LOYALIST STRUGGLE ALMOST ABANDONED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 30, 6 February 1939, Page 9

LOYALIST STRUGGLE ALMOST ABANDONED.

WAR IN CATALONIA.

Government Leaves by Air

For Madrid.

LACK OF AMMUNITION. United Press Association. —Copyright. (Received 11 a.m.} LONDON", February 5. The British United Press Perpignan correspondent says the autonomous Catalonian Government has abandoned the struggle and now the Catalonian campaign has virtually ended.

Senor Azana, President of Spain, has arrived en route to Paris, and other Ministers have already left for France. Senor Azana states that he- is going to Paris in order to urge the British and French Governments to alleviate the sufferings of Loyalist soldiers and civilians. The Prefecture at Perpignan announces that the Loyalist Premier, Di. Xegrin, and other Ministers left Figueras for Madrid by air. A Figueras Loyalist report states that 300 were killed and 800 wounded in continuous air raids on Saturday. Senor Del Vayo 6aid: "I have not lost hope. It was impossible, owing to lack of arms, to carry out resistance in Barcelona. We had whole regiments, who coukl have vigorously counter-attacked the exhausted rebels, but we needed 100,000 rifles and 3000 machine-guns." It is understood that the evacuation

of Figueras was ordered after the departure of Dr. Negrin.

A message from Parit? says 12 Loyalist chaser 'planes landed at the Salvaza aerodrome. The French authorities took them over.

The British United Press Perpignan correspondent says that a Loyalist 'plane landed at" Toulouse and three near Bordeaux. Sixty more are still aloft seeking an aerodrome oil which they may land. The correspondent said the Loyalist Intelligence Service reported that over 5000 were massacred or executed in the first few days of the rebel occupation of Barcelona. Rebels Occupy Gerona. The rebels have occupied Gerona, says a message from Burgos. A motorised Navaxrese column, preceded by tanks and aided by a mixed Legionary Brigade, easily overcame the Loyalists' resistance. They found Gerona in confusion. The advance guard of the rebels is 19 miles from the frontier. The rebels have occupied San Feliu de Guixols. Art treasures have been handed over to Mr. Neil McLaren, of the London National Gallery, and M. Jaujard, of the Louvre, for transportation to Genoa, in the custody of the League of Nations, which after the war will return x them to whatever Government exists in Spain. Senator Leon Berard, a former Minister of Justice, ha 6 gone to Burgos as French official observer to the Franco Administration, says the Paris correspondent of "The Times."