PRESS VIEWS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 167, 16 July 1937, Page 7

PRESS VIEWS.

BRITISH OPINION.

Attitude to Control Plan

Favourable.

DIFFICULTIES REALISED

British Official Wireless

(Receivea 1.30 p.m. 7

RUGBY, July 15.

There is a favourable Press reception on the whole to the British nonintervention proposals.

"The Times" describes it as a workable plan, and says that all non-inter-vention States have now a chance of Proving the sincerity of their professions and applying further and most effective methods of shortening the conflict, which is to withdraw their nationals from Spam.

In no other-way can the policy of nonintervention truly honestly deserve its name. This may be the last chance ot making it real and effective, the paper states.

The Morning Post" says that whether the plan achieves the full purpose or not it affords a practical buffer against a more dangerous clash of rivalries and antagonism, and adds: "It would be rash to assume that this country will o- e t any thanks for such a disinterested labour."

The "Manchester Guardian" describes the plan as an honest attempt to find a compromise, and the "Daily Herald" (Labour) says that as an essay in compromise the plan is ingenious* but sees no evidence to suggest that the spirit of international co-operation will be forthcoming, and without it the scheme will fail. It adds that the Labour party prefers to face frankly and immediately the fact that non-intervention has failed and should be scrapped without further delay.

So far foreign comment upon the plan has been somewhat non-committal but on the whole* not unfavourable.

It is expected that most representatives at to-morrow's meeting of the Non-intervention Committee will be in a position to indicate, on behalf of their Governments, at least preliminary observations on the scheme.

MIXED RECEPTION.

French Press Divided on Plan

Of Control.

GERMANY MORE AMENABLE. (Received 12 noon.) LOXDOX, July 15. It is officially intimated in Berlin that the British proposals are regarded as a suitable basis for discussion French Press comment is decidedly mixed. "Le Matin" suggests that the plan, embodying as it does proposals from various countries, will satisfy none. "Petit Parisien" regards the plan as clever, and says Mr. Eden and his experts have worked well for the common good.

LOXDOX, July 15.

"Pertinax" prophecies that the plan will die a natural death within a few hours. "Echo de Paris" and "L'Oeuvre" see in the proposals dexterity designed to prevent rejection and to compel discussion.

The impartiality of the British plan for the control in Spain must make it difficult for any Government to refuse to Jtreat on the basis of the proposals, says the diplomatic correspondent of "The Times." The British Government is not likely to be over-sanguine, but it will at least not expect the scheme to be rejected out of hand.

The Berlin correspondent of "The Times" says that so far there has been no tangible indication of the German attitude, but it is given out that this will be decided in consultation with Italy.

The Rome correspondent of the "Morning Post" says Italian newspapers have been forbidden to comment pending official examination of the proposals.

LABOUR DERISION.

Spanish Firing on British Merchant Ship. NAVY WAS STANDING BY. (Received 10.30 a.m.) LONDON, July 15. "Is there no indignity we will not tolerate?" asked a Labour member in the House mi Commons when Colonel J. J. Llewellin was making a statement on behalf of the Admiralty. He mentioned that the Royal Oak had protested against the Almirante Cervera firing a third shot on the British ship Molton, which was within Spanish waters.

Mr. A. Henderson (Lab., Kingswinford) followed up by asking if it were not without precedent in history for a British warship to stand by and allow a British ship to be attacked. Colonel Llewellin's reply that the ship was not attacked but merely brought to provoked derisive laughter from Labour members.

According to a British official wireless report, the Molton was carrying no cargo when stopped. The "Daily Telegraph" says she had been chartered by the Spanish Government since the end of June for evacuation of refugees, and it was believed she had been proceeding to Santander for that purpose when she was shelled.

Cornel Llewellin said in his reply that it was the policy of the British Government to afford no protection for ships within territorial waters.