THE SPANISH REGIME

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 April 1946, Page 8

THE SPANISH REGIME

UNO EXPECTED TO INQUIRE INTO CHARGES POSTPONEMENT OF VOTE ■ \ NEW YORK, April 21.

“The United Nations. Security Council is virtually certain to appoint a sub-committee this week, to investigate the charges that the Franco regime in Spain constitutes a threat to world peace,” says the New York Times. “This became evident over the week-end when it was learned that none of the 11 council members opposed in principle the. conducting of such an investigation before voting on Poland’s motion calling on all members of the United Nations to sever diplomatic relations with Spain. “Australia’s motion calling^for the appointment of a sub-committee is, however, likely to be amended to meet the claim by Russia that Spain should no.t be given the opportunity of testifying, the contention by the British and Americans that the resolution should be made more specific, and the opinion of some delegates that the time for completing the subcommittee’s report should be extended beyond the suggested date, May 17.”

LASKI DISAGREES WITH REVIN’S POLICY LONDON, April 21. Professor Harold Laski, addressing ihe Co-operative Party conference, ■ aid that although the present Government in Britain compared favourably with any government anywhere, it did not mean that he was completely in accord with every ■fem of its policy, lie retained the right as a citizen, and as the Labour Party chairman, to safeguard the oartv’s principles. He hoped to see the return of Republican democracy to Spain at an early date. “I never liked Ramsay HacDonald’s demi-semi-quavers on he Socialist piano,” he said. “I do rot like Mr. Bevin’s. hushed tones about Spain.” After declaring that every atom bomb should be destroyed and safeguards introduced against their future manufacture, Professor Laski said that America now had one bomb capable of devastating Indiana and Tlinois, another five of which would destroy the whole of the United States south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

“It is.an iniquity that three in a room in the White House should be in a position to determine the fate of mankind,” he declared. The conference approved of the agreement with the'Labour Party providing for joint political action. A Washington message states that atom bomb experts discounted Processor Laski’s declaration that America was making more powerful bombs, five of which could destroy the whole of the United States south ■f the Mason-Dixon Line. The experts said that, as far as is known, the latest type of atom bomb is little '■hanged from the model used at Nagasaki which, some- scientists estimated, was 25 pc-v cent, more ’powerful than the bomb dropped on ■ Hiroshima. The scientists said while ’he Hiroshima bomb released energy < .ciuivalent to 20.000 tons of TNT, the actual effective destructive power probably equalled only 100 to 300 tons of TNT. They added that for this reason it was assumed that the current experiments were directed towards improving the efficiency of the existing bomb instead of constructing a bigger missile with a wider blast range.