BURIED TREASURE HUNT

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2235, 22 August 1914, Page 8

BURIED TREASURE HUNT

TO RAISE WAR FUNDS. Mr. Bert Royle lias in hand the arrangements for a grand treasure tent to bo conducted at Lyall Bay in aid of the Patriotic Fund, and under tlie direct auspices of the Executive Committee of that fund. The idea is that a couple of acres of sandy' beach shall be roped off, and the public will be charged one shilling admittance and threepence or sixpenco for a little wooden spade with winch they are entitled to dig for the treasure buried within the enclosure. The prizes will consist of orders on the secretary or treasurer" for money prizes ranging from £5 to Is., which will be enclosed in small tobacco tins. Even those engaged in planting the boxes (who will not be able to dig or direct in any way) will not know the value of* the orders contained in the sealed boxes they secrete, as all the tins will be alike, and they will be Well sliuffled before the tins are handed out to anyone. This buried treasure hunt has been attended withSgreat success hi England, and should afford plenty of fun and excitement (with the chance of finding a prize) to the patriotically inclined. INTERCESSION SERVICE The intercession service, which is held at St. Paul's' Anglican Pro-Cathe-dral every Friday at 5.15 p.m., is evidently appreciated, especially by those who have friends or relatives at the front, judging by the large number present yesterday. The Rev. C. H. Harvey conducted the service, which consisted of appropriate petitions from the Litany, special prayers for the safety and success of. our Army and Navy (including the New Zealand Expeditionary Force), for the doctors and' nurses, for all sufferers by tbo war, and for the gift of patience to those who are,anxious about friends on active service. Suitable hymns were sung including a verse from the well-known hymn for those at sea,. "Eternal Father Strong to Save," in .which the following words occur:— From rock and tempest, fire, and foe Protect them whersoe'er they go. Thd solemn simplicity of the service made it ■ all the more impressive. ANTWERP A TOWN THAT GERMANY DESIRES Antwerp, according to an Australian writer, is the Belgian town that, will he really important in the eyes of Germany. It is to Antwerp in all probability, he adds, that the British troop ships were directed; and either Antwerp or Ostend is almost certain to be the port through wliicli they will draw their supplies. We do not know what isithe position of the main British or Belgian Army, and it is, of course, possible they have a strong force on this flank protecting both Antwerp and Brussels, and threatening the German right flank as ft sweeps down to attack the French ill the direction of Namur.Antwerp is an immensely strong fortress. By some authorities it is belioved to be tho strongest fortress in the whole ■of Europe. It is in .the flat coastal low lands, about 40 miles up tho liiver.Scheldt. As in the case of,most cities on tho Dutch and Flemish coast, the land around Antwerp has partly been reclaimed from tidal flats; and some of tlie surroupding district can now bo p'aced under water if desired. The reason why Antwerp, has been turned by the Belgians into a fortress of such strength is that tho Government has, always intended that this fortress should be tho rendezvous of tlio Belgian army in the event of it being compelled, .by some violation of the neutrality of' Belgium, to Tetire before an enemy of superior force. , That is exactly; tho rolo which Antwerp would now have to play if the Allies were beaten. What Antwerp 'means to .Germany could scarcely do better put than' it was by Bishop Long, of Bathurst, in the course of an analysis which ho mado of the position last week. Ho was explaining how everything in th& earlier stages depended on whether the Teuton war lord could deal such a sledge-ham-mer blow upon the French within tho next week as would send their army reeling back to Paris. "If the Germans succeed in doing. l this," he said, "they will bo able to entrench, themselves in Belgium, -and it would seem that nothing could save Brussels and Antwerp from at least temporary German occupation. Antwerp is a prize that the Germans would give billions of money, and probably millions of men, to gain and retain. ' Antwerp is destined to be probably tho greatest port in the world, and with it safe in their grasp the Germans would become a great naval and mercantile nation; and it is difficult to predict- what would ha Britain's position. Some such result as tliis might follow a big German victory next week. Wo should prepare ourselves for shocks and alarms. It is not to be expected that tni's big German war engine is going to break down without dcing some enormous damage first. I have no doubt about the ultimate result, but it i 3 reasonable to expect some great achievement on.'the part of the' enemy."