RUIN OF MADRID

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 18, 19 December 1936, Page 10

RUIN OF MADRID

3.15 P.M. EDITION

GRIM TOLL EXACTED. BRITISH ATTITUDE TO AVAR. (United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph—Copy rigli t.) (Britisli Official Wireless.) Received December 19, 12 noon. RUGBL, Dec. 18.

Tho long report on the situation in Madrid by the six members of the House ot Commons who left London last month to inquire into the situation in Madrid reviews tho condition of tho civilian population, the prisoners, sick and wounded, and inmates of hospitals. illio roport states that by December between one-third and one-quarter of the houses in Aladrid were estimated to have been destroyed by bombardment, both from tho air and by shell fire. This had been most intense in the crowded working class districts. Incendiary bombs were used about the middle of November, also some heavy bombs of 200 kilos, which had completely demolished whole blocks of buildings. There was good evidence that the insurgents had used a small number of gas shells in University City. Should gas be used, even it only in the fighting line, the effect upon the civilian population could not fail to be absolutely appalling. They had appealed to the British Foreign Office to make a large supply of gas masks available for purchase by the Spanish Government.

There is a serious shortage of food and fuel. Aleat is unobtainable, and foods for infants and young children, which are specially needed, are under the circumstances exceedingly scarce. In the House of Commons tho Foreign Secretary (Air R. A. Eden) spoke on the Spanish situation. Ho said the Government would like to sec the Government in Spain that Spain wanted.

“Wo think it is the duty of all nations to keep out of the Spanish quarrel and allow the Sjianish people to settle their sufficiently tragic difficulties themselves. If anyone thinks that our support of non-intervention is due to sympathy for this or that side they are mistaken. We support the policy which we believe to be the best for Europe at this time,” Air Eden declared. CO-OPERATION ESSENTIAL.

He added that they were searching to improve non-intervention. Obviously the best method would be to institute effective control. If the principal nations of Europe really wished to make the non-intervention agreement effective control would be quite simple, but if they did not wish to make non-intervention effective then it was beyond the wit of .man to devise any system of control which would operate successfully. Referring to the recent AngloFrench initiative, Mr Eden said it had a dual objective—first to reinforce the efficacy of the non-interven-tion agreement, and, second, to make an effort towards mediation.

“Neither we, nor the French Government, have any intention of desisting iu our attempts to secure mediation in this conflict. We intend to persist—perhaps using slightly different methods of approach—because we believe the time will come when those efforts will ultimately be rewarded.”

HUMANITARIAN WORK

The Foreign Secretary spoke of the importance of the humanitarian work in which His Alajesty’s diplomatic and consular officers had taken an active part, and to •which the Navy had rendered great assistance. This work, besides saving life, had served to reduce the bitterness between the contending fores. He also commended the -work of the Scottish ambulance, and said that as a result of their activities as many as 200 persons had been evacuated weekly from one port alone. He could not give the total figures, hilt it would not surprise him if, in the final reckoning, it were found that the total of prisoners exchanged had reached five figures. They hoped the exchange of a further 4000 prisoners between the Basque and Burgos authorities would be effected in the near future.

Air Eden favoured the League giving technical assistance to the Spanish Government in the co-ordination of transport to ensure food supplies for Madrid. The Government would be willing to do anything to facilitate the efforts of private organisations to make good the deficiencies in the medical supplies. Moreover, though he believed, that, fortunately, there had been no use of gas there was nothing to prevent the dispatch of gas masks to Madrid. In this matter the Government had been approached by the Aladrid Government, and h*.d itself sold a small consignment to it.