SPANISH WAR

Evening Star, Issue 22621, 13 April 1937, Page 9

SPANISH WAR

BLOCKADE OF BILBAO BRITISH CABINET CONSIDERS POSITION Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, April 11. Mr Stanley Baldwin presided at a meeting of Cabinet summoned to consider General Franco’s attempt to blockade Bilbao. The Government will issue a statement on the matter in the House of Commons to-morrow. The ‘ Daily Telegraph’s ’ St. Jean de Luz correspondent says: “All the officers of the destroyers Brazen, Beagle, and Blanche were suddenly recalled from shore leave to-night. It is believed that the sequel to this is a Cabinet decision concerning the insurgent blockade. It is understood that the Admiralty instructed the destroyers to escort merchantmen desirous of going to Bilbao to the threemile limit outside Bilbao.” BOMBARDMENT OF CHURCHES PROTEST TO POPE. BILBAO, April 11. The President of the Basque Government telegraphed to the Pope protesting, as a patriotic Catholic, against the rebel bombardment of several churches, resulting in the deaths of priests. REBEL CRUISER'S STRATEGIC POSITION ST. JEAN DE LUZ, April (Received April 13, at 8 a.m.) The rebel cruiser Almirante Cervera, stationed on the edge of territorial waters off Bilbao, will endeavour to prevent any supply ships reaching the Basques. • Commander Caslon, of the destroyer Blanche, has notified British merchantmen in port here with supplies for Bilbao that they will receive protection only on the high seas. The masters are communicating with their Basque representatives at Bayonne to ascertain the possibility of transferring food cargoes to Basque trawlers with a view to running the blockade. Naval opinion is that the Cervera could sink any ship approaching Bilbao before she came under the shelter of the shore batteries. BLOCKADE EFFECTIVE EVEN SMALL BOATS UNABLE TO SLIP OUT. LONDON, April 12. (Received April 13, at 11 a.m.) The Spanish Embassy has issued a statement that the safety of foreign vessels is guaranteed by Government ships and the coastal batteries of Bilbao. None of the rebel warships dared approach within 11 miles of the coast. A message from St. Jean Deluz states that four British food ships are remaining at St. Jean Deluz. The blockade of Bilbao is now so effective that even small boats are unable to slip out. The British commercial attache at Hendaye has gone to Burgos to seek assurances that General Franco will not interfere with British ships bound for Bilbao, provided no more food ships are sent. LOYALIST CASUALTIES GENER'AL FRANCO’S ESTIMATE. LONDON, April 12. (Received April 13, at 11 a.m.) A Bilbao message says that the Hood arrived off port at 2 p.m. A Salamanca report says that General Franco officially states that the loyalists lost 4,000 killed and 8,000 wounded in three days on the Madrid front.

FUNDS FOR FRANCO EX-KING ALFONSO’S SUPPORT. LONDON, April 12. (Received April 13, at 11 a.m.) Questioned regarding a report that ex-King Alfonso had given £2,000,000 to General Franco’s cause, the Infanta Eulalia said: “We are giving everything we have, for we want General Franco to win. We are ready to sacrifice our all.” LABOUR PARTY DISSATISFIED QUESTIONS IN COMMONS. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, April 12. (Received April 13, at noon.) The Labour Opposition is asking for parliamentary time to discuss the failure which it alleges on the part of the Government to give protection to British merchant shipping.

Notice to this effect was given by Mr Attlee, following answers in the House of Commons by the Prime Minister to a question and a number of supplementary questions regarding the present situation for shipping in the neighbourhood of Bilbao, which, Mr Baldwin said, the Government had had under consideration during the weekend.

It had been necessary, Mr Baldwin said, to take into account the practical aspect of the problem arising out of the efforts of the Spanish insurgent forces to invest Bilbao by sea and land. The Government decided it co -'d not tolerate any interference with British shipping at sea. It was, however, warning British shipping that, in view of the conditions at present prevailing in the neighbourhood of Bilbao, vessels should not, for practical reasons

and in view of the risks against which it was at present impossible to protect them, go into that area so long as these conditions prevailed. In the course of a subsequent exchange on the supplementary questions, the Prime Minister reiterated that no blockade was recognised. Lord Cranborne had a large number of other questions relating to the Spanish situation to answer, and, from his replies, the following points emerged:—The International Board for Non-Intervention was functioning entirely satisfactorily, and, although he was unable to give a date for the entry into force of the control scheme, he had every hope that it would be in the next few days. In the view of the British Government, the best way of meeting the situation described in the Spanish Note alleging the presence of four Italian divisions in Spain was to make progress with the question of evacuating volunteers.