The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun. THURSDAY. JULY S, 1937. WHAT NEXT IN SPAIN?

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 160, 8 July 1937, Page 6

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun.

THURSDAY. JULY S, 1937. WHAT NEXT IN SPAIN?

For Ihc cnunc that lacks assistance, For ll.r irrong that needs resistance, /',>)■ //■• future in the diatnuce, And ihc good that we ucn do.

Tin , virtual collapse of the Power*' policy n!' iKiii-i ntcr ven (ion iu Spain im.s bocn !'"illuwpil liv a period ot.' quiet, in which diplomatic i-ll'ort.s an , being , miulr to secure .■nni-i'ini'iit. mi a substitute, it doe.s not appear that any of the Powers liu.s attempted to lako .'n.lvjintjipre of Iho situation, i'or all arc keenly ,-nvarr that the consequences of any overt action would be incalculable. Meanwhile I here is Jittle to indicate that, unless given more help from outside Powers than it has hitherto received, either the Spanish Government or the forced o£ General .Franco can win a victory. The latest estimate, that General Franco has 600,000 trained and armed men, and the Government 560,000, is, of course, tentative, but a number of observers recently have formed the opinion that, the Spanish forces in Spain are fairly equal, and that on account of the mountainous nature of the country it will be exceedingly difficult for either side to force a decision. General Franco's formal application to the Powers for recognition as a belligerent is likely to occasion fresh discord among the Powers. His Government has long since been granted diplomatic recognition by Germany and Italy, and there seems little reason to doubt that under international law his forces qualify for recognition as belligerents. It is, however, not incumbent on the Powers to grant recognition, and Britain's decision will no donbt be influenced by the same considerations that impelled her to persevere with the non-intervention policy. If the Franco Government were recognised as belligerent, and so by the outside Powers given the same status as the Valencia Government, would there be increased risk of "incidents" which might lead to the spreading of the conflict? If it would lead to a situation in which Italy and Germany, on the one hand, and France and Russia on the other, were competing against each other in helping one side or the other in Spain, that situation would be fruitful of "incidents," and might soon become indistinguishable from war. Fortunately there is more reason now than there was six months ago to believe that neither of the Fascist Powers is willing to risk the spreading of the Spanish conflict, and there is hope that some new compromise Avill be devised.