CHAOTIC RETREAT

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 101, 9 April 1936, Page 5

CHAOTIC RETREAT

Bandits Harass Fleeing Abyssinians PLANES ADD TO HAVOC By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright ROME, April 8. The Emperor Haili Sellassie is believed to be retreating southwards on muloback. The Crown Prince is going north with 2000 men in order to protect his father from armed bands of brigands who are slaying and robbing the defeated troops, whose route, partly as the result of these onslaughts and partly owing to the Italian air bombing and machine-gunning is strewn with corpses. An observer in an Italian mail plane described to correspondents at Makalo the fatalism of the beaten Abyssinians, who, with few exceptions, are too disheartened to take cover in tho roadside bushes, offering an easy target as they stagger down the middle of the road. This observer saw a bomb create ghastly confusion in their midst and machine-guns complete tho work of destruction, but the fugitives are powerless to resist. They do not attempt to defend themselves or to help tho wounded. The whole northern Italian front is advancing southwards from Sakota and Quoram. Official casualties of white troops in Abyssinia from January 1, 1935, to March 31, 1936, were: 807 killed in action; 77 died of wounds; 49 missing; 589 died of illness. The total casualties among Askaris since the campaign began were: 822 on the northern and 97 on the southern front.

MURDER OF INNOCENTS

League “An Object of Pity and Contempt” SNOWDEN OUTSPOKEN LONDON, April 8. Lord Snowden, in a letter to "The Times,” says: "Italy for six months has murdered innocent and defenceless people by devilish methods with tho encouragement and active help of League Powers. It lias made the League an object of pity and contempt. Is British opinion calmly to acquiesce in seeing tho Abyssinians wiped out by every hellish device of murder? If the old spirit of liberty survives, the voice of England will speak so loudly that the Government must act immediately to remove a disgrace that we are responsible for—these atrocities and the encouragement given Italy by the League." NO AIMS IN EGYPT Italian Reiteration LONDON, April 8. "The Times” Rome correspondent says: "Signor Fulvio Suvich, Undersecretary. for Foreign Affairs, informed the Egyptian Charge d’Affaires that it was absurd to think that Italy intended to attack Egypt. She had not and never would have any aims against Egypt and was always ready to reach understandings with her in order to guarantee the maintenance of common frontiers and deep Italian friendship.” EQUADOR & SANCTIONS No Longer Applying Them GENEVA, April 8. It is reported that Ecuador on April 4 informed Home that she no longer proposes to apply sanctions in view ot Italy’s acceptance of conciliation.