LARGE-SCALE BATTLE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 44, 21 February 1936, Page 7

LARGE-SCALE BATTLE

ABYSSINIAN WAR RAS NASIBU ENCAGED THE NORTHERN CAMPAIGN NEW PLANS NECESSARY (By Telegraph—Pre* Association— Received Feb. 20, 9.25 p.m. LONDON, Feb. 19. Ras Nasibu, Governor of Harrar and leader of Abyssinia’s central and eastern farces, is reported to have been engaged for several days in a large scale battle south of Annale. This may indi- , cate the resumption of General Graziani’s drive northward, several Italian flying columns having appeared in the vicinity of Ginir. Leading Abyssinian officials have gone to IDessye to confer with the Em peror and arrange new plans for the northern campaign in view of the expected advance by Marshal Badoglio. Meanwhile, Ray Seyoum and Ras Kassa, on the flank of Italians, are BBceiving reinforcements. LONG WAY TO GO EXPENSIVE CAMPAIGNING DUNEDIN, Feb 20. Mr C. IL Barton, a member of the Sudan Interior Mission, in a lecture on Abyssinia, said that at the opening of the campaign the Italians had captured Adowa by a process of bombing it from the air for two days, shelling it with artillery for three days, and then walking in and capturing the city, which was nothing more imposing than a collection of mud huts on the crests and slopes of hills. According to recent dispatches, the latest advance had been to a few miles south of Makale, which was still only a short way in from the frontier and a long way from the capital, Addis Ababa. “It will take the Italians a long time to get to Addis Ababa. 11 said Mr Barton, “and I doubt whether they • will ever get there. In the south the I invaders have made certain advances ‘ into very barren land, but their opera- • tions there arc not likely to be of any | great use to them.’’ Addis Ababa was ■ 5500 feet above sea level. Mr Barton added, and it must be enormously expensive for an invading force to main tain a garrison in such country. ABYSSINIA’S FUTURE .ALLEGED BRITISH REPORT ITALIAN PAPER'S STATEMENT ROME, Feb 19. The Giornale <1 'ltalia gives prominence to the report of the committee under the chairmanship of Sir John . Matter, Governor-General of the S.i lan. presented to the Brit-sh Foreign Office m June 18, 1935. It states that Italy v ould shortly endeavour to control Abyssinia, where, though there were no vital British interests compelling Britain to oppose Italian conquest, an independent Abyssinia would be preferable from the viewpoint of Imperial defence to an Italian Ethiopia, which would compel Britain to safeguard her interests in connection with the Nile tributaries by creating a Sudan cor* OFFICIAL DOCUMENT JIBiT-CLASS DIPLOMATIC SENSATION j Received Feb. 20, 8.45 p.m. LONDON, Feb. 20. | A Urst-class diplomatic sensation ‘ has been caused by the Giornaie ! d'ltalia's publication of the Matfey report, says the Daily Te.egraph. ; The Foreign Office is completely my.r.ihed how an official document belonging to the British Government has passed into the hands ot a foreign country. It is suggested in Rome that it was procured by “a clever piece of indescretion. •‘The report was never published, savs toe Telegraph, “owing to the gravity of rhe Abyssinian situation. It would, honeicr, bo distributed to the departments concerned and also to members of Cabinet, but the loreign Office must possess a complete list o the copies issued. Therefore, there should not be any difficulty in finding which one is missing.” Tue i ,a P' l ad Is: “Tue matter will undoubtedly be investigated rearchingly and rhe Government certainly will not allow so flagrant an interference in its private affairs pa.-- without doing the ut-mo-i to discover how it has occurred.” The Times’ Kon.e correspondent save that the publication of the report * regarded as an attempt to discredit office. y