LOYALIST MINISTERS FLEE THE COUNTRY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 31, 7 February 1939, Page 7

LOYALIST MINISTERS FLEE THE COUNTRY.

ASYLUM m FRANCE. 1 6000 Refugees Over Border Each Hour. UNRESTRICTED ENTRY. ] 1 United Press Association. —Copyright. , 1 (Received 12 noon.) J LOXDOX, February 6. ' All the Loyalist Ministers have gone to France. The Havas Agency interprets the President, Senor Azana's earlier departure as an indication of a complete breach with Dr. Negrin regarding the methods of further resistance. The Havas Agency reported earlier that Dr. Negrin and six Ministers, accompanied by several officials, travelling in eight motor cars, one of which was pitted by bullets, entered France after handing over tlieir revolvers and rnacliine-guns at the frontier. The French have removed all barricades, says a message from Leperthus, allowing the unrestricted entry of thousands of troops, inarching in formation. Refugees, including some women and children on lorries, are pouring over the frontier. Terrible sufferings continue to characterise the evacuation. The snow-covered roads to the frontier are solidly packed with fugitives of all ( classes and ages. A legless man was j pushed in a chair from Barcelona by a friend. , An English woman working at Cerbere j on behalf of the National Committee for |

Spanish Relief, complains that there are J no arrangements for supplies of food, and water for the thousands. There have been many deaths from starvation and exposure, even when across the frontier. Observers eulogise tlie courage and discipline of the refugees. 120,000 Refugees in France. A message from Perpignan says | 120,000 refugees, including soldiers, have entered France without disturb- j ance. They are still coming in at the rate of 6000 an hour. j The French authorities have secured the release of a number of political and ] military prisoners. Colonel Martin, who ia negotiating the evacuation of the wounded to ; France, ordered a garrison of 30,000 troops at Puigcerda to resist to the last man. but they began evacuation , when they learned that the invaders were ten miles distant. The captors of Seodeurgel have reached the border of Andorra, where frontier guards greet them. Rebel 'planes are steadily bombing and machine-gunning the last of the Loyalist aerodromes in Catalonia. They bombed Port La Selva and claim that many ships were sunk.

Massacre of Loyalists. A great trail of death runs to France, says the correspondent of the "Daily Herald" at Figueras. One hundred and fifty bombing aeroplanes have been swiftly annihilating the weary refugees and Loyalist troops. Figueras is a great cemetery. The hospital is demolished and the railway station is a shambles of 300 deed, while the river is full of bodies. Squadrons of from 15 to 30 bombers have been attacking simultaneously, surpassing even the horrors of Guernica, and have destroyed a dozen refugeecrowded villages. General Franco's troops, when Seo de Urgel fell, marched 150 officers and men into a square and machine-gunned them as Anarchists. The rebels have occupied Palamos. Many hours of street fighting preceded the fall of Gerona. the Loyalist troops blowing up the bridges as they retreated. The Loyalist 117 Brigade, which tried to stem the rebels' advance to Berga, is falling back to Puigcerda, and the Anarchist Derruti Colunt is retreating thither after the fall of Seo de Urgel. Twelve thousand Loyalist troops, without munitions and almost without food, are cut off in the triangle between Andorra, Seo de Lirgel and Sort. It is believed an entire Loyalist division, the commander of which declared he would fight to the last man, has been wiped out in the hills near Seo de LTrgels while defending the approaches to Puigcerda. General Franco has withdrawn the Italian Littorio Division from the frontier section of Catalonia in order to allay French anxiety. Eighty-five Republican aeroplanes have safely landed in France.