LAND BOUND BY STRING

Southland Times, Issue 23648, 25 October 1938, Page 5

LAND BOUND BY STRING

STATUS OF NEW CZECH STATE ! PLIGHT OF JEWISH REFUGEES TALES OF BRUTALITY AT NAZI HANDS (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received October 24, 7.50 p.m.) LONDON, October 24. It is literally true to say that Czechoslovakia is an undefined land in the middle of Europe bounded by pieces of string, the length of which, with four tiny pennants hanging from it, stretches across the road before the police post at Melnik, marking the Czechoslovak frontier, says the Prague correspondent of The Daily Telegraph. This string replaces the powerful anti-tank concrete barriers which were surrendered, without a struggle, to Germany. Jewish refugees are huddled in tents between the German and Czech frontiers. They are in a terrible plight—deprived of food and water and medical supplies. The Storm Troopers of Herr Konrad Henlein, -the Sudeten German leader who is now Reich Commissioner for Sudetenland, robbed them of all their property before driving them out of Lundenburg. .

Escapees from various' concentration camps relate how the inmates, after being handed over to Herr Henlein’s Black Guards, received from 10 to 30 blows with leather belts and whips, after which they marched for an hour to Kanden, where they ran a gauntlet of Henleinists, who spat on them. They were then imprisoned, receiving a quarter of a pint of watery soup and a dice of bread a day. The Leader of the Republican Defence Corps was so beaten that his friends were unable to recognize him.

RUMANIA LOOKING TO BRITAIN? . NO FAITH IN FRANCE (Received October 24, 7.50 p.m.) LONDON, October 23. The Paris correspondent of the Australian Associated Press says it is stated in Rumanian official circles that King Carol during his visit to London will tell Britain that Rumania is not prepared any longer to pin her faith in France, for which reason she is ready for closer co-operation with Britain. The Rumanian Minister at Paris (M. Cesiano) told the French Foreign Minister (M. Georges Bonnet) that Rumania was strongly opposed to any partition of Sub-Carpathia because she feared it would arouse the question of the Bulgarian and, Hungarian minorities in Rumania.

It is revealed that the Polish Foreign Minister (Colonel Josef Beck) asked King Carol’s assurance that . Rumania would remain neutral in the event of a conflict over further dismemberment of Czechsolvakia.

The Warsaw correspondent of The Daily Telegraph says a new PolishGerman agreement is under consideration, based on the pact of 1934, which renounced war for 10 years. The intention seems to be to extend the pact beyond 1944. It is understood that doubts about Danzig will be clarified.