The Suez Canal

Northland Age, Volume 28, Issue 58, 18 July 1928, Page 6

The Suez Canal

War-Time. Attacks The Suez Canal remains not only the gateway of East and West commercially, but must be viewed as the centrifugal point upon which international peace and prosperity depend, savs a writer in the Sydney Morning Herald. The vital necessity of the Suez Canal was one of the very first contemplations of the German naval and military commanders in 1914, so much so that as soon as Turkey became a belligerent Power in the War Germany sent one ot her foremost and brilliant personalities, to attempt a capture of the zone in question. How near Limon Von Sanders was to achieving his exploit will never be really known, but those who served under viceAdmiral Pierse in Egypt at that time will ever remember how a small patrol boat happened to surprise the Turkish forces just at the moment when their pontoons were being stretched across the canal at dawn, and 7,000 men who had managed not only to cross the Sinai Desert, but had reached the very banks of the waterway itself, were about to cross into Egypt. The raising of the alarm soon brought up naval and military forces, which literally annihilated the attackers, but the attempt was nearer success than we cared for.

For the remainder of the war ptu*.., . j possible precaution was overlooked, a a 1 the Cinal guarded night and day, was kept free and safe for the transportation of Allied shipping. The Germans made several attempts to damage it, and the dropping of mines from supposedly neutra vessels compelled the British to arrange diplomatically for armed guards to be on board every ship journeying to and fro. The most daring adventure was that of a large merchantman carrying high Explosives. The plan was to blow right up at the entrance. Almost opposite the magnificent and picturesque Customs House, the vessel started to belch forth volumes of smoke and flame, following the first explosion. Heroic efforts succeeded in diverting the ship away from the remainder of the craft then in the harbour, and towards an expanse of water well clear of the usual passage towards the Canal. The majority of the ill-fated crew suffered an agonising death, for the flames prevented their reaching the decks, and the old-fashioned port holes were too small to allow of escape.

ber of suggestions had been made for the solution of the Native rating problem, bo far, none that appeared to be completely satisfactory had been offered. In the East Coast district, north of Gisborne, the solution had been attempted by means of consolidating the interests of the Natives in scattered areas into composite blocks, so as to clear the titles, and thus enable the owners to finance upon the security of their areas and so improve and farm the lands, in order that they might become self-support-ing and producing members of the community. Many requests had been made of late by local authorities throughout the North Island for the application of the principle of consolidation to the areas of Native land in their districts, but the large amount of work involved and the difficulty of providing trained officers for the work had placed a definite limit upon what could be done at the present time. However, the work was being carried out in a ! determined manner in certain selected areas. The Native Minister had lately set up a committee to deal with the question of consolidation of Natives in Native lands in the North Auckland countries, and in those countries comprising what was known as the Rohe Potae (King Country).