BLOCKADE OF THE CANAL.
SUPPOSED BRITISH INTENTION.
ITALY PREPARING FOR MOVE
(Received This Day, 10.10 a.m.) GENEVA, October 18
It is generally considered in League circles that behind Britain’s questions to M. Laval lies a determination to suggest the blockade of the Suez Canal if sanctions fail.
Reports from Suez suggest that Italy is preparing for this contingency. She has converted the port of Massawa into a formidable stronghold with batteries of 15-inch guns with a range of 20 miles, while guns capable of dealing with destroyers and light cruisers command the bay. At least fiye submarines are patrolling the Reel Sea. Over five hundred aeroplanes are assembled in East Africa. The sea for a mile around Massawa is a solid mass of ships.
COMMAND OF MEDITERRANEAN.
SAFETY OF THE NEAR, EAST
LONDON, October 17.
Speaking at a Trafalgar dinner given by the Navy League, Mr Winston Churchill said: “There will be general agreement with Britain’s refusal to weaken the Mediterranean Meet during this anxious time. We have commanded the Mediterranean for 230 years, not admitting any question of the right of our warships to come and go freely there. The safety of Egypt, Sudan and Palestine depends on our command of the Mediterranean. We are resolved, and are well able, to hold that, and while we do armies sent from Europe to Africa will be found ultimately governed by sea power.”
Admiral of the Fleet Earl Jellicoe emphasised tlie ability of the Navy to carry out any immediate tasks, but urged greater strength for the future.
NO BOMBING OF RAILWAY.
NEGOTIATIONS MAY SUCCEED
(Received This Day, 9.5 a.m.) ADDIS ABABA, October 18
Negotiations initiated a week ago in respect to the bombing of the Djibouti railway, are likely to be successful. Italy will agree not to bomb the railway on condition that munitions are not transported on it. Abyssinia is agreeable as the caravan routes are open.
It is reported in Addis Ababa that Signor Mussolini is displeased with General de Bono on account of the slowness of his advance.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AG19351019.2.27.3
Bibliographic details
Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 6, 19 October 1935, Page 5
Word Count
341BLOCKADE OF THE CANAL. Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 6, 19 October 1935, Page 5
Using This Item
Ashburton Guardian Ltd is the copyright owner for the Ashburton Guardian. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Ashburton Guardian Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Log in