SPANISH WAR

Grey River Argus, 2 December 1938, Page 7

SPANISH WAR

Reports at London QUESTIONS IN PARLIAMENT. RUGBY, November 30. In the Commons, an answer to. a private notice question on the .wheat ships seized by General Franco, gave rise to a demand for discussion on the adjournment of the House, but the motion was ruled out of order by the Speaker. Asked what reply had been received by the British Consul at Palma, and the British agent at Burgos, to the request for the release of the ships, Mr Chamberlain said that Lord Halifax hoped shortly to receive reports. Mr Chamberlain denied that there had been any delay in demanding the release, and mentioned that certain other foreign ships with British cargoes, had been held by the Spanish Nationalists, and that representations had beei] made. In a discussion on the Speaker’s ruling against the adjournment motion, the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Attlee), complained of Government dilatoriness in conducting • matters of this nature, and asked for some assurance that more was going to be done on this occasion. < . • Mr Chamberlain was able to intervene in the discussion, to announce- a report had just been received from Palma, that though the ships had not yet been released, the mistake ..was admitted and acknowledged. It is stated in official quarters, in London that the Spanish Government recently agreed to suspend, on a Reciprocal. basis, the execution of death sentences passed on political and military prisoners. This proposal was. also sumbitted to General Franco’s administration, but was not agreed., tjp;ln spite of this the Spanish Government decided, unilaterally, to suspend the execution of such sentenced. until December 1.

A report, received in London from the British Commission for the exchange of prisoners in Spain, said that prospects for the completion of negotiations for large scale exchanges of prisoners were very favourable, provided no further executions take place, meantime, on either side. - In a report on the bombings of Barcelona, the Commission for .Investigation of Air Bombardments in Spain expresses the opinion that there will be loss of life and property whenever an attack on the port area is made from high altitudes at an angle to the coast.

The report concludes: “In view of this, if such attacks on the port area are continued they must be regarded as tantamount to deliberate attacks on the civilian population as well.” Answering a question whether he would raise the matter of the bombing of British ships in Spain when visiting Italy, the Prime Minister, Mr ■ N. Chamberlain in the House of Commons said: “I stated before we went to Paris, I am not prepared to say beforehand what subjects are going to be discussed. I am in the same position to-day.” .