HELIGOLAND.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 January 1919, Page 6

HELIGOLAND.

■PROBLEM FOR THE PEACE

CONFERENCE.

BRITISH DIPLOMACY REVIEWED..

Mr J. M. Kennedy, of the London •Daily Telegraph and author of several works dealing with history and literature, contributed to "T.P.'s Weekly" in t'he early days of the war an article in which he discussed "the importance of Heligoland and the possibilities of the 'Northern- Gibraltar." Det Lunn, if you f,»refer it in its native Frisian; Heligoland, to call it by its present official name (wrote Mr Kennedy). A mere speck on the map, Heligoland will turn ■out, on inspection, to be two islands and not one. Even the German public would know little about the place if it #ere not for the batSiing facilities offered by the smaller island—the "Duneninsel," or sandbank, separated nearly a mile wide.

The normal population of 2300 has hardly varied for years;'but the visitors raise it to more than 20,00 when the season begins in the early autumn. From -tfie nearest point on the mainland the distantee is only twenty-eight from the mouth of the Elbe it is about thirty-six. A boat takes you trots* gamburg in a few hours.

WHY WE RELINQUISHED IT. In 1807 Great Britain seized Heligoland, and it was formally made over by Denmark in 1814. We kept it until 1880, never having made much use of it in the meantime. It did not appear to be worth while doing so; for there was no German navy worth speaking of, and British Foreign Ministers of the last century did not expect a quarrel between this country and Germany 0u» two partners in the Triple Entente were our enemies then. So, one gainers, it ./■is with feelings of relief that Lord Salisbury, in 1890, exctanged Heligoland for Zanzibar and one or two minor concessions in Africa. The people of the island acquiesced in the change. This acquiescence did not by any means indicate disloyalty to England and friendliness to Germany. Now, as always, the standing population i» divided into two classes, who are, from a racial point of view, quite different. There are, first, the descendants of the original inhabitants of tte island—tall, well-built fisherfolk of purely Frisian breed—partly Anglo-Saxon, partly Scandinavian. They are as loyal to the Germans as they were to usj but their affeotionß are confined to their own litlte land Secondly come the trading classes, who have never been Frisian, but always Danes « Germans. They are now almost entirely German. Tfoe size of the garrison is not known, but it is large, considering the space. • HARBORAGE FOR A FLEET. The small Duneninsel lies about a quarter of a mile from the larger. It is known that they were formerly connected, but an irruption of the sea in 1720 separated them, and ever since coast erosion has been going on with somewhat alarming rapidity. The larger island is in two divisions: Unterland, a small section built on the shore almost at the water's edge, and Oborland, built with Unterland by a stair and a lift The i<ffin of Oberland is confined to within a short distance of the edge of the cliff; and to the back of it stretches some two hundred feet above sea level. Here the German Government has constructed powerful fortifications. A glaace at the map will show why Heligoland is admirably situated for purposes of fortification. It commands, in the first place, the entrance to Wilhelms'haven—the base of the German Navy; in the second place, the entrance to the River Weser; in the third, the mouth of the River Elbe; and, in the fourth, ike Kiel Canal. In other words, the island of Heligoland dominates a naval base, two rivers, a canal, and the towns of Bremen, Bremerhaven, Cuxhaven, and Hamburg. It is true that the islands o. Neuwerk, Wangeroog, and Spiekoroog 8K geographically in an almost equally powerful position, but they afford hardly any shelter to Shipping in comparison with Heligoland. A fleet .can ride in perfect safety in the space separating the main island of Heligoland from the smaller.

DID LORD SALISBURY BLUNDER? For once, then, the inference is that Lord Salisbury was not so faraeeing a* he generally.was in making over Heligoland to Germany. It is, nevertheless, well to remember tihat the position in 1890 was very different. As I have said, a quarrel with Germany seemed, at tha.t time, to be a grotesque assumption, and the development of our possessions in Africa was of the utmost importance. Until the time comes when a complete life of the late Lord Salisbury can be published it would hardly be fair to judge his action; but it would certainly be interesting to know by what motives he was actuated in giving way audi a commanding position. It is true that Heligoland would never •have served us as a naval base. It lies too far from our own shoreß, and yet too near, for such a use. If we had still had possession of Heligoland when the war broke out we may be sure t'hat I the mine-layers would have made access impossible. But it is difficult to argue about what might have happened at the outbreak of war if Heligoland had not been German In 1800, when the first German Navy'i Act was passed, and a few years the German Navy League had sec iked an enormous membership and influence, there would have been such an agitation against the appearance of the British flag in German waters that war might have broken out even sooner.

Our possession of Heligoland at the time of the Algeciras Conference (19056), or when the Anglo-French Agreement was signed (1904), or, more particularly, at the time of the Agadir crisis (June, 1911), would almost certainly have brought about a rupture. There would have been precautionary movements of ships and some little excitement, aa there was at other places; and the delicate machinery of diplomacy would have broken down.

THE NAVY DISCOUNTS IT. In one respect Heligoland, as it is at present, may be compared with the Rack of Gibraltar. Both positions are so strongly fortified and mined that the boring of another gallery is almost enough to bring about a complete collapse. I saw some of the German preparations for fortifying Heligoland eight or nine years ago, w'hen the work was being carried on openly Since then it has been pushed forward with vigor, but very little strategic use has been made of it. On the declaration of war the German fleet appears to have retired into Wilhelinshaven and from the exploit of a squadron of our own fleet on August 2Sj when five Gorman wanking

were sunk, we may judge that the defences of Heligoland have caused little 1 concern to our own Navy, It is doubtful if she shall ever have Heligoland in our possession again. If our dhipa and soldiers played a decisive part in the war, and helped to win an incontestable victory, it would still hardly be possible for us to ask for the island back again. Our presence there in the future would be a perpetual eyesore to the German nation, and by hook or by crook we should be got out of it again, even though Europe had to run with blood for a second time in this century, We may hope that the destruction or capture of the German Navy will render Heligoland and its superb fortifications entirely superfluous far, the purposes of naval strategy.