Mussolini Sails With His Fleet

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 60, 12 March 1937, Page 7

Mussolini Sails With His Fleet

CAN ITALY BLOCK THE MEDITERRANEAN? United Press Association—By Electric Telears* ph.—Copyright. ROME, March 10. Flying from Rome to Gaeta, Signor Mussolini embarked by armed motor boat on the cruiser Pola for Tobruk, I.ibya (near the Egyptian frontier). The town was decorated and citizens cheered the Pola as it departed, escorted by the cruisers Fiume, Gara, and Gorizia. Several Ministers accompanied U 1 Duce who, after arrival at Tobruk, will i give the signal to start the manoeuvres, I in which 60 vessels will participate in j order to ascertain whether Italian warships between Sicily and Libya can control through-going shipping. Signor Mussolini will spend a fortnight in Tripoli. He will open the Colonial Fair and inaugurate the 1100miles highway from Egypt to Tunisia, which was completed last year in order to enable Italy to mass troops on the Egyptian border in the event of trouble with Britain. 11 Duce, after excursions to the in- 1 terior, will hold a review concluding with manoeuvres. ITALY OFFERS CONCESSIONS TO YUGOSLAVIA. BELGRADE, March 10. It has been authoritatively announced that Italy was prepared to offer Yugoslavia similar economic concessions as given to Austria and Hungary. These apply especially to export 'to Italy of timber and cattle. It was this offer to which Stoyadimovitch referred in a recent speech, when he said that the horizon of the Adriatic appeared to be clearing and a period of more cordial relations was coming between Italy and Yugoslavia.