BRITISH SHIPS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22700, 12 April 1937, Page 9

BRITISH SHIPS

DANGER OFF SPAIN PROTECTION BY NAVY HOOD LEAVES GIBRALTAR GENERAL FRANCO'S THREAT By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received April 11, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, April 10 Acting on instructions from the British Admiralty, the battlecruiser Hood left Gibraltar to protect British shipping. The cruiser Shropshire is proceeding to patrol the north of Spain. The captain of the Amsterley, one of the four English merchantmen bound for Bilbao laden with foodstuffs, which Britain advised to remain at Saint Jean de Luz pending the clarification of the situation, says the rebel leader, General Franco, declares he will prevent any food entering Bilbao, even at the risk of an incident with the British Navy.

The French and German.Governments have issued regulations controlling ships going to Spain, including carrying an observer and using special ports in order to comply with non-intervention arrangements, the date of the introduction of which will be specified later.

A message from Oslo states that the Norwegian Government has asked Parliament to vote credit enabling the mine layer Olav Tryggvason to be sent to Spanish waters owing to the frequeat seizures of Norwegian merchantmen. The Military Governor of Majorca, after a visit yesterday from the commander of the Shropshire, admitted there was a great possibility that insurgent aeroplanes had bombed the British destroyer Gallant. He expressed his sincerest regret and gave his deepest apologies MADRID FRONT LOYALISTS' OFFENSIVE REBEL FORCE ISOLATED (Received April 11, 6.51 p.m.) MADRID, April 10 The Government's forces, haviug deployed fanwise into the western outskirts of Madrid, resumed their offensive against the rebels, who are cut off from their base in the Casa del Campo. It is estimated that there are 10,000 insurgents in the shattered ruins of the students' hostels. The loyalists claim further successes south of Madrid. DETAINED VOUNTEERS SO-CALLED "CANADIANS" SENTENCES OF IMPRISONMENT (Received April 11, 5.5 p.m.) PERPIGNAN, April 10 The so-called "Canadian" volunteers, who were detained by French coastguards on March 27 and of whom some were Irish and some American, were sentenced yesterday to 20 days' imprisonment each. They have alreadyserved 15 days of the sentences. The crew of the boat in which they were captured ha*e been suspended. The police to-day stopped six American volunteers close to the frontier and held them for interrogation.

Coastguards from Cape Cerbere, France, on March 27 boarded the French fishing boat Sans Pareil, bound for Spain, in French territorial waters. They found on board 25 men who claimed to be Canadians but were of various nationalities. The men admitted they were going to fight in Spain, and they and their captain were placed under police surveillance at Port Vendres. ZEAL OF LOYALISTS NOTED CHURCHMAN'S VIEWS REBEL METHODS " ATROCIOUS " TOULOUSE, April 9 "General Franco is conducting .the war atrociously," said the Dean of Canterbury, Dr. Hewlett Johnson, who is returning to England with a church party after a visit to Spain. Dr. Johnson added that he was convinced General Franco could not win. The loyalists wero fighting with indescribable zeal and were determined to build a truly Christian social order, based on a vision of new life. KILLED BY TRAIN REFUGEES IN TUNNEL BILBAO, April P Seven people were killed and 30 injured when a train crashed through a group of women and children who were taking refuge from an air raid in a tunnel between Plencia and Bilbao. a JAPAN'S EXPANSION DANGER TO SINGAPORE STRONGER SIAM ADVOCATED BANGKOK, April » "Japan may seize Hongkong, Siarn and Singapore in the event of a European war," said the Minister of Defence, Colonel Luang Pibul, in a broadcast address advocating a stronger Siain. The Minister added that Japan's plan probably would . involve, after the seizure of Siam, a southward advance to take Singapore in tlip rear, which would be easy. Siam, if it were not able to stem the onset, might be crushed between the opposing parties.