ALL ABOUT HELIGOLAND.

Matamata Record, Volume II, Issue 87, 20 June 1918, Page 4

ALL ABOUT HELIGOLAND.

Heligoland is but a small island o! three-quarters of a square mile in area.; Since, by a huge blunder, we bartered the island .to Germany, it has become; one of their most treasured posses- 1 sions. Since the Germans obtained posses-; sion of the island, enormous sums have' been spent upon fortifications, and so on, including spent on pro- 1 tecting the coast from erosion. Probably it will never be known hoW many millions Germany has spent in strengthening the place. But it is known that a million and a half wag spent in imoioving the harbour as an anchorage for torpedo craft. Millions have been spent in fortifications and the construction of powder magazines, while refuges have been built for the inhabitants as a protec-j tion against the island being shelled by an enemy. j Two hundred feet from the wateri there stands a series of big gun bat-l teries and armed turrets, an attempt! having been made to turn the island into a German Gibraltar, For purposes of protection, a cliflj of granite was built, so that now the, island to a large extent possesses cliffs which are purely artificial. In addition,] hundreds of tons of cement were used To strengthen the face of the natural rock. j Most of the people depend for their, livelihood upon the lobster and othetf fisheries, together with their harvest! from summer visitors. They live td long years, and have as their native toiig.de the North Frisian dialect. In 1807 we obtained the island from the Danes, and retained it until 1890. J When we took possession of the island it was the "jumping ground" of a! horde of smugglers, there being/ practically no room left en the island? which was free from kegs pnd human! beings. "* ! In 1890 we gave the island to the! Germans as their consideration for our! taking over Zanzibar and Pemba.

At the time of the bargain there was} great dissatisfaction shown in each! country. It was recognised by many far-seeing men that so long as we pos-, sessed Heligoland the island was in; {he position of a menace to Germany. Those Germans who objected to the) bargain were sore that Germany didj not obtain' a much larger territory} even Bismarck said they had exchang-j ed a pair of trousers for a mere but-j ton. It was then that the plateau waej fortified. Quite recently some of the most massive guns producfd by, Krupps' were placed there, while provisions were laid in sufficient to with-j stand a siege of t.h,rje years. Money, in fact, was spent like water that UM island shoujd become the North Sea storehouse"' of the Germaini fleet.' That tt&w;«■* $& I employed JMt week, said tjie w£> apt a BujcjpeYs. WhJ*"wa> tje tymfl WJjy. a %/# an£ he her }f she Would Mfa; it done while she waited. Magistrate: Bid you see, the .bjMWk ning of this quarrel? Witneis: Ye£ sir, \t was two years yMTJ ago? Yes, sir. The minister sajd: ''JWL