ITALIANS AT TANA.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 7 April 1936, Page 5

ITALIANS AT TANA.

RAIN OF BOMBS ON FUGITIVES. PRANCE WATCHING- HER RAILWAY (By Telegraph-Press Assn.-Copyright) Received Monday, 10.30 p.m. LUJMDOJN, April b. The Times’ Rome correspondent says a report was current on Sunday that the Italian troops had reached Lake Tana. Sixty-four tons of explosives have been dropped in the past two • days on the fleeing Abyssinians in : the neighbourhood of Quorum. All • available aeroplanes, including those from the base at Massawa, were employed. The Times’ Addis Ababa correspondent, in a copyright message, ; says the Government is now cer- , tain that the railway bridge across i the Hawash will be bombed very soon. The Italian Government since < December 12 has made urgent representations to the French Government that it desired to bomb the permanent way of the Addis -Ababa-Djibouti railway, but had had always been informed that France would consider such an attack on French property as- an unfriendly act. Selassie’s Fleeing Army HARASSED FROM THE AIR. LONDON, April 5. The Daily Mail’s Makale correspondent says that fugitives of Haile Selasrsie’s army are clogging the passed south of Lake Ashangi. They have abandoned their weapons and uniforms, and are being bombed and machine-gunned from every available Italian aeroplane. Haile Selassie, Has Kassa, and Ras Seyoum, -with a handful of followers, are struggling towards Dessie.

■ln Rome the general impression is that in future the Italian operations will -esemble an occupation rather than a conquest. It is expected that flying ■columns will quickly penetrate into Central Abyssinia. SANCTIONS MAY GO. -GENEVA ACCEPTS INEVITABLE. Received Tuesday, 2 a.m. LONDON, April 6. With Rome believing that ;a triumphant end of the war is imminent and the Italian newspapers claiming that the Emperor is fleeing to Dessie while aircraft are bombing and strafing his retreating warriors, the Committee of Thirteen meets at Geneva on Wednesday to seek a settlement. The Thirteen meet with the knowledge that the Emperor can no longer effec- ■ tively resist an enemy employing every device of modern warfare and, according to the Daily Telegraph’s -diplomatic correspondent, that important members of ' the League are not prepared to maintain the existing sanctions against Italy much less increase them. The Times’ Geneva corre;spondent says correspondence to Senor Madriaga from the Italian Government conveys the plain intimation of the Italian viewpoint that any peace negotiations must take place outside the League as . long as sanctions are in force and the resolution declaring Italy the aggressor is unrescinded.

ITALIANS NEARING DESSIE. ROME, April (i. (Received This Bay, 0.2 d a.m.) Native troops captured Alaniata, ten miles south of Quorum, heavily punishing remnants of the Emperor’s guard and capturing much forsaken material. The Italians are only IHO miles from Bessie. Aeroplanes again bombed Sassabaneh.

APPEAL FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS. AEROPLANES FOR COUNTERING ITALIAN RAIDS. (Received This Day, 10.-id a.m.) LONDON, April 0, In consequence of the embargo on the foreign loan and the ' ineffectiveness *df the League’s intervention, the Abyssinian Minister in London intends to make a private appeal by circular for 100,000 subscribers of £lO each to a loan of £1,000,000 to buy aeroplanes with which to counter the Italian air raids (there will be little difficulty in getting aeroplanes or pilots). He .directs attention to the “dire necessity of protection of the Abyssinians from slaughter.”