LATE NEWS BRITISH AID FOR FRANCE

Greymouth Evening Star, 31 May 1946, Page 7

LATE NEWS BRITISH AID FOR FRANCE

ASSISTANCE Iff AIR FORCE AND INDUSTRY

(Rec. 3 p.m.) LONDON, May 30. The Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mr Hector McNeil, announced in the House of Commons a comprehensive British scheme for assisting the French Air 'Forice. „tlie aircraft industry and the ‘ naval arm. The scheme covers the supply,, under favourable terms,,- of-planes, and equipment, including radio,.radar and signals. British instructors’ iii“R.A.F. schools will trail! French airmen.

Britain will supply...planes J and equipment for the French Air Force in metropolitan France, French North Africa, , French Equatorial Africa and Indo-China, including three years’ maintenance. ■" _ Facilities and technical assistance will also be offered for the manufacture, under licence, of British aircraft engines and spares in French factories.

ANOTHER U.S. COAL STRIKE IMMINENT

(Rec. 3.3 p.m.) NEW YORK, May 30.

New York anthracite miners and operators failed to agree on a new contract, indicating that 76,000 miners in Pennsylvania’s hard coal fields will refuse to return to the pits to-mor-row, after the Memorial Day holiday. Miners’ leaders; indicated that' they are seeking a contract on similar terms to that negotiated for the bituminous fields. Discussions will be resumed 1 tomorrow.

An Ottawa message states that a truce has eased the Canadian shipping strike. The Minister of Labour, Mr. Mitchell, announced that a settlement plan will be considered on June 3 by shipowners. This meant that the union- has agreed to allow meinbcrs still aboard ships to continue working them till after the meeting, while the operators have agreed to suspend attempts to man tied up ships with non-union labour. The announcements followed an incident wherein strikers . stoned a passenger ship manned with nonunion labour. Strikers also blocked the Welland canal, the only waterway between Lakes Ontario and Erie, by tying up a freighter therin after routing the non-union crew. TREATMENT OF PRISONERS IN SPAIN ' (Rec. 3.5 p.m.) LONDON, May 30. Forty thousand people were at present in prison in Spain, Mr. McNeil, the Foreign Under-Secretary, told a questioner in the House of Commons.

He added that 10,800 of them had been sentenced for offences committed during the civil war and 7200 had been convicted to rcommon crimes. About 200,000 prisoners had been released conditionally since 1940. Mr. McNeil said that the British Ambassador recently emphasised to the Spanish Ministers the strong feeling aroused abroad because: (1) Civilians were still being tried by courts-martial: (2) the unjustifiably severe sentences lor offences sub-

stantially political and conscientious; and (3) reports of harsh treatment meted out on arrest.

The Ministers replied that the police were repeatedly instructed to safeguard arrested persons from maltreatment and asked the Ambassador to report any cases. They also offered facilities for interviewing prisoners.

Mr. McNeil added that the Ambassador was watching closely.

INDIAN RAILWAYMEN PLAN STRIKE

(Rec. 3.10 p.m.) NEW DELHI, May 30.

The Indian Railwaymen’s Federation is preparing for a strike, which may involve 900,000 men, to start at midnight on June 27. This follows the federation’s rejection to-day, after five days of negotiations, of the proposals of the Government conciliator for an interim settlement of the wages and conditions dispute. ’ The railwaymen’s spokesman stated that a strike was inevitable, unless the men’s counter-proposals for settlement were accepted or an adjudicator appointed to decide the points at issue. UNTOUCHABLES APPEAL TO CHURCHILL - (Recd. 3 p.m.) LONDON, May 30. Dr. Ambedkar, a member of- the Viceroy’s Executive Council, ...telegraphed Mr. Churchill, complaining that the British Cabinet Mission’s proposals were a shameful betrayal of the cause oi the 60,000,000 Untouchable?.,who would not be represented in the Constituent Assembly Advisory Committee and not ■ protected by the treaty.

Mr. Churchill replied assuring Dr. Ambedkar that. the Conservatives would do their utmost to protect the • Untouchables and would stand on the broad principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence, “all men are born free etc.” THE SIAMESE BORDER (Rec. 3.5 p.m.) LONDON, May 30. / Incidents on the French Indo-China-Siamese border are regarded in' London as exposing the need for clarifying the whole frontier says the Times’ diplomatic correspondent. Britain never ... acknowledged the territory increases which Siam gained from a Japanese award in 1941. These lie both north and south of the troubled area and friction is bound to continue until the whole frontier is delineated afresh. ' .

Reuth’s Bangkok correspondent says it is reported from the .IridoChina border that the Frenchragain landed on the Siamese side of the Mekong river yesterday in 40 barges. They are said to have attacked Sichaing Mai.