine does not destroy it will immobilize, or, should they leave their bases, it wears them out. . . . The submarine works by surprise. It lies in wait for the enemy, but was ambush ever excluded from warfare? It hides under water, but does not the surface ship sometimes try to hide behind a screen of smoke? . . . The submarine, therefore, is a warship like all others. . . . Must it disappear because it disturbs the habits and honored traditions of surface ships?

"The French government is of the opinion that unrestricted submarine war against seafaring trade should be outlawed. . . . France accepts the principle laid down in Articles 1 and 2 of the Root resolution."

Root Resolution. Important was this last sentence. Before last week's session began, it was well understood that Britain and the U. S. would attempt the abolition of submarines, that France, Italy, Japan would oppose it. But here was a genuine concession. The Root Resolution to limit the use of submarines in wartime, was framed in Washington in 1921. Never ratified by France, the substance of its first two articles provides that:

1) A merchant vessel must be ordered to submit to visit and search to determine its character before it can be seized.

2) A merchant vessel cannot be sunk until the crew and passengers have first been placed in safety.

Since it is more than difficult to provide for the passengers and crew of even a fair-sized merchantman inside a submarine, commerce raiding according to the Root Formula is virtually impossible. Pessimists pointed out last week that while France is accepting principles, she is still keeping her submarines, that she has not accepted Article 3 of the Root formula which provides that any submarine commander who violated the law shall, if caught, be tried for piracy "before the civil or military authorities of any power within the jurisdiction of which he may be found."