POWERS DECLINE INVITATION

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22195, 11 September 1937, Page 15

POWERS DECLINE INVITATION

COUNTERPROPOSALS OFFERED GERMAN AND ITALIAN REPLIES SOVIET ACCUSATION GIVEN AS REASON (UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT.^ (Received September 10, 12.20 p.m.) ' LONDON, September 9. The German reply to the British . and French invitation to the Medi- . terranean Conference was handed , to the British Charge d'Affaires in Berlin. The reply declares Germany's ■ willingness to co-operate, but states that Germany declines to attend a i special conference because of the i Soviet's provocation to Italy. 1 The reply adds: "Germany, in 1 order to show her goodwill, / proposes, in agre-ament with Italy, that the Non-intervention Committee in London should deal with the problem, especially as other interested Powers which have not received an invitation to the special conference will then be enabled to participate." The German reply rdcalls that when Germany took similar initiative for joint action because of the Deutschland and Leipzig incidents, the attitude of England and France ) was not conducive to present conn- ( dence in new collective agreements. Italy's reply is almost identical , with Germany's, revealing intimate co-operation between Rome and ( Berlin. * The Italian reply states: "Italy j was preparing to reply in the ( affirmative to the British proposal , when a new factor arose in the -, Russian Note. The Russian accusation was firmly rejected. This has changed the state of Italy's mind towards the conference, and she must postpone an affirmative decision until the incident created by the dispatch of the Soviet Notes is satis- i factorily settled." . " Italy also makes reservations on" the invitation of Russia to the conference. The Note then goes on in similar terms to the German Note to suggest that the Non-intervention Committee should examine the ( problem. France conferred with Britain after receipt of the Italian and German replies, and decided that the s conference siould open as arranged. ( It is expected that England and t France will determine the zone for- j bidden to submarines, and take A bilateral measures to ensure that the rule is respected. * < SEA BATTLE OFF j ALGIERS J REBEL CRUISER SHOWS EFFECTS SEEN PASSING THROUGH STRAITS (Received September 10, 11.35 p.m.) GIBRALTAR, September 10. Although the insurgents claim that ( it was their cruiser Baleares which , was engaged in a battle with loyalist i warships off Algiers, the rebel t cruiser Canarias passed through the * Straits from the Mediterranean with . shell marks on her sides and a list to , starboard. ] A Valencia communique state j c that the loyalist cruiser .Libertad twice made contact with the Canarias in a battle lasting three hours. Two hundred shots were exchanged. The Canarias fled on the arrival of loyalist destroyers. An earlier message said that re- ( norts on the outcome of the naval battle between the rebel cruiser Canarias and two loyalist cruisers and five destroyers which were convoying merchantmen, were still conflicting. It was thought that the battle was indecisive and that no r ships were sunk. . c The insurgents claim that their t cruiser Baleares inflicted serious j damage on the Government cruiser A Libertad, and also on several Gov- x ernment trawlers. , c A message from St. Jean de Luz j stated that rebel radio stations re- r ported that the Baleares picked up c 54 sailors from the Libertad after j they had taken to the boats. The sailors were later imprisoned in Cadiz. BRITISH STEAMER CAPTURED NO ASSISTANCE FROM NAVY I INCIDENT IN TERRITORIAL WATERS LONDON, September 9. The British steamer Stanwold, of 1019 tons, was captured by one of ] : General Franco's torpedo boats oft 'the Basque coast. The incident was wftnessed by a Britisn warship bu the Stanwold was in territorial waters and was not entitled to assistance.

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