A word of caution is necessary against the foolish talk
of people who complain because the Navy has not been able to do the impossible. The Navy never undertook to protect our shores from runaway raids. if it had, it would have been like a fraudu- lent insurance office accepting risks which it could not cover. The Navy can and will destroy the enemy's fighting fleet if that fighting fleet will give it battle, but till it does there will be naval sniping across the North Sea, just as there is military sniping across the Yser. To suggest any alterations in naval dispositions because non-combatants have been killed and wounded on the Yorkshire coast, just as they might have been killed by a mining disaster, a bad railway accident, or the sinking of an excursion steamer, would be utterly pre- posterous.
