FRANCO'S CLAIM

Waikato Times, Volume 123, Issue 20576, 13 August 1938, Page 7

FRANCO'S CLAIM

HUGE AREA CAPTURED 1000 CASUALTIES INFLICTED M. BLUM SUGGESTS ARMISTICE United press Assn.—Elec. Ti.. Copyright. LONDON, August 12 Ceneral Franco’s headquarters at Burgos issued a communique to-day in which they claim to have captured 70u square miles in south-west Spam on the Estremadura front, inflicting 1000 casualties. The Republicans arc tenaciously holding strategic bridgeheads on the Ebru and Se’grc Rivers in west Catalonia. The former Prime Minister of France, M. Leon Blum, in an article in the newspaper Populaire, suggests an armistice in ‘sq-ain and the withdrawal of foreigners. He declares the people should be given the sovereign choice of the political regime under they desire to live by means 01 an' election under guarantee by mediatory Powers. This would mean, he says, tlie deliverance of from foreign aggression. THE BOMBING OF SHIPS A PROPOSAL REJECTED ATTITUDE OF BRITISH OWNERS '.United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright LONDON, August 12 British shipowners trading to Spam, who held a meeting in London, rejected !h" Foreign Ulliee’s proposal tor an inquiry into the bombing of British ships in Spanish ports on the ground that it had been ascertained that any inquiry would be private and would no conducted in insurgent territory; that British shipowners would be excluded; that evidence from p sons residing in Spanish territory would be ‘’inadvisable”; and that General Franco had given no promise to pay compensation. It was Decided that a deputation should wait upon the Prime Minister, Mr Chamberlain, to protest at the procedure, which it was stated was unknown in legal practice and was contrary to all international justice.