FRANCO’S ADVANCE

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 January 1939, Page 7

FRANCO’S ADVANCE

ARMIES CLOSING IN BARCELONA’S FAITH [BY CABLE—PRESS ASSN.—COPYRIGHT.] (Reed. Jan. 20, 10.30 a.m.). LONDON, January 19. Tt is anticipated that. Franco’s artillery will bo within range of Barcelona by the week-end. Latest news from the fronts show that. the. Nationalists’ southern columns advanced five miles toward the capital. The centre columns penetrated deeper into the slowly shrinking Barcelona province, and are only eight miles from the Igualada coastal legions, and are advancing from Tarragona 39 miles distant. Large northern forces are also crossing the southern spurs of the Pyrenees, closing in on the famous Catalan mountain passes in the endeavour to cut the railway to France. "The Times’s” special correspondent at Barcelona says the city is singularly calm, and not despairing. The great mass of people, with almost mystical faith, feel that, victory is near at hand, and fervently believe that Republican Spain is invested with a superior mission to lead the. vanguard against the oppression of Fascism.

BARCELONA’S DEFENCE. (Received January 20, 8 a.m.) PARIS, January 19. Tt is unconfirmedly reported from Perpignan that, sixty thousand Spanish Government troops are preparing to leave the Madrid sector to reinforce the- Catalan front. One report says that four shiploads of twelve thousand men have already left Valencia for Barcelona. LOYALISTS HARD PRESSED (Recd. Jan. 20, 1 p.m.). LONDON. January 19. The British United Press Barcelona correspondent says: Outnumbered by two to one, and outnumbered in armaments by five to one, the Loyalists are desperately withstanding rebel onslaughts in six sectors on the Catalan front. Fierce conflicts are raging between Tora and Igualada. SUBMARINE BASES

(Recd. Jan. 20, 1 p.m.). PARIS, January 19.

German technicians have modernised Spanish submarine bases, states the Spanish Government news agency. Three are situated on the Atlantic coast on the passages at Ferrol, Villa and Garcia, and two in the Mediterranean, at Seville and Malaga. All are now capable of sheltering numeroue submarines and have fuel depots, repair shops, magazines for torpedoes, mines, and ammunition. It is reliably reported from the Toulouse, that Franco is fortifying the Pyrenees against France. Italian and German technicians planned pillboxes and machine gun nests on the Spanish side of the frontier.

NON-INTERVENTION POLICY

BRITISH LABOUR DEMANDS

(Recd. Jan. 20, 1.30 p.m.). LONDON, January 19

Mr. Attlee has again written to Mr. Chamberlain expressing surprise at the contention that the abandonment of non-intervention would involve grave consequences.

' He pointed out that Mr. Chamberlain. told the Commons on November 2, that Spain was no longer a menace to the peace of Europe. He added the situation is most serious and needed urgent action on a larger scale to prevent wholesale starvation of women and children. He again urged the summoning of Parliament without do-

The National Council of Labour sent a letter to Mr. Chamberlain demanding the abrogation of the NonIntervention Pact and recognition of the Republicans’ right to buy arms. The “Telegraph.” in a leader, asserts that Mr. Attlee has advanced no new arguments in favour of summoning Parliament. He adds that supplyings arms to Spain would be tantamount to intervention, which Franco's allies would emulate, possibly transforming the civil war into a world war, where against the Spanish issue would be insignificant. Summoning Parliament could only provide a small resounding platform for acrimonious speeches, like Mr. Lloyd Georges. LLOYD GEORGE’S HOPE.

RUGBY. January 19. In a speech at Llandudno, in which he made a vigorous attack on the fotei<Tn policv of the Government, Lloyd George said he stiil looked folward to an awakening of the national spirit both in Britain and France, such as would rouse and inspire democracy throughout the world to a great combined effort to save liberty from utter overthrowing. _ Describing the deterioration of Hie international situation as frightening, Mr. Lloyd George said the grimmest comment on Mr. Chamberlain’s Rome visit, which only intensified the apprehension of war. was that the first two colleagues he summoned for consultation were the new Minister . for Air Raid Precautions, and the Minister for Military Aeroplane Production (Sir J. Anderson and Sir C. Kingsley Wood).

FRENCH SOCIALIST DEMAND. (Received January 29, S a.mJ PARIS. January 19. M. Blum addressed a huge SocialBi meeting, demanding Hie re-open-jng of the fl-oil lien Uo sold: -Wc face Italy who is only waiting for a Franco victory to start her colonia race against us. The present situn lion is no longer continuable. I hope our campaign won’t be too late ' tf save the Spanish Republic.