DELIBERATE RAIDS ON BRITISH SHIPS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 106, 7 May 1938, Page 9

DELIBERATE RAIDS ON BRITISH SHIPS.

BOMBING BY REBELS.

Captains' Vigorous Cable to Lloyd George.

EXPLANATION SUBTERFUGE. United Pi-pss Association. —Copyright. (Received 11 a.m.) LONDON", May 0. Captain Davies, of the Stanbrook, Captain Hewitt, of the Nailsea Lass, Captain Scott, of the Stancroft, and Captain Evans, of the Clintonia, all British vessels, mostly belonging to Welsh owners which were in port at Barcelona, have cabled Mr. Lloyd George personally from Spain. They protest against the apparent betrayal of British interests and the disregard of the lives of seamen ill the Government's assumption that the bombardment of Barcelona by rebels on April 30 was not a deliberate attack on British shipping but aimed at power stations on the outskirts of Barcelona. The cable adds that all the bombs in the morning raid fell in the immediate vicinity of British shipping and many miles from the power stations. No! British representative as far as is known visited the port after the bombardment. Unless the British Government condemned illegal and deliberate attacks on neutral vessels in the same strong words as employed against German unrestricted submarine warfare in the Great War. the cable states, appalling loss of British life might occur.

REPORT DISCREDITED.

Lifting U.S. Embargo On Arms For Spain. EMBARRASS GOVERNMENT. NEW YORK, May G. The State Department has not confirmed the rejKjrt that the United States Government has decided to support Senator G. P. Xye's resolution to lift the arms embargo against Spain, says the Washington correspondent of tho New York ''Herald-Tribune." Such :i course would be inconsistent with the Department's policy hither and would embarrass the Oovei •■■:". in the pursuit of its objective (it holding strictly aloof from entanglement in European conflicts. Mr. Xye's resolution would not I simply lift the arms pmbargo but i would permit of sales to the Repub- > lican Government and disallow them tc I General Franco.

REBEL DRIVE.

ADVANCE TO CASTELLON. (Received - p.m.) BURGOS, May 0. Despite rain at Arandas, rebel troops advanccil seven miles towards Ca«telion. This drive, though necessarily entailing a prolongation ot" warfare, irs likely to continue in preference to resuming "the advance into Catalonia, which would demand 200,000 additional men.