ENGINEERS FREED

Waikato Times, Volume 114, Issue 18987, 3 July 1933, Page 7

ENGINEERS FREED

TRADE EMBARGO LIFTED. ANGLO-SOVIET NEGOTIATIONS. NEW TREATY DESIRED. United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright. LONDON, July 1. A message from Moscow states that the two Vickers engineers, Messrs Thornton and .MacDonald, have been released. They were to spend the night in (lie British Embassy. The Tass Agency’s version of the release declares that Britain lifted the Irade embargo this afternoon and t-he Soviet freed the prisoners this evening. They were placed under the obligation to leave the country. Negotiations for a trade agreement are to he resumed on Monday. It is believed that the new agreement will ensure that “staged trials” similar to that of the Vickers employees will not recur, and that it provides for other means of settling differences. The terms have been cabled to Moscow for endorsement. Air W. Thornton was convicted for organised machine wrecking and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and Mr W. .MacDonald was ordered to two years’ deprivation of liberty. Upon the promulgation of the sentences Britain issued a proclamation prohibiting 80 per cent, of Russia’s imports into Britain.

LATER. OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT. SENTENCES COMMUTED. PRISONERS TO LEAVE RUSSIA. (Official Wireless.)_ (Received July 3, 11.15 a.m.) RUGBY, July 2. The Foreign Office issues the following announcement: The Soviet Embassy has informed the Secretary for Foreign Affairs that the petitions of Messrs Thornton and MacDonald came before the Presidium of the executive committee of Soviets on satruday, and the sentences have been commuted, so that both men me to leave Soviet territory immediately. At the same time the Commissar for Trade has cancelled the counteiembargo against British imports Arrangements will promptly he made to resume Anglo-Soviet trade negotiations at the point where they were Interrupted in consequence of the arrest of the .Metropolitan Vickers Engineers. ~ _ Messrs Thornton and MacDonald were released on Saturday night at 9 o’clock, Moscow time. They proceeded to the British Embassy, where it had been arranged that they should spend the night. They are proceeding to London to-morrow evening, and will be accompanied by the British Consul at Moscow as far as the frontier town of Stoplace. KING'S PROCLAMATION. BRITISH EMBARGO REVOKED. (Official Wireless.) (Received July 3, it. 15 a.m.) RUGBY, July 2. The terms of the King’s Proclamation revoking the embargo on importations from Russia, are as follows. “Whereas in pursuance ot Section 1 of the Russian Goods Import Piohibitons Act, 1933, we proclaimed and declared by proclamation on the 1 tKh day of April, in the year of our Lord, 1933, that the importation into t - United "Kingdom of goods ot classes or descriptions therein specified grown, produced, or manufactured in the Union Soviet of Socialist republics was prohibited, and wheieas hi virtue of the said section it is lawful for us by proclamation to revoke or vary any proclamation previously made in pursuance of that section; and whereas we have deemed it expedient that the said proclamation given on the 19th April, 1933 should g e revoked, now, therefore we thought fit by and with the advice of oui Privy ’Council, and in virtue and exercise of the powers aforesaid and of all other powers enabling us in that behalf, hereby proclaim and declare that the said proclamation of the lJtn April, 1933 is hereby revoked. “Given at Buckingham Palace this first day, July in the year ot our Lord, 1933, and in the 24th year of oui reign."

DEPARTURE FROM MOSCOW. MacDONALD’S STRANGE CONDUCT. Untied rrcss Assn.—Klee, 'l’el .Copyright. (Received July 3,12.0 a p.m.J LONDON, July 2. Messrs Monkhouse and Cox and Mrs Thornton have left for Berlin lo meet Messrs Thornton and MacDonald who left Moscow to-night. In the course of an inteixiew aftei Ids liberation. Mr Tliornlon referring to the mystery of Mr MacDonald’s contradictory statements during tt’.e Moscow r trial, said: “It only took me a minute to find out all about that.”