MOVE ON FRENCH SOMALILAND

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23316, 30 April 1941, Page 7

MOVE ON FRENCH SOMALILAND

Attack by Troops Of de Gaulle

REPORT ISSUED BY VICHY

(Received April 29, 11.30 p.m.) (U.P.A.) LONDON, April 29. A Vichy message says that official advice has been received in Vichy from Jibuti that a de Gaulle column, supported by British motorised forces, has atta ,ked French Somaliland from Duanle, on the Addis Ababa-Jibuti railway. Earlier the Vichy Government announced that de Gaulle troops, supported by British mechanised units, had been massed ■ along the southern border of French Somaliland. The Vichy Ministry of the Colonies, it was stated, had given the necessary instructions to the Governor of French Somaliland to prevent the colony going over to General de, Gaulle. The Vichy statement added that Free French troops were concentrated at a point on the Jibuti-Addis Ababa railway. Othe- forces had disembarked at Zeila.

Vichy also claims that British warships are anchored off Jibuti, completely blockading the port. « The Free French forces distributed pamphlets by aeroplane over all the military posts in the interior of French

Somaliland calling on the troops to go to Duanle or Zeila with their arms. The Vichy news agency states that although negotiation is. possible regarding the transport of food and the evacuation of wounded along the Addis Ababa-Jibuti railway, there can be no ■ question of French Somaliland negotiating with the dissident French. The headquarters of the Free French forces in London state that they have no knowledge of the attacks, which, according to rumours circulated by Vichy, are being made by the Free French, supported by British units, against the French colony at Jibuti, reports a British Official Wireless message. ~ It suggests that this information should be viewed with the greatest reserve, as it has every appearance of being news of a spontaneous movement in the midst of the French garrison itself at Jibuti which, together with the civil population, is known for a long time to have cherished a very favourable feeling towards the Free recalls that, afterthe armistice, Jibuti was one of the first French possessions to send out a can for continued resistance. SEARCH FOR VON LUCKNER AMERICAN RADIO REPORT SAID TO BE COMMANDING RAIDERS (Received April 29, 10.30 p.m.) NEW YORK, April 28. The Manila correspondent of the American Broadcasting Corporation broadcast a report that units of the British and Free Netherlands navies have been ordered to capture Count Felix' von Luckner, who is reported to he commanding 12 armed merchant raiders in the South Pacific. The raiders are alleged to be operating from Japanese bases in the Caroline and Marshall Islands. PERSECUTION OF POLES TREATMENT BY THE GERMANS (Received April 29, 9 p.m.) TORONTO, April 28. Persecution of the Poles by the Germans has broken out anew, said General Sikorski, the Polish Prime Miffi ister. He had lately had very sad news from Poland of more Poles being executed, and more being sent to concentration camps. . General Sikorski described events in the Balkans as important, but not allimportant, „ “The mastery of the Mediterranean, he said, “will be a matter of much more weight, and the result of the battle of the Atlantic will be the decisive element in the war,”

COAL STRIKE IN„ U.S.

ROOSEVELT TO STUDY POSITION WASHINGTON. April 28. Mr Roosevelt’s secretary (Mr Stephen Early) said that Mr Roosevelt to-day was making an intensive study of the coal deadlock as a result of the collapse of the Defence Mediation Board’s negotiations. Mr Early said that the situation was very serious, and Mr Roosevelt planned to confer, especially with the acting-chairman of the Mediation Board (Mr Davis), and survey the board’s unsuccessful efforts. The White House has announced that 13 southern coal operators have accepted Mr Roosevelt’s proposal for reopening the mines. Mr John L. Lewis, president of the United Mine Workers of America, offered to reopen the northern coal mines if the Government would agree to feed and protect the southern miners who are still striking against the wage agreement reached between the miners and the northern operators. The Southern Railroad has announced that it is suspending its services temporarily on 21 routes in the southern states in order to save coal for the main line service. Forty-two trains will be stopped. After to-night only 21 days’ coal supply will remain. EIRE’S SHORTAGE OF SUPPLIES MINISTER’S STATEMENT (Received April 29, 11.30 p.m.) LONDON, April 28. The Eireann Minister for Supplies (Mr Lemass), in a speech in Dublin, said: “One meets people saying that Eire’s shipping supply difficulties have been created to force a change in policy or Government. Britain is not putting the screw on Eire. Our difficulties are an inevitable outcome of the war, and will end only-when the, war ehdS.” !