1940-06-14 — Page 13

Friday,

HONGKONG. TELEGRAPH

June 14, 1940,

MAGAZINE PAGE.

Excha

HARBOUR

ANCHORAGE

Rosia

GIBRALTAR

BAY Cumpay)

trracks

MILITARY

KGARRISON

Mio Barrack Barracks

EUROPA PI

GUIDE TO GIB.

VIBRALTAR is big nows to-day.

Its significance as the first important post on Britain's seu route to In- dia and the Far East is apparent to everyone.

The Rock of Gibraltar is a precipitous narrow crag about three miles long running due north and south. It is also almost completely inaccessible both from the north and south, and it is only because there is a restricted shelf of land on the western side that it is possible to maintain, it as a naval base and gar- rlson.

When approached from the Spanish side across the race- course and military cemetery, the Rock rises perpendicularly

for nearly

1,000IL.

At Europa

Point, directly opposite the African

coast, the cliffs rise to 2001.

the castern sile there is only » diminutive

beach called Catalan

Bay, reached by from the north,

a narrow track

The naval harbour works are now very considerable, and have been developed from the first days of the occupation. The amount of ground available for building, and the erection of sheds and barracks was so small that 64 acres had to be reclaimed from the sea. Some of to recovered land near the Alameda Gardens was once 40ft. under water.

To-day the enclosed anchorage, within the huge stone moles, ex tends to 440 acres. Even at low lide there Le a clearance of 30ft In addition, there are three largO graving docks, one of them extend- ing to more than 800ft.

During the Great War Gibraltar Was a main coaling station for the British Fleet. Latterly the dockyards have been equipped withi huge oil fuel stores.

The harbour is deep enough ot atl Limes to accommodate the Mediterranean Fleet in safe on- chorage. And-in-Admiralty-langu-

-age-Gibraltar-is-known.us HMS.. Cormorant for the purposes of re- cord.

53561

THERE are hidden galleries alt over the Rock and an elaborate 'tunnelling system. An attempt is being made to equip the forts with sufficiently heavy artillery to de- fend the harbour below against any attack.

Until recently there was scurce- ly any anti-aircraft organisation, but now a battery has been added to the garrison and, further,. special local defence force is being organised.

The present Governor and Com- mander-in-Chief Is the famous soldier General Sir Edmund Iron- side. He has under his command a force of some 3,218, consisting of two battalions of infantry--the 2nd

the King's Regiment and

2nd Somerset Light Infantry, a Fortress Company of the Royal Engineers, three howitzer batteries, and de talls of Signols and the various corps of the commissaeint.

THE native population, mostly descended from Itallan and Spanish settlers, totals 10,059. Their num- bers are severely restricted by the nuthorities because of the limited space in the little town.

"The Rock" has been a symbol of British

sen since mastery at 1704, when it was surprised by a combined British and Dutch feet Since under Sir George Rooke. -then-It-has-been-maintained as a naval and military base, and only once has our possession been seri ously threatened at the time of the American War of Indepen- dence, when the Spaniards lald siege to it for four years frown 1779 to 1793.

For the past 150 years the his- tory of the Rock has been almost uneventful. Even during the Great War it did not figure in any pro- minent naval incidents, although all those years its harbour was the scene of great naval activity.

THE PERFECT BABY-

JOAN CONSTANCE BENNETT, of Friars-gate, Exeter, was once award- ed a silver jug as a perfect baby.

Last week, she collapsed and diel. Sho had complained of toothacha and about her throat.

Aphthorogist at the inquest at tributed her death to a germ which; ho thought entered the bloodstream, through a tooth socket.

Joun, one of 10 children have been aino in July.

would

SPAIN

0% CADIZ

BAY ALGE-A CIRMON TAK,

ATAČNI

BRALTAR

DIBRALTAR

ATLANTIC OCEAN

PERIGIL

CLUTAS

TANGULA

YOU MAY

NOT KNOW

-BULGARIA-Black

Gallipoli

TURKEY

ISTANBUL, Scutari

Dardanelles

TURKEY

That the Dardanelles, tho Barrow strait uniting the Soal of Marmara with the Acgcan,- is the first of the two gate- ways to the Black Sea; the other is the Bosphorus.

The strait, 47 miles long. divides the peninsula of Galli- poli, on the north-west, from Asia Minor, on the south- cast. Its strategic import- ance is obvious.

For nearly 500 years Tur- key has been the guardian of the Dardanelles and Bosphorus.

the

After Turkey's defeat in the last war the Straits were declared_opch._both__in peace and war, to every vessel of commerce or of war" (Treaty of Sovres, 1920).

This

was changed when Turkey recovered under Kemal's leadership. The Straits, demilitarised, were to be closed to warships of any anc. Power exceeding the

strength of the strongest Black Sea flect (Treaty of Lausanne, 1923).

Thirteen years later, after the Abyssinion and Rhineland crises. Turkey won her de- mand for rovision (Montreux Convention, 1936). given the right:

-1. To remilitariso Straits.

She was

the

2. If engaged in war, to close the Straits.

3 If threatened by was to close the Straite unless the League Council decided this, stop was not justified, s

An innocent

abroad looks at

ERANG

Corsica (French)

ALGERIA

(ft.)

TUNIS

10 100 2003

ITALY

ROME

QUESTION: Where and what' is Pantelleria?

ANSWER: A small tallan laland strategically placed bo- tween Italy and North Africa, transformet Into sea and air hase in the last two years.

Like nearby Malta, the British lase, it seeks to command the bottle-neck

which Jalan ibe western and castern basins of the Mediterranean.

Some experts say it is better placed thăn Multa because it les like an anchored battleship right In the only deep-water channel,

Multa Is further fo wille

south-cast.

Forly-five

square

mites

Why Tunis gives Italy a headache

by

HARRY GREENWALL

GABES (Tunisia).

THE vital importance the French General Staff at- taches to the. Protectorate of Tunisia may be gathered from a remark made to me by a high French official who said: "If Italy declares war we shall in- vade Tripolitania so as to INCE

protect Egypt."

TAL

COR

Rome SARDINIA

Tunisa:

ers

the

in

CRIA

200

Miles

Gidames

area, it is crowned by 2,700 feet High Monte Grande.

GRIN AND BEAR IT

PRIVATE

SPO

ITALIAN LIBYA

By Lichty

"Can I have to-morrow aftornoan off, Boss? My grand- mother's getting married again!”

A FEW FACTS ABOUT

OUR NEW ENEMY

ITALY

Population 43,578,000. Area 119,714 sq. miles. The extent of land frontiers is 1,185 miles, coast length being 5,326 miles.

Agriculture, including the growing of grapes. and olives, forms the principal industry, agricultural land extending to 70,548,878 acres. la practically self-supporting in foodstuffs, produce_of_cereals. totalling 10,000,000 tons.

Textiles are the largest and most important manufacturing industry.

Italy is not rich in mineral deposits, and is especially lacking in coal. Production of iron and steel amounts to only about 3,000,000 tons,

The chemical industry has been greatly de- veloped, the production of sulphuric acid being. 15,317,273 tons. Oil output is almost negligible.

Mercantile marine totals 2,071,830 tons grou Italy's colonial empire is principally in Africa, and consists of Italian East Africa (Eritrea, Ethiopia and Italian Somaliland) and Libya. On Good Fri- day, April 7, 1939, Italy invaded Albania, which is now part of the Italian Empire and is administered by a Lieutenant-General. Population 1,000,000. Area 10,629 sq. miles.

I have reason to know that this plan is within the know-

ledge of the Italian Govern ment, and accounts in no small measure for the outbursts of clairns respecting Tunisia.

The Italian-inspired Press states that the French intend to use this country as a jump- ing-off place to attack Tripo- litania.

Whatever may be the truth concerning the Italian allegation, It must be a well-established fact that the French have absolutely nothing to fear from an Italian at- tack launched from the neighbour- ing colony.

The so-called Tunisian Maginot Line runs southwards from this city alongside the foothills which themselves descend perpendicu- larly to the Italian frontier. It is claimed that this colonial Maginot Line is even stronger than the Line alongside the Rhine.

With the official secrets I have nothing to do, but even a layman cannot imagine any foreign strate- gist launching on attack in this forlorn terrain.

Impassable Barrier

GABES is approximately 250 miles from Tunis, and is linked to It by a railway line which follows the contours of the coast. The "pill-boxes" and subterranean fortresses which form the first line of defence may be even stronger than the experts say they are; but, at all events, the second line of defence, which is provided by... Nature. herself, is an impassable- barrier which will defy any weapon of offence except aeroplanes.

This second line is nothing less than two huge salt lakes which, except for a few miles, link the Algerian-Tunisian frontier with the Mediterranean.

In Arabic a lake is called "Chott." To the extreme west is Chott el Gharsa, which goes from the Al- gerian frontier castwards to a small and narrow neck of land which separates the lake from the enorm Outs Chott el Djerid, the end of which is roughly 20 milles from the Mediterranean.

So, even it an attacking force successfully overran the "Maginot Line" along the mountains to the south, it would be faced by a pro- biern such of no military chief since Hannibal has ever had face.

to

From impressions galned by per- sonal inspection, and from know- ledge imparted by persons who speak with the voice of authority, I am able to affirm that the French General Staf does not anticipate any danger from the south, but it the danger of attack does terialise it will come from the cast, und for this reason work is going on day and night to fortify the Gulf of Hammamet

mo-

Huge batteries of long-range guns have been erected just to the north "of Sousse, and other batteries"are" being built between Zaghouart and Hammamet.

Bone Of Contention

IT is claimed that the Port of Bizerte, north of Tunis, is a ter rifically strong position, and that the artificial lake behind Bizerte

is big enough and deep enough to holet the whole British Mediter-. ronean Fleet in comfort and safe- ty.

....

This, st afraid, is at the pre- sont moment rather an exaggera tlon.

The territory of Tunisia is about one-third the size of France, buf ̧n' corisiderable part of it is, uninha=" bitable: The population at the last census wai 2,400,000,

We at home are upt to think.of. this country as one of those very far away pinces, and, yet do you know, this backdoor colony of -Eranca is, Just a mere 21 hatten by. sen from Marseilles, and by plano Just' an 'Interval between an early breakfast and a late lunch?

Surpreze

HONGKONG WAR GIFT Public Meeting Called For

Next Friday

At the recent publle meeting in St. Andrew's Hall, which was called to discuss ways and means of assisting the British War Organisation Fund, it was considered that many. locul re sidents would like to be associated with an effort to`rateo money for somo specific gift, such as an aero- plane, an ambulance, a`tank- or a motor torpedo-boat, and the Rev. J. R. Higgs was asked to call ohother public meeting to decide which one of these should be selected,

Mr. Higgs therefore announces that a pubile meeting will be held in the Rose Room of the Peninsuin · Hotel next Friday, June 21, at 0 p.m.

All members and acctions of the public on both sides of the harbour. are, Invited to be present, and. hoped that the attendance will be worthy of the purpose of the meet- Ing.

BANKS.

THE CHARTERED BANK OF INDIA, AUSTRALIA & CHINA.

Incorporated by Royal Charter 1213

Paid-up Capital

********** £3,000,000 Reserva Liability of PropriGİSTR 43,000,000 Heserve Fund

........... #3,000,000

HEAD OFFICE-LONDON.

*38 Bishopsgate, E.C.1. Sab-Agencies in London: 117/122, Landenhall Btreet, E.CA. West End Branchi 11/16, Cockaper virget, 6.W.J. Manchester Brancht

42, Mosley Street, Manchester, E,

AGENCIES AND BRANCHES:

Alor Star

Amritsar

Bangkok Aptavia

Borabay

Calcutta

Agencies:

Clive Street

› Fairilo Place

Tangoon Saigon

Marbin

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Ipoh

Semarang

Jollo

Seremban

Karschi

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Singapore

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(Bhukat)

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Delhi Haiphong Hamburg

New York

Yokohama

Peiping

(Peking)

..

Iankow

Penang

Canton

Cawnpore

Cebu Colombo

General

FOXSIGN EXCHANGE and Banking Business transacted.

CURRENT ACCOUNTS

opened FIXED DEPOSITA received for One Year or shorter periods in Local or Other Cur- rencies at rates which will be quoted on application.

BAVINGS ACCOUNTS also opened to Local Currency and Sterling with interest allowed at rates obtainable on application. The Bank's Bead Offee in London. undertakes Executor & Trustee business, and claims recovery of British Income Tax overpaid, on ferme, which may be ascertained at any of its Agencies and Branches,

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Serenade (Toselil),

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HONG KONG SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN THE SOCIETY ASKS FOR..

$25,000 In 1940 to meet the increasing needs of' dick and desiltuto children in Hongkong, against which the Income to 'dato in $22,000 only,"

In order to continue its work, The Society ap peals for the balance of

$13,000

before the close of the 'financial your on Sist October.

The Boctely now administers to over 2,000 children at eight Contres and, in addition, supports 28-children at various Institutione ana go. babies at its Creche,- ····

1

Hon. Tremurere (from whom a copy of the Annual Report for 1930 may be obtained)?

• Mr. A. MoHeliar, C.A,

c/o Mackinnon Mackenzie de Co..."

Mr. Kwok Chany

Each 19, d/o The Bangue de L'Indo-Chine," DAMAS HONG KONG, AND IMAG

B1st June, 2DWOZITAR ST