A SHAMBLES

Horowhenua Chronicle, 21 March 1938, Page 5

A SHAMBLES

SPAIN’S RICHEST CITY. APPALLING DAMAGE IN AIR RAIDS {By Telegraph-Press Assn.-Copyright; Received Sunday, 9.20 p.m. LUNDUN, March 19. According to a report from the •correspondent of the British United Press in Barcelona, half a million jpeople have already quitted the centr: 1 ,! districts of Barcelona and are either sleeping on the floors of friends ’ houses in the outer suburbs or are camping out in the mountains outside the city. Every bus and train is cramped with men, women and children loaded with household possessions fleeing from the terror which is turning Spain’s richest city into a shambles. A Barcelona message says it is officially stated that 640 bodies have been taken to the morgue as the result of the air raids between 10 p.m. on Wednesday and 3 p.m. on Friday. It is believed 200 are still buried in ‘.he ruins. There were 1046 treated at the hospitals and 154 were privately treated.

Half the population evacuated the city for the night or are sleeping in underground stations and tunnels. Two raids on Tarragona killed .18 and wounded 50. The French Vice-Consul, M. Le Couteuse, was killed, and the ConsulGeneral, M. Pinet, wounded. The French Consul at the village of * ‘Vinaroj was also killed. The French Government has lodged a sharp protest to Salamanca against the Barcelona air raids and has also communicated- to Britain a list of 422 Italian and German ’planes employed by Franco’s forces and has asked Britain to associate itself with the Note.,

AID OF VATICAN SOUGHT QUESTION IN COMMONS. RUGBY, March 18. The question of -the bombing raids on Barcelona was raised in the House of Commons by the leader of the Opposition (Mr. C .R. Atlee), who asked if the Government- would not immediately draw the attention of the Vatican authorities to the appalling suffering of the civilian population ahd ask them to make representations to the insurgent authorities. The Prime Minister (Mr. Neville Chamberlain) replied that the British Government and the French Government had agreed upon an appeal to both parties in Spain to cease bombardments of this character and the French Government had now approached the Vatican with a view to obtaining their association in any appeal they might make.

Mr. .Chamberlain, in the course of his reply, said: “I don’t think anyone can read the reports of the Barcelona air raids without horror and disgust.”

BRITISH STEAMER TORPEDOED NEAR QERBBRB PERPIGNAN, March 1.8 A British steamer, believed to be the Clifford, was'torpedoed off Cape Cerbere and ran aground off Llansa, burning fiercely. NO FOREIGN POWERS IN SPAIN • FRANCO’S DECLARATION. Received Sunday, 7.5 p.m, LONDON, March 19, Not an inch of territory will be detached from Spain for the benefit of a foreign Power after our complete victory,” General Franco told the Ha\as News Agency. He declared there were fewer foreign combatants to-day m Nationalist Spain than a year ago. . NO AIR RAIDS YESTERDAY. GOVERNMENT ASSEMBLE ' FIGHTERS AND BOMBERS.

(Received This Day, 10 a.m.) BARCELONA, March 20. The city was free from air raids yesterday, it is believed because the Government assembled sixty fighters and few bombers.