REGARDED AS HOSTILE

Evening Post, Issue 47, 23 August 1935, Page 9

REGARDED AS HOSTILE

POSSIBLE BRITISH ACTS

ITALIAN PERSUASIVENESS

(Received August 23, 11.45 a.m.)

ROME, August 22. ! Signor Virginio Gayda, writing in I the "Giornale d'ltalia," declares that Italy would regard as hostile acts Britain supplying arms to Abyssinia in violation of the agreement of 1930 pledging her supply to a limited quan-j tity in special circumstances, adopting : economic sanctions, or closing the Suez I Canal, which would be an intolerable I violation of the 1888 Convention. In--1 cendiary firemen in. Britain, desiring to extinguish a small blaze, were throwing oil on the fire, risking a frightful world-wide war in. which the Italians would defend their rights and | honour before the tribunal of history. I Sensing a changing atmosphere, i Signor Gayda has dropped threats ! against ~: ' Britain in favour of .persuasion. He traces the history of I English and Italian co-operation 'in Africa, and leads up to a suggestion that j Britain will benefit from Italian occupation of Abyssinia which would euI sure peace on the frontiers and development of the country bordering three British possessions. Hence there would |be a beneficial increase in reciprocal i economic relations between these tcrri- | tories.