VICTORY FOR LOYALISTS

Southland Times, Issue 23377, 8 December 1937, Page 5

VICTORY FOR LOYALISTS

OUTCOME OF WAR IN SPAIN

OPINION OF BRITISH LABOUR LEADER SPEECH AT RECEPTION IN MADRID (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received December 7, 11.30 p.m.) LONDON, December 7. “When we return to London we will convene a public meeting and acquaint the British people about the real situation in unbeaten, invincible Republic Spain,” declared Major C. R. Attlee, Leader of the Labour Opposition in the House of Commons, in a speech at a reception by the Madrid Municipality in honour of the visitors.

Anyone believing the cause of the Spanish Republic lost was either badly informed or of bad faith, said Major Attlee.

“Our whole attitude will henceforth be based on our conviction of the final victory of the Spanish Government,” Major Attlee added. The three Labour members of the House of Commons who are visiting Spain in reply to an invitation from the Spanish Government—Major Attlee, Mr Philip Noel Baker and Miss Ellen Wilkinson—arrived at Valencia by air. They motored to Castellon and visited bombed towns. Later, after a visit to the central fronts, they travelled to Madrid by air. ATTEMPT TO ISOLATE MADRID BIGGEST BATTLE OF WAR INDICATED LONDON, November 27. Hundreds of trucks rumbled over all roads leading east from Madrid last night, carrying seasoned Government troops to reinforce the defenders on the Aragon front. There the greatest battle since the civil war began in July 1936 threatens to develop. In southern Spain the rebels are rushing men and materials by non-stop expresses to the Andalusian front, and an attack on Almeria, to be directed from the sea, appears imminent. Spanish Government staff officers expect that the rebel leader, General Franco, will launch what he hopes to be a death blow in the Aragon zone, instead of against Madrid. For many, months now there has been practically no change in the line of the eastern front, which extends almost directly southwards for 175 miles from the French border to Teruel, between Madrid and the Mediterranean coast. The rebel drive southwards, in an attempt to cut off Madrid from the coast and from Valencia, never extended beyond Teruel, but it is thought that General Franco will now attempt to drive east from there to the sea. Should he succeed he would cut off Madrid from Barcelona, and isolate the powerful Catalonian area of the northeast which has offered so stiff a resistance to his armies. DRIVE AGAINST ALMERIA There is evidence in the south of Spain that a determined attempt will be made by the rebels to take the coastal city of Almeria, which stands at the eastern limit of the rebel line in southern Spain. General Franco has made no progress in that zone for six months. . It is expected that the attack will be directed by General Quiepo de Llano from the rebel cruiser Baleares. An Italian column has been assigned the task of taking the city, it is reported, but it will have the assistance of Spanish reinforcements. Feverish preparations are being made by the rebels for an offensive throughout Andalusia. Operations are expected to begin in the region of Martos, 75 miles inland from the southern coast of Spain. Troops are being concentrated at Penarroya, Cordova, Fuente Genii, Rute, Priego and Archidona. A tremendous number of troop trains are crowding the tracks. Expresses are running non-stop from the rebel southern seaboard in the region of Gibraltar to the southern inland front, to which great quantities of men and munitions are being rushed, All passenger traffic has been suspended. Rebel troops have been diverted from any unimportant fronts to Andalusia, It appears that the attack there is designed to synchronize with the attempt to take Almeria, thus creating in southern Spain a major diversion which would weaken the Spanish Government’s resistance to the Aragon drive to isolate Madrid. SNOW DELAYS WAR IN ARAGON HEAVY FALLS AND INTENSE COLD (Received December 7, 7.50 p.m.) BARCELONA, December 7. Intense cold and heavy falls of snow are holding up the war on the Aragon front. YOUNG FRENCHMAN SHOT BY SPANIARDS FATAL INTERVENTION IN FRONTIER INCIDENT (Received December 7, 7.50 p.m.) PERPIGNAN, December 7. Returning from a dance, accompanied by his sister and a young Spanish friend who had taken refuge in France, Sebastian Juanole, a French farmer aged 18, was shot dead by Spanish carabineers just inside the French frontier near St. Laurent de Cerdarne. The carabineers had told the refugee to follow them across the frontier, but he ran. Juanole intervened and was shot. BRITISH COMPANIES IN SPAIN PROTESTS OVER CATALAN COLLECTIVISM (British Official Wireless) RUGBY, December 6. Questioned in the House of Commons, the Foreign Secretary (Mr R. A. Eden) said there had been a very large number of cases of interference with the assets of British companies in Spain. In

addition to representations made to the Spanish authorities in specific terms, protests in general terms against the Catalan decree for collectivism had been made several times, but so far there had been no satisfactory settlement.

The replies from both sides in the Spanish dispute, qualifying their acceptance of the request for their concurrence in the Non-Intervention Committee’s resolution, providing for the execution of the British plan, wiU come before the Chairman’s Sub-Committee tomorrow.

The meeting wiU also consider recommendations of the technical subcommittees which have been drafting detailed schemes in the plan for the restoration and strengthening of control round Spain, for the withdrawal of volunteers, and for the granting of beUigerent rights.