1938-12-28 — Page 9

THE CHINA MAIL, DECEMBER 28, 1938

Page

FRANCO'S XMAS OFFENSIVE Burgos Authorities Claim Important Success Rapid Advance In The Southern Sector

Saragossa, To-day. The great Christmas offensive launched by Gen- eral Franco in Catalonia was successfully con- tinued yesterday, the Nationalists claim. The Nationalists in four days battle have occupied 600 square kilometres and taken more than 5,000 prisoners, while 32 Republican planes were shot down.

Republican Spanish divisions fighting near Seros suffered heavy casualties and are almost com- pletely annihilated.

Five hundred-Republican soldiers who had taken refugee in the church of seros were taken prison- ers, The civilian population re- mained in most villages since the Republican authorities had mo time to evacuate them.

Nationalist military observers de- scribe the present offensive as the beginning of the biggest battle of the Spanish civil war.

The action had been prepared with the utmost care and on 2 larger scale than ever before.

Only a small part of seven Na- tionalist army corps have been en- gaged so far and the most effective weapons have not yet been employed. Greatest difficulties on the front, reaching from the Ebro River to Tremp, will have to be overcome by the columns operating in the Pyrenees, that is to say on the northern wing, where they have to fight in heights up to 2000 metres.

Rapid advance on the southern wing took the enemy in the Segre sector by surprisë.

U.S. TO TRAIN

20.000 SPECIAL

RESERVE PILOTS

WASHINGTON, TO-DAY. PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT HAS ANNOUNCED A PLAN FOR THE| ANNUAL TRAINING OF 20,000

CIVILIAN PILOTS, TO FORM RE- SERVE AVIATORS IN WARTIME,

AT A COST OF ABOUT $10,000,- 000 A YEAR.

President Roosevelt said he was not prepared to say how many aero- planes he had recommended to Con-. gress for the army and navy in his national defence programme.

Meanwhile, aircraft shares on Wall Street are fractionally high- er on reports that President Roose-|

Mr. George Lansbury, the prominent London Labour M.P. and staunch pacifist, who has had talks with both Mussolini and Hitler on his quest of world appeasement, on Dec. 4, when this picture Was taken, visited his 22nd grand-child.

DRIVE AGAINST

MUSICA'S

The Republican bulwarks in the velt is asking for a combined army BLACKMAILERS

Central sector. of the front, east and northeast of Lerida, as well as the Republican positions on the lower Ebro, have been outflanked so that the enemy is compelled to construct new entrenchments and to regroup his forces, thereby losing much valuable time. -

Concluding, Nationalist military observers derlare that the Nationalist offensive would not be checked impaired by Republican counter- attacks. Trans-Ocean.

GOOD WEATHER

or

Good weather conditions yesterday greatly favoured insurgent opera-¡ tions in their offensive against Catalonia.

The right wing of General Franco's forces which is making its thrust in the direction of Tarra- gona, claims to have straightened out the Ebro Salient which had been formed between Mequinenza and Ribarroja.

Other insurgent reports state that those Republican positions in the Ebro sector which had been outflank- ed by the thrust have for the part already been evacuated.

Further progress is also claimed

· by the left wing “which is smashing| its way through difficult terrain” in. the Tremp sector. Here General Franco's forces penetrated yesterday? ..to a depth of four kilometres.

and navy air fleet of 13,000 planes. -Reuter.

AVALANCHE DISASTER IN JAPAN

Tokyo, To-day.

An avalanche swept a water- power station under construc- tion at Shiadani yesterday.

Of 125 workmen, 93 were entombed, and 39 of them are known to be dead and eleven injured.

Fate of the 43 others is still unknown.

A rescue party of 300, led by police officers, was rushed to the spot. Reuter.

CROSS OF HONOUR FOR MOTHERS

Berlin, To-day.

The Cross of Honour which will In the Segre sector, the Nation-be awarded to mothers of numer ́alists captured several small towns ous children in Germany, will it is to the southwest of Borjas Blancas.Jannounced, be given only to mo-

Trans-Ocean. -

COMPULSORY LABOUR SERVICE DECISION

Prague, To-day. Czecho-Slovakia intends to dis- band its labour battalions, formed of unemployed workers, and to in- troduce a system of one year. com- .. pulsory labour service.

re-

New York, To-day. Government agents yesterday opened a drive for the arrest of a number of persons accused of blackmailing Musica, alias Don- A commission, composed of ald Coster, who committed sui-presentatives of the various govern- cide recently following unmask-ment departments concerned, is to ling of irregularities in the che- be set up for the purpose of study- mical combine of which he was ing the operation of the labour chief.

service in Germany.

In a letter written just before his suicide, Coster had alleged that he was being blackmailed by persons who knew of his crimin- al past.

Yesterday, G-Men arrested Walter R. Cragg, disbarred law- yer, on a-charge of extortion with use of the U.S. mails..

A second accused person was arrested at the same time, but his identity has not been dis- closed. Reuter.

POCKET PICKED

Tsang Po-ki, of No. 12, Li Yuen

Street East, has reported that be-

It is announced here that the

Communist Party in Bohemia and Moravian Silesia has been dissolved. -Trans-Ocean.

SWISS DEFENCE ESTIMATES

Berne, To-day.

The Swiss defence estimates pro- vide for an expenditure of 350 mil-

lion francs for the coming year, of

which 150 millions will be appro- priated for the air force.

In the report presented to

the

Federal Parliament by the Federal

tween 5.15 and 5.30 p.m. yesterday, while travelling in a tram between Council, it is stated that the pro- posal for creation of a special de- Central Market and Causeway Bay, fence fund to cover increased his wallet, containing $68 in money penditure on armaments must be and a Police' permit, was stolen. seriously

$1,000 LOSS

that

8

thers of pure Aryan blood and Mr. R. Murjani, of No. 41, who are "hereditarily, healthy." Peking Road, has reported Bucharest, To-day. Proposals for award of the Cross] bewteen 7 a.m. on Monday and Ex-Rumanian Foreign Minister, must be made by mayors of com- a.m. yesterday, his residence M. Petrescu Commen, has been ap-munities after due enquiry into the entered by an open window, pointed "Ambassador to the Vati-merits of the prospective reci- money, jewellery and clothing can; it is announced-Trans-Ocean."pients.—Trans-Ocean.

to the value of $1,066 stolen.

Ocean.

considered.

ex-

Trans-

K.C.C. ROBBERY

Mr. J. Fraser, of the Kowloon was Cricket Club, has reported the loss and of a clock, a hat, and three water total meter covers, to the value of $33,

from the Club building.