REBEL AIR RAIDS ON SPANISH CITIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 235, 4 October 1937, Page 7

REBEL AIR RAIDS ON SPANISH CITIES.

FEARFUL SCENES. Valencia and Barcelona Heavily Bombed. CHILDREN MACHINE-GUNNED. United Press Association.—Copyright. (Received 1 p.m.) LONDON", October 3. Ten 'planes dropped bombs on Valencia and several fires were started. Many people were killed and injured, and 100 houses were damaged.

The meeting of the Cortes was delayed for an hour owing to the air raids. Eventually the House passed a vote of confidence in the Premier, Senor Negrin. Terrible scenes marked a raid on the working-class district of Barcelona by three squadrons of rebel bombers. Civilians who escaped bombs fell victims to machine-guns. The total killed is believed to be 300. Thirty-four buildings were destroyed. Twelve bombs fell on a school in the environs of the city. The children who were still alive fled from the collapsing building, and were machine-gunned as they ran. Rescuers are still combing the ruins in search of bodies. Subsequently insurgents in nine aeroplanes again bombed Barcelona. They killed 50 people and injured 107. The Loyalists are advancing on the Aragon front. They are only 11 milee from Saragossa and 12 from Jaca, which is a strategic junction for the SaragossaHuesca road.

TO SLOW DEATH. Loyalist Regiments Doomed in Snow-clad Alps. HISTORIC TOWN CAPTURED. (Received 2 p.m.) BILBAO, October 3. A rebel advance from Ribadesella towards Gijon trapped several Asturian regiments in the treacherous snowclad Spanish Alps, where, lacking food, water and winter clothing, they are doomed to a slow death by starvation and exposure. They . are making desperate efforts to rejoin the main army, unaware that their retreat has been cut off.

The insurgents captured Covadonga after bitter resistance. The only material damage was the theft of the statue of the Virgin, covered with jewels.

The rebels attach significance to their occupation of the shrine because, besides coinciding with General Franco's assumption of supreme power, it commemorates the first victory in the reconquest of Spain from African barbarism in 718.

FOREIGN TROOPS. Rebels Agree to Withdrawal On Both Sides. RUSSIA'S LATEST MOVE. (Received 1.30 p.m.) LONDON, October 3. A Gibraltar message says that General Dellano, in a broadcast, declared that the insurgents would agree to withdrawal of foreigners from Spain if assured that this was carried out impartially and would include members of the International Brigade. In spite of a rebuff, British and French quarters indicate their intention to continue negotiations with Italy, pointing out that the stipulation still stands that non-intervention may be ended if results are not speedy. Russia has circulated a Note to the Non-intervention Committee intimating that owing to collapse of the naval patrol scheme, Russia will not allow international observers to embark on her merchantmen to Spain, also implying reconsideration of her whole attitude on non-intervention.

GOLD AND SILVER. French Police Seize Cargo on British Ship. VESSEL FROM 6IJON. (Received 1.30 p.m.) LE HAVRE, October 3. Police seized a cargo of gold and silver and works of art aboard the steamer Mydol which arrived here from Gijon. The vessel until recently was Swedish registered but changed to British registry and- took a cargo of food from Alicante to Gijon, where she picked up 4000 refugees. At night the Mydol secretly took on board 1100 cases of goods and then, after discharging refugees at Larochelle, brought her cargo to Le Havre. The authorities have ordered the unloading of the cases into a bonded warehouse. Representatives of the Spanish Government and of the insurgents watched the unloading.