SPANISH REVOLT

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 July 1936, Page 8

SPANISH REVOLT

LATEST REVIEW OF POSITION

[BY CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.]

(Recd. July 27, 3 p.m.) LONDON, July 26

Spain is divided between the opposing forces, roughly, as follows: The Government retains the whole of the south-east, also the north east between the coast and a line drawn halfway across the Pyrenees to fifty miles east of Madrid ,also the Bilbao area in the extreme north, while Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Cordoba are among the important towns under its control. The rebels hold the remainder of Spain, including Seville, round Gibraltar, and the whole of Spanish Morocco. The main areas of conflict or the recent conflict are the mountain passes in Sierra Guadarrama. Rebel losses in this area are reported to be two thousand. The Government losses were heavy. Other danger points in order of importance are Saragossa, where a battle is hourly expected, Segovia, Seville, Albacete, and San Sebastian. Spain, to-day, celebrated the Feast of the Patron Saint, lago, (Saint James). A bishop celebrated High Mass at Pamplona. Six thousand troops and police and four thousand civilians knelt in the public square and prayed for a revolutionary victory, after which the volunteers, including many women, marched past as General Cabanellas took the salute. General Mola’s situation is much less favourable, owing to the direct Government check to his advance across the Guadarrama Range, and the Loyalist successes near Burgos and Lorgrono. Eastward of Seragossa, as the result of the advance of Loyalist columns from Catalonia, where Colonel Sandino is exercising effective command, General Farras, Loyalist Commander whose troops are approaching Saragossa, and demanded the surrender of the city. The rebel, General Cabanellas, refused, and the armies are shortly expected to fight. Mola’s hopes of subduing- Madrid, whether by starvation or by co-ordin-ation of attack, in combination with Fraico’s forces from the south and from the south-east are growing fainter. The Government troops bar Franco’s way in the north, of Albacette and Toledo. His additional Moroccans, who were ferried or aeroplaned across the straits, last night, to Algerciras, are believed to have been disorganised by a bombing raid by loyalist aeroplanes, one of which was brought down at sea. The vanguards of Mola’s two columns, which had respectively reached within 15 and 36 miles of the capital, have now been driven back into the province of Segovia, upon which three Government columns are advancing. Wai' correspondents, visiting the rebel territory around Pamplona, in north-eastern Spain, report waning enthusiasm, tempered with the growing conviction that at least a month must elapse before definite results can be achieved.

Deserters are crossing the French frontier, amidst streams of refugees. Order has at last Ween restored in Barcelona, where President Luis Companys, having broadcast an appeal to the citizens to refrain from further excesses, approved the fortyhour week and increased pay to workers.