LARGER ARMY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23224, 23 June 1937, Page 9

LARGER ARMY

CLAIM OF LOYALISTS INCREASED PRODUCTION OF ARMS RUTHLESS WARFARE CONTINUES DETACHMENTS OF REBELS ANNIHILATED (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) VALENCIA, June 21. (Received June 22, at 5.5 p.m.) The Prime Minister (Senor Negrin) told diplomats at a recent meeting that the Spanish Government would shortly have a regular army four times the size claimed for the insurgents, including their Moors, Italians and Germans. The Barcelona war factories had immensely increased production. A Madrid message says that the loyalists exploded three mines under the clinical hospital in University City, in which long-isolated detachments of rebels had maintained a stubborn defence. The explosion wreaked havoc, and the Government claims that between 400 and 750 rebels were annihilated. The fall of Bilbao was announced at Madrid in a curt communique which merely said: "The Basques have fallen back in good order to positions westward." According to a report from Hendaye, the rebels have occupied Portugalete and also the suburb of Sesta and Santurgo.

"THE WORLD WILL SHUDDER" THE CAPTURE OF BILBAO GOVERNMENT'S MANIFESTO SALAMANCA, June 22. (Received June 23, at 1.30 a.m.) The insurgents deny that Bilbao was bombed or machine-gunned from the air. They say that no insurgent plane flew over during the three days before the capture of Bilbao. After a conference the , Government at Valencia issued a long manifesto to the Spanish people to the effect that, although Bilbao had been evacuated, the Basque country was unconquered. The manifesto says: "The world will shudder when it knows the whole story. One hundred and fifty thousand people preferred to abandon the city to living under the tyranny of the invaders. The Government remains confident of ultimate victory."

NON-INTERVENTION COMMITTEE

ACCELERATION OF WORK WITHDRAWAL OF NONCOMBATANTS (British Official Wireless) RUGBY, June 21. (Received June 22, at 5.5 p.m.) In the House of Commons, the Secretary for Foreign Affairs (MiAnthony Eden) assured the House that the Government was doing its utmost to accelerate the Non-inter-vention Committee's work on the problem of the withdrawal of foreign combatants from Spain, and was making certain suggestions to this end. Mr Eden also indicated that improvement in the naval control scheme would .be discussed by the chairman's sub-committee. In answer to another question, Mr Eden said that any scheme involving the placing of foreign officials on Spanish territory would require the consent and collaboration of both parties in Spain, which had never been forthcoming in the past, and there was no reason to suppose it would be forthcoming now. Another report states that the Non-intervention Committee will discuss this afternoon the withdrawal from Spain of foreign volunteers and the suggestion that neutral observers should be carried on vessels of the four patrolling naval Powers. FOREIGN AIRCRAFT Mr Eden announced to-day that no reply has yet been received from the Spanish insurgents to the protest made by the British Government regarding the mining of H.M.S. Hunter. Steps were being taken to expedite a reply. Mr Eden, answering another question, said he had good reason to believe that the aircraft employed by the insurgent forces in the recent attacks on Bilbao included three main types of service aircraft bombers, reconnaissance planes and fighters. Mr Eden added that information received tended to show that these aircraft were of types of Italian and German manufacture in each category. A LEAGUE MANDATE? MR NASH'S PROPOSAL LONDON, June 21. (Received June 22, at 10 p.m.) A proposal that the League of Nations should take over the NonIntervention Committee's work was made by Mr Nash (New Zealand Minister of Marketing), at a meeting of the League of Nations Union. "What can we say to this committee," Mr Nash asked, " when two of the Powers represented on it are intervening and Spain is not represented? The League should force the withdrawal of foreign troops and put Spain under a League mandate for a year."

" SOVIET'S PEACEABLE NATURE "

MINISTER'S DECLARATION

WASHINGTON, June 21. (Received June 22, at 5.5 p.m.) In a telegram to the Russian aviators who flew from Moscow across the North Pole, to Vancouver (Washington), M. LitvinofT, Soviet Commissar for Foreign Affairs, apparently referred to the Spanish crisis. M. Litvinoff cited the flight as proof of the peaceable nature of Soviet Russia at a time when aviation is being used by certain peoples to destroy cities and villages and to kill men, women and children in order to impose a regime of ideology foreign to them.