ABYSSINIA’S PLIGHT

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 108, 7 April 1936, Page 9

ABYSSINIA’S PLIGHT

NEED FOR AEROPLANES. APPEAL FOR FUNDS;. “DIRE NECESSITY.” (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) Received April 7, 10.25 a.in. LONDON, April 6. fn consequence of the embargo on foreign loans and the ineffectiveness of 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 the aeroplanes or the pilots.” He directs attention to “the dire necessity of protecting the Abyssinians from slaughter.” A FRESH CAPTURE. WITH HEAVY PUNISHMENT. Received April 7, 9.25 a.m. ROME, April 6. Native troops captured Alamata, ten miles of Quorum, heavily punishing the remnants of the Emperor’s guard and capturing much forsaken material. The Italians are only 130 miles from Dessie. Aeroplanes again bombed Sasa Baneh. GENEVA’S - DIEICULTIES. ITALY’S SUPERIOR FORCES. WEAKENING ON SANCTIONS ISSUE. •LONDON, April 6. With Rome believing that a triumphant end of tlie war is imminent, and the Italian newspapers claiming that the Emperor is fleeing to Dessie while aircraft are bombing and Strafing liis retreating warriors, the Committee of Thirteen meets at Geneva on'Wednesday to seek a settlement. The Committee will meet with the knowledge that the Emperor can no longer effectively 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 correspondent says correspondence to Senor Madriaga from the Italian Governfnent conveys the ' plain intimation of the Italian viewpoint that any peace negotiations must take place outside the League as long as are m force and the resolution declaring Italy the aggressor is not rescinded. ITALIAN BOMBINGS. TONS OF EXPLOSIVES. (Times Cable.) LONDON, April 5.

The Rome correspondent of the Times says that a report - was current on Sunday 1 that the Italian troops had reached Lake Tsana. Sixty-four tons of explosives have been dropped in the past two days on fleeing Abyssinians in the neighbourhood of Quoram. All available aeroplanes, including those from the base at Massawa, were employed The Addis Ababa correspondent or the Times, in a copyright message, says that the Government is now certain that the railway bridge across the Hawasli River will be bombed very soon. The Italian Government since December 20 lias made urgent representations to the French Government that it desired to bomb the permanent way of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway but has always been informed that France would consider such an attack on French property as an unfriendly act. DICTATOR VIOLINIST. A SHORT PERFORMANCE. ROME, April 5. Fob the first time since he became Dictator, " Signor Mussolini publicly played the violin in connection with the inauguration of the Fascist Academy of Music. He and members of his Cabinet listened while a Fascist youth organisation orchestra played a violoncello and violin concerto, after which Signor Mussolini patted the smallest boy on the head, borrowed his violin, and played for 30 seconds. ROTARY PROTEST. METHODS OF WARFARE. Per Press Association. NEW PLYMOUTH, April 6. A protest against the methods of warfare allegedly employed by the Italians in Abyssinia, especially the use of poison gas, lias been expressed by the New Plymouth Rotary Club, which proposes to submit a resolution to the governor of tlie district for dissemination to other clubs.