IMPROVED PHYSIQUE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19152, 22 October 1936, Page 5

IMPROVED PHYSIQUE

AID TO CHILDREN SCHEME IN BRITAIN LONDON, Oct. 20. An important move is being made in the drive to improve the physique of the nation. The Education Board lias decided to share the cost of, providing free clothes, footwear and physical training lessons for school children at an estimated cost of three shillings a child. Necessitous children are to receive footwear for everyday use.

war the loyalists nave lacked any proper general stall', any adequate coordination of tho innumerable directing rommi tees and any known plan of strategy and tactics. In Catalonia and Valencia immense numbers of men have been frittered away in valueless raids and sorties, and, even to-day, with Madril iieif-oncircled, there is no news of Catalonia, which is empty of lcbcls, sending reinforcements southwards.

‘‘Tho rebels have a definite plan, which is to Uneaten the city with starvation ami force the defenders to lien*, a halide on tho southern front .if the city, and thereby conquer it wtliout destroying it. They aim at the classical manoeuvre of building a defensive position at the centre of the enemy s positions, where the loyalists ai;; best entrenched, and enveloping ti.e wings, especially to the north-west, whore tiny have already nearly reai bed ti e Fscorial. I.IXKS OK DEFENCE. ‘‘Against tills plan there are considered to. In- tit vet* J i lias of defence onee In *he (.mi ininent. Il can remove the women and children and then join batiie tor the capital; it can remove itself to Valencia or some other safe point or the south-east and ha ve the army to fight a delaying net ion while it ( iganises a new plan of campaign: or il can do what it is doing, namely, ro carry on more or loss normally, hoping to repulse the enemy before ho gels within blockading distance. ’* j:i jin editorial discussion, the Manchester Guardian considers the third pl;in foolish. “T( burden the diminishing food supply with a lion-comba-tar.t population is to bring risk of defeat nearer.” it says. ‘‘lf the Government thinks r politically unwise to leai o. Ho c.*ir.itill, one would expect it to concentrate on launching an attack against the wide-spread rebel line wherever ’’ is weakest.” Sir Percival Phillips, in a report from Lisbon to the Daily Telegraph, says: “It is evident that the capture of Madrid will take longer than was first expected. The insurgents realise their dilticulties, but have reason to believe that the Government forces have been, greatly demoralised by their recent defeats and by internal dissension. They believe that tile militia, when it is subjected to intensive bombardment by the artillery that is now massing behind the insurgent lines, will rapidly evacuate its positions round the capital. This belief is based on its behaviour previously under heavy shellfire during the insurgent advance in the south and southwest. UNWILLING CONSCRIPTS “Although it is realised that Senor Caballero was not boasting when he declared lie had 200,C00 men under arms, it is stated that a large proportion of these are unwilling conscripts who will lay down their weapons or join the insurgents when they enter Madrid. Severe street fighting with Communists and Anarchists, however, is expected. “General Franco realises that the attack on the capital will be the crucial test of his great adventure. He is leaving nothing to chance. In all the occupied territory behind a lino drawn from Avila in the north-west to Toledo in the south, war material of all kinds is being sent forward and ammunition dumps are being accumulated. The, back areas are practically denuded! of men. All the Moroccan troops, save small contingents at Algeeiras and Seville, have been sent forward supported by Fascist volunteers, whose duty will be to clear up the captured districts after the first waves of regular troops have swept through. “More aeroplanes will be used than General Franco has hitherto been believed to possess. Additional bombers and fighters arrived recently from an African port. "Reports received at Salamanca, General Franco’s headquarters, indicate tlmt a trench system is being hastily built round tho capital by the defenders. If includes many strong-points built of stones and concrete reinforced with iron beams and linked with earthworks. Suburban streets are, being studded with barricades. Houses are being connected, by piercing walls, to make groups of machine-gun posts. Stool plates cover windows and there are sandbagged shelters for snipers.” Torrential rains are making the roads impassable, and thus delaying the'.rebel advance on Madrid. The people of the city, in the meantime, continue to make feverish preparations for defence.