SPANISH POLITICS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22351, 24 February 1936, Page 9

SPANISH POLITICS

CONTINUANCE OF UNREST SCENES AT THE FRONTIER MADRID, Feb. 21 Martial law has been declared in Murcia, Alicante and Valencia. Minor disturbances continue throughout Spain, On the French frontier Communists, comprising largo numbers of women, occupied the railway station at Irun and compelled the police to search Spaniards going to Franco. Women entered first-class carriages and shouted to the police: "Search that woman, and that one, too." Tho police, anxious to avoid incidents, obeyed. The object of the search was to prevent people taking jewellery or more than £l4O from tho country. The confiscation of estates restored to grandees since tho declaration of the Republic will be tho main plank of Senor Azana's programme. Capitalists are expected to be hit by State control of certain private banks and businesses. Other points include a national minimum wage for peasants, tho dismissal of Government employees suspected of disloyalty and possibly homo rule for Catalonia, which should greatly ease the tension.

The Permanent Committee of the Cortes has approved tho general amnesty, which will become operative on Monday. Under this 30,000 political and other prisoners will be liberated. Many have already been released in anticipation of tho amnesty, and this has led to disturbances and acts of vengeance in many districts. Nineteen persons were killed and 94 were wounded, while 10 churches wero set on fire, two of them being destroyed. The offices of many Conservative newspapers have been wrecked since the first election returns wore published. A general strike has been declared at Malaga.