CHAOS IN SPAIN

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 17 November 1924, Page 5

CHAOS IN SPAIN

BRITISH INTERESTS. COINCIDENT WITH FRANCE. IN MOROCCAN TROUBLE. BY CABLE—PEESS ASSOCIATION—COPYEIGHT. Received Nov. 17, 11.25 a.m. LONDON, Nov. 16. The Times’ Paris correspondent, discussing the French policy in Morocco, says the completeness of the Spanish evacuation and the danger of further chaos in Spain are not favourable to France. Spanish forces are preciptately retreating to the coast. So swift is their disordered retreat, that while courtesy forbids calling it a flight, yet military observers cannot catch up with the .movement by moving flags on their maps. The Riffs are being left free of supervision by any European Power, and Abdel Krim may well speak of independence, but France cannot permit the creation of a native State,' which would, seriously hamper her Mo.roccan occupation. Therefore, France will inevitably have to decide on some definite line of action, although this goes against their grain at present, when money is scarce, and men ever more scarce. The Times’ correspondent adds that France considers that in her own interests Britain must approve of a firm policytowards Abdel Kran and, whatever decision Js taken, British consent and co-operation will he sought as a necesasnv corollary to success to the colonial policy in which both are equally interested.