§ 6. Mr. WINGasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he can give an assurance 989 to the inhabitants of the North-East Coast that special precautions are being taken against submarine or other sea raids, especially those portions of the coast which are industrial and which offer temptations to the enemy, seeing that the recent submarine raid on the Seaham portion, though abortive in a general sense, is evidence of the possibility of runaway attacks without sufficient means of defence, and that the inhabitants of the coast, while bearing themselves with remarkable coolness and confidence, would have been enthusiastic if they had seen or heard evidences of defence and reply?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAIt is not possible to prevent the occasional appearance of an enemy submarine within range of the shore, but I can give an assurance that the measures which have been and will be taken are such as to render a proceeding of this sort increasingly dangerous for the submarine.