NO MINES AT BILBAO

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 172, 17 April 1937, Page 9

NO MINES AT BILBAO

Dean of Canterbury’s Statement CONFIRMATION BY CONSUL By Telegraph.-—Press Assn. —Copyright. Paris, April 15. The Dean of Canterbury, the Very Rev. Hewlett Johnson, interviewed on his arrival in Paris, said that there is no danger from mines at Bilbao, from which he departed last week in the French torpedo-boat Aisne. “The only danger to British ships.” he said, “conies from the rebel fleet. I can’t imagine where Mr. Baldwin obtained his information about mines. Unless food reaches the town women and children will certainly starve.” He* added that many churches in Madrid had been wholly or partly destroyed, and almost all were closed, but that the Government hopes to reopen them. The British Consul at Bilbao has informed the Foreign Office that the harbour entrance is free of mines, and that the shore batteries are adequate to defend territorial waters, a London message states. FRANCO WARNED Review of Commons Debate on Bilbao RIGHTS OF BRITISH SHIPS (British Official Wireless.) Rugby, April 15. “The Times” says that seldom have the figures of a division in the House of Commons more accurately represented the real weight of argument as in the defeat of the Labour censure motion on Britain's Bilbao blockade policy by 345 votes to 130. The passage in Sir John Simon’s speech for the Government which has attracted most attention contained the announcement that within the last few hours the Government had sent a message to the rebel leader, General Franco, informing him that no interference with British shipping at sea could be tolerated. Sir John Simon proceeded: “We have added that any advice that we give to British vessels as to the course they should presumably take does not, of course, affect the ultimate responsibility of General Franco if any damage is done to any British vessel, even if it disregarded the advice which we thought it our duty to give.” The Foreign Secretary, Mr. Anthony Eden, who wound up the debate for the Government, answered several questions arising out of this statement, which had been raised by Opposition speakers. In reply to the Liberal leader, who asked whether, if a British ship disregarded a warning, it would be protected if attacked before it reached the three-mile limit of territorial waters, Mr. Eden said that the answer was definitely “Yes.” The Government definitely hoped that ships would not disobey their instructions, but if they did and were on the high seas they were entitled to protection. At the same time the Government was bound to warn British ships of the dangers which they believed existed off the Bilbao coast. The Government could not guarantee, in view of the conditions there, that those ships would be safe in the territorial waters around Bilbao. Mine-sweeping Question. Dealing with a further question which had been asked about mines outside territorial waters, Mr. Eden said that the Government could give no guarantee of what action it would take, b. t if it became necessary for the protection of British ships to carry out mine-sweeping in the high seas, then His Majesty’s Government was certainly prepared to consider it. But to send British mine-sweepers supported by the British Navy into Spanish territorial waters to rescue by supplies a beleaguered city might be argued to be intervention. With regard to the non-intervention policy, this was the only means at the British Government’s disposal to prevent tbe conflict from spreading beyond the borders of Spain. The Government had not spared time, money, 1 or endeavour to bring this scheme into operation at the earliest possible mo- ' ment. He wished it could have done this through the League organisation, but it could not do so as two important countries were not members of the League. But, notwithstanding, something had been achieved. There were agreements about the supply of arms, about volunteers, and about an observation scheme, and more might be achieved yet. He was informed that discussion of the withdrawal of volunteers was about to be resumed. Above all, they must work to prevent this dispute from spreading beyond Spain. Willingness to Arbitrate. Referring to Mr. Winston Churchill’s appeal for arbitration for settlement of the conflict, Mr. Eden said that if ever Britain could make a contribution to bring this conflict to an end that contribution would be made not only readily but eagerly. Mr. Churchill, in putting forward his appeal for arbitration, said’it was an encouraging fact that German, French. Russian, Italian, and British naval officers were acting together in a way which represented a concert of Europe and was a shadow of the idea of the reign of law. Why should not five great Powers whose fleets were now acting nominally in a common policy, after agreeing secretly among themselves, offer a solution to the Spaniards? Such a solution might extend over a period of six years in three stages. The first stage would give little more than pence, order, and time to cool down, with no vengeance and no executions, except for common nonpolitical murders on either side. The second stage would consist of finding a compromise by which there might be formed a hybrid Government of elements in Spaiii that had not been involved in Iho ferocity of this struggle. The third stage would probably see a revival of those Parliamentary institutions which he. believed nineteen out of every twenty Spaniards never meant to lose or see destroyed.