REDUCING CONVOY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19824, 29 December 1938, Page 5

REDUCING CONVOY

FRENCH PREMIER COMING TRIP TO TUNIS AVOIDING ‘PROVOCATION’ LOYALTY INDICATED ECHOES IN ROME (Eli'e. Tel. Copyright—Unili'il Press Assn.) (Reed. Dee. 29, 9 a.m.) LONDON, Dec. 28. Messages ifrom Paris state that the French Premier, M. Daladier, has decided to cut down the naval convoy drastically in order to avoid giving the impression of a demonstration which the Italian press labelled “provocation.” Consequently, instead of 23 warships, he will be accompanied on his visit to Tunis by only one cruiser, Emile Berlin and the destroyer division. Pie himself is travelling in the Foch. M. Daladier told a deputation of Algerian Parliamentarians in Paris to-day that he plans to make a visit to Algiers on January 6 to review troops and confer with the military

chiefs. He hopes later in the year to visit Morocco and extensively tour Algeria.

The Aden correspondent of The Times says that demonstrations of loyalty to France continue in - Djibouti, the French Somaliland port. Eight thousand Arabs, Somalis, Indians and Jews marched to Government House carrying banners inscribed: “We do not want to sutler the same fate as Ethiopia. We want to live. Djibouti must remain French.” All roads leading to the Italian consulate are closed against the natives. The Paris correspondent of the Central, News Agency states that a Senegalese battalion, forming part of France’s famous mobile force of 75,000 colonial troops, is proceeding to Djibouti from Marseilles to-day, following an appeal from General Desc'hamps, the Somaliland Governor. A message from Rome states that Signor Gayda says that Italy does not want Tunis, but has the right to interfere to protect her nationals and maintain the staus quo. He opposes increased French control in Tunis, which, he declares, is not French territory.