ITALIAN TIRADE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18988, 13 April 1936, Page 7

ITALIAN TIRADE

POiSON GAS CHARGES NO SURPRISE IN LONDON PROGRESS. OF CAMPAIGN • CLAIM TO SUCCESSES (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. April 13, 10 a.m.) LONDON, April 12. There is no surprise in London at the wildly irresponsible accusations by Signor Gayda, in 'his article in the Giornale d'ltalia, regarding the supply of poison gas to Abyssinians from British sources. Experience of the Italian press attacks on Britain during the past year had prepared opinion for the latest and most ludicrous example. The explanation of the reported gas casualties among the Abyssinians by the suggestion that they were the result of inexpert attempts by the Abyssinians to use against the Italians chemicals supplied by named subsidiaries of the British firm, Imperial Chemical Industries, Limited, read curiously in conjunction with the fact to which the British Foreign Secretary, Mr. Anthony Eden, drew attention, at the meeting of the Committee of Thirteen, that the Italian Government had declared 259 tons of poison gas in transit through the Suez Canal. ■ALLEGATIONS FALSE Imperial Chemical Industries has considered it desirable, however, to state that the allegations concerning supplying poison gas to the Abyssinians are false in all respects so far as it is concerned. It is understood that the companies named by Signor Gayda either do not exist or are not connected with Imperial Chemical Industries, Limited. The Board of Trade has also denied action attributed to it by Signor Gayda. The Italian Commander-in-Chief in East Africa, General Badoglio, in a communique issued at Rome, says that tribesmen advancing south of Gormat ambushed the Abyssinian rearguard, resulting in an action in which the enemy left 400 dead. The tribesmen captured an entire transport column. The Third Army corps advancing from Scoto found quantities of hidden and abandoned arms and munitions and numerous uniforms of the Imperial Guards discarded to assist escape. The Italians have reached Waldia, Libyan cavalry forming the advance guard. The Italian drive along the Sudanese frontier has reached Gallabat, 70 miles west of Condar, with which it. is parallel. . An Addis Ababa message says that the Abyssinian Government and the British Ambassador deny a report that the .Emperor, Haile Selassie, appealed to Britain as the situation was desperate and only 5000 reliable troops were left fighting. It is reported that in Pgaden the Abyssianians are staunchly resisting an advance wbich General Graziani has begun. '

REPROACH FOR DELAY SELASSIE'S REMINDERS EASING OF SANCTIONS ADDIS ABABA, April 12. The Abyssinian Emperor, Haile Selassie, has further telegraphed a protest to the League of Nations, which he reproaches for its continual adjournments of Italo-Abyssinian peace negotiations, which are still in the preliminary stages despite the fact that five weeks have passed since the Committee of Thirteen urgently appealed to the belligerents to open discussions. Meanwhile, he says, additional sanctions have been suspended and the Italians are still carrying on, unpunished, a war of aggression, made more horrible by daily gas bombardments. "We protest most strongly and demand measures to stop these inhumanities," he says. The Archbishop of Abyssinia has sent an Easter message to archbishops throughout the world, protesting against the Italian bombing of churches and gassing of civilians.

COMMITTEE'S APPEAL CONVENTIONS OP WAR NOTE TO BELLIGERENTS GENEVA, April 12. The. Secretary-General of the League of Nations has transmitted to Governments, members of the League, on behalf of the Committee of Thirteen, the following text adopted by the committee on Thursday last:— "The Committee of Thirteen, haying taken cognisance of communications addressed by the Ethiopian and Italian Governments to the Secretary-General on the subject of various failures' to comply with international agreements on the conduct of war, and expressed emotion which these infractions caused to public opinion, addresses an urgent appeal to both belligerents, inviting them to take all necessary steps to prevent such failures to comply with the said conventions and of the principles of international law. "The committee hopes to receive from the Powers to whom it addresses this appeal such assurances as will allow the emotion which it has given expression."

FLIGHT OVER WAR ZONE WOMAN CORRESPONDENT DROPPING OF SUPPLIES (Reed. April 13, noon.) LONDON, April 12. M-iss Eleanor Packard, a British United Press special correspondent, the Hist woman to fly over the'Abyssinian war zone, describes the journey in a giant Caproni bomber from Makale to Desse with half a ton of supplies, including spaghetti, sugar and mails, which were tossed out to the advancing Italians below, all in sacks packed with bay. both to ensure safety and feed the mules. She adds that an instance of the difficulties of flying in Abyssinia was provided by the crossing of a fang-like ridge of Amba Alagi, when the wind, sweeping up the flanks of the mountain,

tossed the huge plane about as though it was a kite. They passed Lake Ashangi, which resembled a nudist colony, hundreds of Italian soldiers bathing and reclining on the muddy shore. Later, they followed the more recent advance, where the bodies of Abyssinians killed during the mopping up operations were being eaten by vultures and hyenas. They saw the Italian advance guards pushing on relentlessly to Desse, which they reconnoitred. It appeared to be defenceless.