NEWS BEHIND THE CABLES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 285, 1 December 1936, Page 6

NEWS BEHIND THE CABLES.

Anti-Fascist Legislation—Armistice Day In Madrid —"Hunger Marchers" At The Cenotaph.

(By G. S. COX and J. A. MULGAN.)

LONDON, November 14. INTEREST in England during the week has centred once more on domestic affairs a

welcome change, though the problems at issue are little more cheering than the lowering aspect of foreign politics. First of all came the arrival in London of two thousand "hunger marchers" —the term' is now well established — who walked in from the depressed areas of the Midlands and the North to protest against the means test unemployed regulations. These marches have been going on annually now for four years: on the first occasion there were serious riots in London: they are now more orderly, restricted in numbers, perhaps, but none the less effective for that.

On Sunday there was a. huge rally of Leftwing parties to greet them in Hyde Park. Labour, Communist and I.L.P. (Independent Labour party) leaders addressed over two hundred and fifty thousand people in London's central park, "You are living' in a boom, though you may not know it," said Major Atlee, leader of the Labour party, "but the means test still goes on." The meeting was quite orderly, though marred by a heavy downpour of rain, in flight from which Marble Arch underground station and traffic for over a mile was jammed by the crowds. Large numbers of police, on horse and on foot, were fully occupied in clearing the streets before and after the meeting. Great efforts were made by the hunger marchers to have their case heard at the bar of Parliament. In the House itself, Mr. Baldwin "was plied with questions on his reasons for refusing this hearing, but remained firm. "It would be too serious a precedent," he said. "In a democracy, tlie individual's appeal must he made through his member of Parliament; democratic government would otherwise be impossible." On the Wednesday evening hundreds of them besieged the lobbies of the House of Parliament, forming long queues to see their members. Members came into tlie lobby and the appearance of Mr. Gallacher, the only Communist in the House, was the signal for an enthusiastic demonstration. A Conservative member falling into argument with one of the groups was loudly booed, and at this point extra police drafted in for the occasion shepherded the marchers outside. * At the Cenotaph. But it was at the Cenotaph on this same day that they made their most dramatic appearance. Armistice Day ritual in London has now become a well-established and very impressive service. Larger crowds than ever fathered to see the new King take his place for the first time by the Cenotaph while the two minutes' silence was observed. When the King and his Ministers had gone and the troops had marched away, the British legionaries came by, and then down the empty street, past silent crowds, the two thousand hunger marchers came. Some of them had served in the war and were decorated with medals, but most of them were young, and it was in this setting, remembering the past war, fearful of another, that their appeal for better living conditions was so impressive. Indeed, Armistice Day through England had this year a new urgency, and, most observers would say, a greater solemnity than ever. It was a signal for great activity on the part of Christian organisations, peace councils, and League of Nations unions. The Peace Council's "censored" film —the censorship was withdrawn within twenty-four hours after violent protest—was shown all over England. It is a very effective three'minntes' propaganda with its pictures of war horrors and the commentator's warning refrain, "There is no defence against air-attack. There Is no defence . . In Parliament Mr. K. Griffiths, Liberal M.P., attacked the War Minister, Mr. Duff-Cooper, for his recruiting speeches. "We must defend ourselves," he said. "We all know that, but these speeches don't help. To the younger men of to-day war looks too much like a game of noughts and crosses—the crpsscs in the cemeteries, the noughts piling up in the manufacturers' ledgers." No More Private Armies. The Government published • this week its proposed bill A to legislate against Fascism —- at least against Fascism of tlie MosleyContinental kind. It hat-, rot vet ' in the House, but there is no doubt that it will have the support of all parties, except 10r a small group of Right-wing Conservatives, who "don't believe in taking Fascism seriously." The ne\V legislation —to wMticli Sir John Simon has himself given great care — forbids "semi-military organisations, political I uniforms and private armies," with heavy penalties for contravention. Sir Oswald Mosley, in a statement to the Press, said: "It's a frame-up." Whatever people may think of English Fascism and its seriousness or otherwise, Mosley's provocative tactics in London's East End and the disorders that they occasioned are felt to be a sufficient reason for

Sir John Simon,

this step, and it is an effective one. Without uniforms, Fascism—as shown in Ireland, where Mr. de Valera quenched the Blue Shirts in the same way—loses much of its appeal. This does not mean, say Labour and Liberal M.P.'s, that England is without ! danger of Fascism, but the new legislation will liold up Mosley for the time. In Parliament Sir John Simon admitted to having evidence of funds

being received-from abroad by botli Fascist and Communist organisations. Stories of "Moscow gold" are not new, but this is the first official intimation of subsidised international Fascism in this country.

The Fight for Madrid. Meanwhile the grimmest fighting of the whole Spanish war goes on day after day outside Madrid. At the week-end there were stories of General Franco advancing into the centre of the city, but these were quickly denied, and Government forces to date are miraculously holding their own. "Inside Madrid (one of the authors writes) the atmosphere is slowly changing to a city under conditions of war. All day the guns are going, shells and bombs falling into the western and southern quarters of the town. Women and children are being evacuated. As yet there is no food shortage —three months' supplies are said to be in hand —but a system of ration cards is about to be instituted. Overhead we can watch aerial battles—one to-day (November 12) saw eight 'planes on either side, two rebel bombers being brought down by Government 'planes. By now the Government's best lighting men are in the front line. Two thousand men of the international 'Anti-Fascist Army' marched in from Catalonia, trained, armed and ready;, their military bearing was a heartening sight to the Madrid people. They were of all nations, 'Germans, Italians, Russians, English. They went through the city to take their places in the great battle for Madrid—greatest of post-war battles.

"Nearly all the British residents gathered in the British Embassy at the invitation of Mr. Ogilvy Forbes, charge d'affaires —the Ambassador is at Hendaye—for the two minutes' silence on Armistice Day. We listened there to the service broadcast from Whitehall. During the two minutes' silence there was quiet, oddly enough, outside. As it ended the guns began to boom again, and the war went on."