26 OCTOBER 1918, Page 3

September, according to the Admiralty return published on Thursday, was

a bad month for the ' U '-boats. The losses of British shipping from all causes amounted to 151,593 tons, and of Allied and neutral shipping to 88,007 tons. The losses from enemy action alone were the lowest recorded for any month in the past two years, and the total losses were smaller than in any month since the unrestricted ` U '-boat campaign began. The figures are encouraging. But the warning of Sir Eric Geddes and the naval authorities must be borne in mind. If it be true that the new head of the German Navy is planning a renewed effort on a large scale against the American transports during the winter months, the relatively small losses of September may have been due to the retention of most of the enemy submarines in German waters for rest and training in preparation for the new campaign.