SPANISH CONFLICT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23118, 18 February 1937, Page 9

SPANISH CONFLICT

THE BAN ‘ON VOLUNTEERS ESTIMATE OF NUMBERS (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph-Copyright) ’ PARIS, Feb. 16. The Government is strengthening the Spanish frontier guards in readiness for banning volunteers. Foreigners under General Franco are estimated at 30,000 Italians, 25.000 Germans, 25,000 Moors and 5000 others ’ The loyalist volunteers include • 28,000 Frenchmen, 14.000 Belgians. 11,000 Czechs. Britons, Germans, and Italian antiFascists, and 6000 Russians, mostly technicians. , GERMANY’S .ATTITUDE LONDON, Feb. 16. (Received Feb. 17, at 8 p.m.) At a full meeting of the Non-in-tervention Committee. Herr von Ribbentrop welcomed the committee’s decision as "the possible turning point. He.adnounced that Germany was prepaired to contribute financially to the! immediate operation of land apdi sea control. He hoped Portugal yould find a way to collaborate. / Lord urged the necessity of immediate; action. The Russian, French, and Italian representatives : also issued statements expressing satisfaction. The Portuguese delegate declared that the dangers confronting Spam menaced the public order and the independence of Portugal. Nevertheless, it accepted the ban on volunteers, while reserving its attitude to the supervision proposals. The Daily Telegraph’s diplomatic correspondent l understands that Portugal is, willing to accept frontier supervision by Britain alone if other nations raise no objections.

FLIGHT I FROM MALAGA • j ; r LONDON, Feb. 16. The Alrhefia correspondent of The Times says ! the air bombing of a children’s' refuge, killing 57, was an isolated incident in the long-drawn agony of the flight from Malaga, of which a wojtmded aviator supplies an account. ? He was one of three who escaped ou£ of 14. They had flown out in the hope of facilitating the escape -of/ thousands of fugitives behind wtom the rebels, in tanks, in motor cars, and on foof, speeded the flight, while the exhausted crowds \gere bombed from'the sky and fired upon by several of 17 hostile warships, including German and Italian vessels. Twenty-four pursuit planes attacked the loyalist aircraft./ The hands of one pilot were .paerced three times, but he steered j with his left hand and alighted! in the water near a beach, where /the occupants of the plane waded j ashore, carrying two dead comradjes. RELIEF FOR REFUGEES (British Official Wireless) : i RUGBY, Feb. 16. The: British Government has agree*! to provide a destroyer to carry; food for the relief of refugees at Almeria. The food will be provided by the Spanish Government. 1 I