REBEL AIRCRAFT ACTIVE

Southland Times, Issue 23736, 7 February 1939, Page 7

REBEL AIRCRAFT ACTIVE

Refugees Under Rain Of Bombs MASSACRE ALLEGED AT BARCELONA (Received February 6, 9.50 p.m.) LONDON, February 6. The Perpignan correspondent of The Daily Telegraph says that rebel aeroplanes throughout night and day are bombing refugees on the road from Gerona to Figueras. The Spanish Foreign Minister (Senor Julio Alvarez del Vayo) said the loyalist intelligence service had reported that more than 5000 persons were massacred or executed in the first few days of the rebel occupation of Barcelona. A loyalist aeroplane landed at Toulouse and three others landed near Bordeaux, says the Perpignan correspondent of the British United Press. Sixty more are still aloft, seeking an aerodrome on which they may land. Many hours of street fighting preceded the fall of Gerona. The loyalist troops blew up bridges as they retreated. The Leperthus correspondent of The Daily Telegraph says that the 117th loyalist brigade, which tried to stem the rebel advance to Berga, is falling back to Puigcerda, and the anarchist Derruti Column is retreating after the fall of Seo de Urgel. Twelve thousand loyalist

troops, without munitions and almost without food, are cut off in the triangle , between Andorra, Seo de Urgel and Sort.

France has established dressing stations along the frontier. France has taken at least 85,000 refugees. The Paris correspondent of The Daily Telegraph says that the International Child Refugees Committee is in-

creasing the number of children to be fed from 60,000 to 600,000. < An Italian bombing raid on Cartajgena killed 40 persons, including two 'seamen from a British ship, and wounded 60.

A Franco-Spanish conference decided, after clearing civilian refugees from the frontier, that loyalist troops would be allowed to enter France and that they would be sent to a concentration camo at Argeles. The frontier was later opened, and 1600 Spanish troops crossed in single file down a lane of 400 French infantrymen, the foremost of six barriers of 1500 who searched and relieve 4 them of arms. The Spanish colonel, before the first battle-worn soldiers crossed, said: “Henceforth you will obey the Frenchmen’s orders. Do you accept?” The response was a mighty roar: “Si!” The Perpignan correspondent at the British United Press says a detachment of the International Brigade and 1200 women and children crossed during the evening. The remainder of the loyalist army will begin to pass tomorrow. FRENCH ENVOY SENT TO BURGOS FORMER MINISTER OF JUSTICE (Received February 6, 10.5 p.m.) LONDON, February 6. Senator Leon Derard, a former Minister of Justice, has gone to Burgos as French official observer to the rebel Government, says the Paris correspondent of The Times. ART TREASURES IN SAFE CUSTODY

(Received February 6, 7.0 p.m.) PERPIGNAN, February 5. Spain’s art treasures have been handed over to Mr Neil McLaren, of the London National Gallery, and M. Jaujard, of the Louvre, for transportation to Genoa in the custody of the League of Nations, which after the war will return them to whatever Spanish Government exists in Spain.