LINE EXTENDED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 243, 14 October 1935, Page 7

LINE EXTENDED.

NORTHERN OPERATIONS; . ITALIAN SUCCESS REPORTED. MAIN RESISTANCE HARDLY FELT. United Press Association. —Copyright.—Rec. 12 noon. LONDON, October 1 3. A message from Asmara, capital of Eritrea, states that according to Abyssinians who have deserted with Degiac Haile Silassie Gugsa, Ivlakale, the centre of the Tigre province, which is believed to be Italy's next big objective, now lacks communication with Addis Ababa. The Italian line on the northern front now stretches straight from a point twelve miles east of Adigrat to eight miles north of Aksum. It is manned by about 60,000 troops. It is recognised in Asmara that the main Abyssinian resistance so far has barely been felt. The Italians meanwhile are endeavouring to improve the position by political methods such as those employed in winning over Gugsa. It is reported from Harrar, however, that Somalis are daily deserting to Abyssinia. A Harrar message states that eleven aeroplanes bombed Gerlogubi, in Ogaden, and 36 Abyssinian infantrymen, who were taking refuge in a dug-out, were buried alive when detonations caused the shelter to collapse. Aircraft operating in the Danakil area, near the eastern frontier of Eritrea, bombed many villages, causing many casualties. The lull on the northern battlefront is maintained. Prodigious feats of roadmaking have been performed by Colonel Riccardi and 500 engineers who, working £ay and night, completed a motor road with by-passes to Adowa. An extra ration of wine was distributed to the troops to render more palatable the African food, in the cooking of which the soldiers are sacrificing their spaghetti. Mr. Noel Monks reports from Addis Ababa that so close is the military censorship that no word of the happenings on the frontier have been given out for "our days, and the hostility to journalists is getting worse daily. Twice yesterday British journalists were attacked by fanatical natives near the Press Bureau.