February 7, 1918 
Land & Water 
3 
LAND & WATER 
5 CHANCERY LANE, LONDON, W.C.2 
Telephone : HOLBORN 2828. 
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1918 
Contents 
The Beast of Prey. By Louis Raemaekers 
An Observation Post. By Capt. G. Spencer Pryse, M.L 
The Outlook ^ ,,., . „ „ 
The New State in Europe— IV. By Hilaire BeUoc 
The Two Blockades. By Arthur Pollen 
John Rathom's Revelations 
High Wages and High Prices. By Harold Cox 
The Faith of the Soldier. By Centurion 
British Forestry. By Sir Herbert Matthews 
The Senefelder Club. By Charles Marriott 
Home-coming (A Poem). By X. M. F. Corbett 
The Liars. By J. C. Squire 
Judith Gautier. By Arthur Symons 
"Domestic Economy 
Notes on Kit 
PAGE 
I 
2 
?y 
II 
14 
15 
17 
19 
20 
21 
22 
24 
ix 
The Outlook 
Submarines 
THE First Lord of the Admiralty issued to the Press 
at the end of last week a comment of the highest 
interest which is dealt with at length elsewhere in 
this issue. Its main points were the definite infor- 
mation that the exaggeration of German published 
statistics over the real statistics of submarine losses is in- 
creasing the First Lord's own judgment that the submarines 
are now being suiik as fast as the enemy builds them, and that 
our own production of tonnage— apart from the Allies— is 
already greater than it was in the record year before the war 
and will have doubled before the end of i()i8- 
The First Lord also made a reference to moral, which was 
of high interest, especially in its defence of the policy of 
secrecy in regard to the sinkings of U boatsC The factor 
of uncertainty is a very powerful one in such a business as 
this and the excellent political discipline which has permitted 
a complete silence and has forbidden the enemy to learn any- 
tliing save the most indirect scraps of knowledge, is bearing 
fruit. The more men know of war the more they appreciate 
the value of such secrecy in weakening the enemy, and therefore 
the \alue of a strong civilian temper which can stand the lack 
of news without cracking. 
American Communications 
Sir Eric Geddes also tells us in this pronouncement (which 
was in the form of an inteiview granted to the Associated Press 
of America) that there is no sign of a withdrawal of German 
submarines in preparation for a concentrated attack against 
American lines of communication. This refers to a question 
almost as important as the question of food supply for this 
country. ,.,,,,,■ 
A factor still unknown, and one upon which halt the issue 
of the coming fighting season depends, is the power of the enemy 
to interfere with this terribly long line of sea communication 
by which the American forces and supply can alone reach 
Europe. Some interference is inevitable. Whether it will 
be small, normal as judged by our communications, for in- 
stance in the Mediterranean, large or very large, makes all 
the difference to the campaign of 1918. If it is small, if the 
peculiar difficulties of maintaining submarine action far from 
bases and under oceanic conditions' prove to be much higher 
thati the enemy expected, his chances are proportionately 
lowered. For norrtial and more than normal losses as judged 
by the Mediterranean and the home seas the Allies have 
allowed. Much larger losses would obviously throw the 
balance heavily in favour of the enemy, and this uncertain 
factor is the one that will be most closely watched in the 
coming months. 
Pensions )and Politics 
An announcement communicated to the Press last week 
with regard to the policv of pensions shows an cNtraordintirN- 
blindness to the political problems which will arise after the 
war. It was therein solemnly announced that a Committee 
of Parliamentarians had nominated themselves to deal with 
that most perilous of problems " as a non-party question. 
It is really deplorable that at this time of day publKfmen 
should still be using the terminology of a past which has com- 
pletely disappeared and apparently living in that past. It is, 
of course, quite clear that if the future elections were to be 
fought between an existing Liberal Party and an existmg 
Conservative Party, nothing could be more unpatriotic and 
even suicidal than for the two Official candidates to_be bidding 
one against the other promising an increase of the war 
pensions. But the elcxtions cannot possibly take that torm 
even if the old official plan of two candidates named each 
by his caucus is adhered to, nothing would prevent the appear- 
ance of one or more others, and the Independent candidate will 
be severely tempted to promise the impossible in the way ot 
^^ThTonly safeguard is a well-studied declaration widely 
distributed and debated before the elections upon the whole 
policy of pensions, so that the public at large may becorne 
familiar with the limits beyond which national finance wiU be 
imperilled. 1 
A General Election 
All questions connected with the next general election 
remind one that the whole policy of taking in election soon,, 
or indeed at all, before the war is concluded, is open to a very 
grave objection which has not been sufficiently exercised. 
The arguments in favour are that the authority of Government 
at large would be strengthened by an election, and the House ot 
Commons would be purged of its unworthy members, etc. etc. 
The arguments against are that the absent miUions would not 
know how to vote even if they could be consulted as Colonial 
troops have been, that the result would therefore be fictitious, 
and that it would be difiicult to find a direct issue on which 
men could vote, etc., etc. jo- ^ 
The real argument for and against is of quite a ditterent 
nature. The argument for is that such an election would 
produce a House of Commons and a Government which could 
carry on over the difficult period of reconstruction after peace, 
and" that the authorities would not be under the disability 
of consulting the nation in that most critical moment of all— 
the transition from war conditions to after war conditions. 
It is this argument which really lurks at the back of the 
mind of those professional politicians at least who are anxious 
for an early election. 
P^xample of our Allies 
On the other hand, the argument against is that pqpular 
(minion might not tolerate such a trick. A general election 
has the effect in nonnal times of turning the key on popular 
liberty and its expressions. All really unpopular measures 
in the past have been imposed by a House of Commons which 
knew that it would not have to meet the electors for a long 
time to come. But the temper of the people in the penod 
immediately succeeding the war will be very far from normal, 
and it may well be doubted whether unpopular measures 
can be shielded in this old-fashioned way. ,, „ 
A public declaration that a second election would follow 
within, say, six months of peace (the pohcy of such a declara- ■ 
tion has been suggested in some quarters) woi)ld unfor- 
tunately be of Uttlc effect, because the public would not beheve 
that such a pledge would be kept. The probabilities are that 
an early election will be forced none the less by the politicians, 
and this will provoke after peace the summoning of volun- 
tary unofficial bodies whose resolutions will count more than 
those of the House of Commons, and will intimidate and 
perhaps override it. , • i n. 
The way out is to postpone a general election until there 
is peace. We might do well in this matter to consider the 
example of our Allies. 
Air-Raids on Paris 
The air-raid over Paris is of great significance in two ways. 
First it is an example of the inabiUty of the German Govern- 
ment'to keep permanently to one policy ; next, it is an exaniple 
of what will probably appear, perhaps in decisive proportion, 
during the last phase of the war. 
As to the first ]3oint, it has been increasingly the marK ot 
German international politics from the time when Pnnce 
Bismarck fell, and has been particularly evident during this 
great struggle. It is clear both from the tone of the German 
press and of the German speeches, and from the action of the 
enemy that for the last year and a half he has banked on the 
chances of' scu.irating the British and the French. This 
policy has hail many aspects. Its chief actfvity has been 
