ON THE WAY OUT?

Evening Star, Issue 25679, 31 December 1945, Page 4

ON THE WAY OUT?

From the efforts that (Spain's Fascist dictator has made recently to whip up, if he can, the support of his people for a regime which seized power with the active assistance of the enemies of the United Nations, it might be concluded that Hi Caudillo fears that he is on the way out. Perhaps it will be only a matter of time before General Franco finds that external pressure is, too strong for him to retain in office a. Government so openly detested in various European capitals. He secured! power by force, and (presumably has maintained it by force. The concessions he claims to have made recently to democratic principles have created little impression abroad, and he must long since have realised that Britain, America, Russia, and France have no intention of accepting him into their fold. There is a good deal of the bluster and some of the whining of the frightened bully about the latest outbursts by Franco’s Government and the “yes-man” legislative assembly from whom he derives his authority. The Government’s Note and the demonstration in the Madrid Cortes were obvioup counters to the French inquiries last week whether other United Nations Governments were prepared to break off diplomatic relations with Franco’s Spain. It is not yet the policy of tlie democracies to show active hostility towards the Spanish Government, because such action from outside might easily inflame volatile elements in the country and rally them to the support of the dictator. Openly-expressed dissatisfaction , and the exclusion of Spain from all international affairs, however, may prove to he: a war of nerves that will tend! to weaken. Franco’s already shaky position. It has been said that the United States’ diplomatic policy todav is to unseat Franco peacefully rather than forcefully. It is to have the Spanish people remove him by evolution, not revolution. On the authority of the Foreign Secretary, it is known that Britain’s Labour Government detests the Franco regime, and it would be surprising if it were otherwise, considering the active part the present Prime Minister took against the Fascists during the Civil War. Russia’s attitude is, no, doubt, even more hostile. Against this hard core of foreign opinion, Franco’s prospects of survival would seem to be slim. He might, while there was still time, have changed the character of his regime and prolonged himself in power, hut there is ample evidence that his gesture of abolishing the Falange was empty. The Falange is still very much in power, and evidently not afraid to come out into the open, for its Secretary-General headed a peti-

tion to the Cortes bolstering up theposition of the dictator. In other ways -Franco’s moves have been without sincerity, After officially abolishing the Fascist salute; lie . permitted the Ealauge, by confidential party memorandum, to continue, to use it: He has made much play of an intention to restore the monarchy, but the pretender to the throne appears' at present to'have little immediate prospect of returning to Madrid. Prominent patriots, it is said, have several times tried to persuade Franco to resign, but, backed by the support of armed forces, who have kept all his opponents in subjection, lie lias so far refused. To one counsellor he is said to have remarked that things- were not too had in Spain, thereby provoking the reply that he was liko a man who, falling out of a thirty-story building, said as he passed the tenth floor that it was not so bad. The test would come when he reached the bottom. Franco seems to have started his fall, and, for all his bluster, he may find that there is no rescue mat waiting for him at- the bottom.

There will be uo publication of the ‘ Star ’ to-morrow —New Year’s Day. The Wellington Harbour Board at a special meeting on Saturday: adopted formal resolutions increasing all the port charges and dues by 30 per cent, in terms of the Price Tribunal’s decision. The new rates will become operative to-morrow. The Tasman Empire 'Airways flying boat Awarua, which arrived in Auckland from Sydney on Saturday afternoon, came in on three of her four engines as the result of a fault which developed in the outside port moto'r about an hour away from New Zealand. Piloted by Captain Kcesing, the Awarua left Sydney at 7.59 a.m. with 19 passengers. . The trouble- was not regarded as serious, but at the time it was thought advisable to stop the faulty motor. The loss of one engine had little effect on flying speed, and the flying boat landed on Waitemata Harbour at 4.30 p.m., only four minutes behind its scheduled time.

Civilians and servicemen may fly. to Sydney on the R.N.Z.A.F. Catalina flying boat service, which is running to speed the return from Australia of New Zealand servicemen and former internees of the Japanese. Becauso of the holiday season and the fact that the service had been in operation only since the beginning of last week, few have been able to take advantage of the opportunity of securing a passage to Sydney, atid the flying boats have been comparatively empty on the outward flight. Eligible civilians may obtain berths on the flying boats through the Department of Internal Affaire and service personnel through the Air Department in Wellington. The service has made four round trips to Sydney. It is expected to, operate until January 15 next. A flight to Sydney will be made on Wednesday, and the flying boat will, return on Thursday. Although there is a waiting list of between 400 and 500 persons, the Tasman Empire Airways flying boats have not carried a full complement of passengers on recent flights to Sydney. This is 1 because few people wished to travel during the Christmas and New Year period. The first of eight large freighters being built for the Federal Steam Navigation Company and the New. Zealand Shipping Company, for use in the Dominion and Australian trade, the 10,000-ton steamer Devon, will he delivered next month. The. two companies are linked in the Peninsular aud Oriental groups, aud the new. ships with the names of English counties will be allocated to the Federal Company, while those with Maori names will go to the New Zealaud Shipping Company. Another 10,000-ton .steamer, the Somerset, will be delivered in June, and six 11,000-ton motor ships will follow. They are the- Norfolk, the Hurunui, the Haparangi, and Huntingdon ; and the Hertford and Cumberland, which last pair will be delivered in April, 1948. All hut the Haparaugi bear names of vessels lost in the Second- World War, A ship named the Hurunui was also lost in the First World War. Because lie believes that the popular -game fish that has established itself at Taupo is no longer, the true, rainbow trout, originally imported, hut has developed a cross with the steelhead, a prominent angler suggests in the ‘ New Zealand Herald ’ that -the combined New Zealand acclimatisation societies should import purebred rainbow stock from tile United States. He also suggests that some of the southern lakes should be stocked with purebreds. Basing his opinions upon information recently published in the English journal, ‘ The Field,’ the angler says that “ salmo shasta,” the pure American rainbow, js a native of the McLeod River. It is a non-migratory fish, spawning in the autumn. It seems to him that the fish which lias established itself at Taupo is not the true rainbow, but has developed a cross with the steelhead, and is now a. smaller fish than the purebred when it was first imported. A mallard - duck approached , a groundsman in the Te Aroha Domain recently, quacked agitatedly., and led him to a pond in the domain. Here it was found that the duck’s brood of 13 had fallen into a drain. The ducklings were rescued, and have been placed in a safer pool where they are can,sing great interest amongst- school children.

Tobaccouist shops that were open in the city this morning wore rushed by persons seeking cigarettes and tobacco to tide them over the holiday to-mor-row. The extent of the shortage of smokers’ supplies (or their desire to lay in reserves) was indicated by a queue that formed outside a departmental store in Princes street before the doors weer opened at 9 o’clock. Two assistants were busily engaged in keeping pace with tho demand, one handing out a solitary packet of cigarettes and the other operating the cash register. Incidentallv. although the suggestion was made at the last City Council meeting for traffic inspectors to control queues forming up for cigarettes so as not to interfere with tho flow of pedestrian traffic, many persons in tho main street either had to force their way through the line straddling the footpath <pr take to tho road to get past the queue. There were few luxury items which could not be bought in Fiji at the present time, stated a New Zealand Army major who has returned to, Auckland after a tour of duty in Fiji. Money flowed like water, he said, and articles such as silk stockings, cigarettes, and whisky could be purchased without restriction. He added that pay for the civilians was exceptionally good, and he quoted the case of a female telephone operator who received nothing less than £6 10s sterling a week.

Saying: “Faith alono is enough,” an R.A.F. squadron leader pulled off his boots and socks and with a companion leaped into a 15ft trench of burning embers at a Mohammedan festival at Rangoon. Having watched the Mahommedan fire-walkers treading on the embers, apparently unhurt, they decided to “ have a go ” themselves. They traversed the trench twice without injury.

Captain Schoon, officer in charge of the South Island Netherlands Indies Welfare Organisation for Evacuees, who is at present in Dunedin, informed the ‘ Star ’ that the transport officer in Christchurch has acknowledged the assistance given by various organisations. The Automobile Association (Canterbury), working in conjunction with the Red Cross (Canterbury) has offered to place transport facilities at the disposal of the organisation. The Christchurch City Council has offered the services of the traffic department to assist with the handling of drafts arriving in Christchurch. Assurances have been given of the fullest co-opera-tion of the Railway Department, and also of the Police Department. Holidaymakers in Central Otago have not experienced the warm conditions usually expected at this time of the year, but they appear to have missed the persistent showery weather of the coastal districts. It was reported from Queenstown this afternoon that comparatively little rain has fallen there during the holidays, but cold southerly winds have made conditions unpleasant. The lake township is crowded with visitors, who are making the best of the conditions. Bowling tournaments have been held consistently during the week, and in the sheltered park it has been possible for players to spend ail enjoyable time. Similar conditions have been experienced in Wanaka and other resorts, the absence of warmtli being the principal complaint.

In the Police Court this morning, before Messrs J. J. Marlow and H. E. Barth, justices of the peace, Allan Abbott, a moulder, was convicted and fined £2 for the theft of a quantity of fruit cases, valued at £l, the property of On Chong and Co.

Confessing himself to bo “ definitely pro-Italian,” Captain Malcolm IMasou, secretary of the Wellington Services Commercial Contact Centre, said at. tlie final 1945 luncheon of the Hutt Valiev Junior Chamber of Commerce and Industry that although the Germans bad placed a price of £2O on the head of each escaped prisoner o'; war and had made it an offence punishable by death to assist them, he had received considerable help from all Italians he had approached during the nine months he was at liberty in Ger-man-occupied Italy. As all returned soldiers would admit, the Italians, particularly the Italian peasant,_ were slovenly, and an untidy and insanitary race, but their generosity and hospitality were bard to better. Illustrating his statement, Captain Mason said that water closets were practically unknown in the average peasant home.