POWERS AND SPAIN

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 February 1937, Page 7

POWERS AND SPAIN

NON-INTERVENTION AGREED BRITISH PATIENCE REWARDED [BY CABLE —PBESS ASSN. —COPYBIGHT.] LONDON, February 15. The international non-intervention committee agreed to prohibit volunteers to Spain from midnight on February 20. It was agreed also that a scheme of control providing for a naval cordon round Spain to prevent the entrv of arms and volunteers, and to report breaches to London, should be operative from midnight on March 6. Signor Dino Grandi (Italian Ambassador in London), withdrawing his former reservations, notified a subcommittee that Italy would agree to an immediate ban, on condition that the other Powers did likewise.

A full meeting on February 16 will accept the recommendations. The diplomatic correspondent of the “Morning Post” says that the unexpected decision was largely because of the vigorous opening speech by the French representative (M. Charles Corbin, Ambassador to Britain). He emphasised that France, a month ago, hatl offered to.impose a ban on.volunteers. Unless the other Powers'were now illing to do the same, France must draw her own conclusions and act accordingly. Therefore, he proposed, the ban should be fixed to operate by the week-end. Otherwise France would adopt her own measures to protect French interests in Spain and elsewhere. It is widely believed that M. Cor-

bin’s diplomatic language concoalAl a threat to march two French divisions to Spain and finish the civil war in a fortnight unless other Pow r ers stopped interfering. RUSSIAN VOLUNTEERS.

LONDON, February 15. Members of the House of Commons questioned Lord Cranborne (Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs) about the number of volunteers in Spain. Lord Cranborne explained that though he understood that there were considerable numbers of Russians in Madrid and Catalonia, he was unable to estimate the numbers accurately or say how they compared with those of Italians and Germans. He did not possess official information about the Spanish Government’s allegations that Italian warships participated in the attack on Malaga. Mr. Arthur Henderson (Labour): Does an Italian warship come under Signor Mussolini’s definition of a volunteer? FOREIGN BRIGADES. (Recd. February 17, 2 p.m.) PARIS, February 16. The Government is strengthening the Spanish frontier guards in readiness for the banning of volunteers. The foreigners under General Franco are estimated at 30,000 Italians, 25,000 Germans, 25,000 Moors and 5000 others. ' Loyalist volunteers include 28,000 ” Frenchmen 14,000 Belgians, 11,000 Czechs, Bi’itons, German and Italian anti-Fascists, with 6000 Russians - mostly technicians.

ATTACK ON MADRID. DESPERATE FIGHTING. MADRID, February 15. Dodging through olive groves in savage guerrilla warfare, Moors and Foreign Legionaries are fighting their way forward with hand-grenades, bayonets, and knives, on a spacious platea 20 miles to the south-east of Madrid, against desperate opposition by loyalists. The loyalists, besides slowing up the rebel advance on this sector with machine-guns, are maintaining the pressure against the rebels, who are swinging southwards from Guadalajara. In the meantime rebel aeroplanes are flying to and fro above Arganda (on the main road south-east to Valencia), trying to discover the key point of the loyalist defences, which are in charge of a German officer, Herr Heinz, a former Reichswehr colonel whose opposition to Herr Hitler forced him to leave Berlin.

REBELS CHECKED. LONDON, February 15. The Valencia correspondent of “The Times” says that the rebels’ attack on the south-east Madrid front is held up. They have been severely punished, their losses amounting to 100 men in two days. Loyalist dynamiters smashed the rebel tank attack. The British United Press correspondent at Madrid reports that Senor Maija has been given unified control on all Madrid fronts, between the Escorial and Aranjuez, including the vital Jarama sector. CRITICAL HOUR. MADRID, February 16. “The hour has sounded and everyone must take his post in defence of the capital,” declared Senor Miaja, commanding the Government forces in the capital, in a speech to the troops defending Madrid. “It is a grave hour. The enemy is doing his utmost to cut all Madrid's communications. The time of intense struggle approaches, but we will conquer. Forward, people of Madrid.”

BRITISH PRISONERS TAKEN. LONDON. February 16. Au insurgent communique from Salamanca claims that 37 British members of the Government international column were taken prisoner in yesterday's fighting on the Madrid front. MALAGA FLIGHT HORRORS. (Recd. February .17, 2 p.m.) LONDON. Febiuary 16. “The Times's" Almeria correspondent says: Air bombing of the children’s refuge, killing 57. was an isolated incident in a long drawn agony of the flight from Malaga, of which a wounded aviator supplies an account. He was one of three who escaped out of 14.

They had flown out in the hope of facilitating the escape of thousands of fugitives, behind whom rebels in tanks, motor cars and on foot speeded the flight, while tired crowds were bombed from the sky and fired upon by sev-

oral of the 17 hostile warships, including German and Italian. Twenty-four pursuit, planes attacked the Loyalist aircraft. The hand of one pilot was thrice pierced, but ho steered with his left hand, and alighted on the water near the beach, where the occupants of the plane waded ashore, carrying two dead comrades. FOOD FOR REFUGEES. RUGBY. February 16. The British Government has agreed to provide the destroyer Express to carry food for the relief of refugees at Almeria. The food will be provided by the Spanish Government.