1937-04-19 — Page 9

INSURGENTS CONFIDENT

ABOUT BLOCKADE Can Easily "Bottle-Up" Bilbao

London, April 17.

A confident claim is made by the Spanish insurgants of their ability to entirely bottle up the Republicans in Bilbao and to prevent any consignments of food and munitions reaching the besieged from the sea.

The following units of the insurgent fleet, says a communique issued in Salamanca, are particating in the 'blockade of the Bas- que obast:

Cruisers --Espana, Baleares, Canarias and Almirante Cer vera; three auxiliary cruisers: two submarines; one minela- Jor, twelve hydroplanes,

Meanwhile, Madrid, says a radio agency report from that city. re-

gards with "complete indifference" the control plan which comes into effect on Monday.

The Republican Government considers the control measures will be absolutely ineffective and objects to participation in the scheme of German and Italian warships.

SERIES OF ARRESTS

From Paris comes another, re- port of a series of arrests in Mad- rid following discovery of an es- plonage circle.

#

Among those arrested, says the report, were a leutenant of mil- litla and a telephone operator at the War Ministry.

A message from Cadiz says that an insurgent salvage, steamer nas succeeded in raising the Republi-

"Has the Admiral," he de manded, "stated whether the Actual situation on the Basque coast is as stated by the Bas- que Government?"

Mr. Eden answered that the British Government had no other

HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, MONDAY, APRIL 19, 1937.

ANGLO-ITALIAN INTERNATIONAL TRADE

RELATIONS

IMPROVEMENT ·

Remarkable Change Van Zeeland's Visit To U.S.

Rome, April 17.

A remarkable change has sud- denly, taken place. Anglo-Italian relations, political circles in Rome declaring them to be "extremely friendly," although up to a few days ago a high degree of tensión existed between the two countries.

This amazing reversal is declar- ed to be due principally to the fact that Italy recognises in the British attitude towards the blockade of Bilbao by the Spanish Insurgents an earnest endeavour to remain impartial.

Britain, on the other hand, has been highly gratifled by the con-

Information than the report of the cillatory spirit displayed by Italy British Consul, and pointed out that it was extremely difficult to obtain authentic information from other sources in the Basque region.

ON HIGH SEAS Lt.-Comm. R.TH. Fletcher then asked the Foreign Secretary what

steps the Britian Government were taking to advise British merchant ships that ships sailing from Spanish ports could count on the full protection of the British, fleet

In the non-Intervention commit- tee this week. including her readiness to discuss the with- drawal of non-Spanish partici- pants in the civil war.

Franco-Italian relations

how

A Good Sign

Brussels, April 17.

On the eve of the departure of Premier Van Zeeland for Washington, experts of the so-called Oslo powers approved a draft of the multi-lateral agreement for the improvement of in- ternational trade,

..

This concrete development is the result of several months' de- liberations and is hailed as an encouraging sign by exponents of the new international economic order, particularly in view of the significant series of meetings that are imminent.

Premier Van Zeeland's trip to Washington is being linked with the visits here of Dr. Schacht, Mr. Norman Davis and Mr. Anthony Eden, the last named being due next week-end.

The agreement mentioned above is being' submitted to the governments concerned, together with the suggested programme of action-Reuter

NO MÚTINY Havana, April 17.-The British Vice-Consul at Santiago de Cuba the reports of the mutiny aboard the Lackenby were

ever. show no sign of im- States that provement, and the Italian press continues its vigorous campaign against the Blum Government.

ABSOLUTE CONTROL'

It is asserted that M. Blum and his Government are "under the

absolute control of the Com- munists" and that the French

Mr. Eden; "British merchant ships have been Informed by public announcement of the Gov-

newspapers are adopting an ex- ernment's intention to afford pro-tremely unfavourable attitude to tection to British ships on the high seas."— Transocean News Service

the London non-intervention com- mittee, whose policy would “pro- bably lead to a compromise with GORDO HILL TAKEN

General Franco if it were not for Madrid: The Republican De-a French check to any possible.

move in this direction."

can submarine sunk by rebel war-fence Committee announces to ahips last December.

day that in future all Government

The submarine was towed into communiques will be released ex- Cadiz on Friday and is still sea-clusively from "Madrid, and not worthy enough to be added to the from Valencia, Bilbao and other rebel navy.

places.

Publication of communiques in

Transocean News Service.

MAJOR ATTLEE SEEKS EXPLANATION

London: Both the Labour and Libera! opposition seem deter- mined to give the Government no peace on the question of the "Sur- render to the insurgent blockade of the Basque coast, and yester- day again saw Ministers being

heckled in slmllar fashion te Thursday's rowdy session.

First speaker for the Opposition was the Labour leader, Major Clement Attice who asked the Foreign Secretary if he was in a position to make a further state- ment, in view of the fact that the British Consul in Bilbao bad re- ported that the entrance to the port was free from mines and that the Basque coastal batteries were fully able to protect ships in ter- ritorial waters.

NOT PERSONAL VIEWS Mr. Eden, replying, stated that Major Attlee was apparently un- der & misapprehension, since the British Consul's report did not give that official's own view of the situation but merely transmitted

various

centres previously had been necessary owing to the dif- culty in maintaining telephonic communications between the capt tal and the other fronts.

unfounded. Reuter.

BILBAO BLOCKADE NOT EFFECTIVE

London, April 17. Two private notice questions on the situation on the Basque coast, were answered in the Commons hy the Foreign Secretary

He read a telegram from the British Consul at Bilbao as fol- lows.

Basque

SETTLEMENT FORESTALLED Toronto: The settlement of the General Moturs strike, anticipated last evening, was forestalled by the strikers' leaders refusing to admit

"The President of the they were not connected with the American C.1.0. and the Company Government urgently requests you refuses to meet the Union spokes- should be informed food situation men while they profess to rep-critical, that harbour entrance is resent the International Union.- clear of mines, that shore batter- Reuter

BRITISH SHIPPING

IN SPAIN

The more Radical Italian på- pers even go so far as to declare that the French Foreign Minister, M. Yves Delbos, is making an ob-

Bayoune, April 17. vious attempt, "with the help of What is the secret behind the various influential foreign' groups, return of the British steather, including the Vatican," to prepare Mary Llewelyne, to St. Jean de the way for a completely new Luz

setting out on 8 Spanish Government patterned blockade-rurining expedition to after the French Popular Front Bilbao? Governments

Mystery surrounds her aban- donment of the project and there

This would be more in keeping

after

les can effectively protect mer

chant shipping in territorial wi- ters and that blockade is not effec- tive. Blnice April 1st twentyseven vessels entered into and thirtytwo cleared from Bilbao."

It would be clear Mr. Eden sald that the Consul was passing on a message from the Basque Govern-¦ ment and not impressing his own views as the Leader of the Opposi- tion Ead appeared to suggest in hie questkin.

Now complete communication has been restored through Repub- | with French interests, the journals | is a suspicion of British official in- | ment had taken steps to ascertain fican Spain.

A communique issued to-day saya that only minor skirmishes

have been reported from the various fronts.

Loyalists are now reported to be in possession of Gordo H and several small towns in the vicinity.

A rebel plane was shot down by the loyalists during this ao- tion.

1!

On the Basque front, the Re- publicans repulsed several insur- gent attacks on the town of Alava.

AGREEMENT REACHED From Paris it is reported that the efforts of the President of the Catalan Generallmad, Senor Com- panys, have at last succeeded in bringing about an agreement be- tween the parties represented in the last Cabinet and the labour federation.

A new Government has been

to London Information given him | formed, with Benor. Caradellas as, by the Basque Government.

Premier and Finance Minister.

The Liberal veteran, Mr. Lloyd The Catalan Leftist Party holds George, intervened and asked Mr. three portfolios in the reconstitut-

the Eden whether he had established ed Government,

Socialist- contact with the Admtrat com-Labour federation four, and the manding British warships in anarchist-labour federation four-

Frisuren News Service. Spanish waters."

NEW USE FOR GAS

Hamein, April 17. The town of Hamelin of my- thical Pied Piper fame, has been the scene of a series of experi ments by German chemists de- signed to render innocuous the gas used in households for cooking and other purposes.

A new gas has been discovered. says an announcement, which will take a lot of worry from the shoulders of housewives.

It is entirely free from poison- ous qualities and can be inhaled in any amount without the sight est injury.-

Transoczon News Service.

BUDGET DAY AT HOME

London. April 17, The Chancellor of the Exche- quer, Mr. Neville Chamberlain, will the place the Budget before Cabinet on Monday afternoon, but the publië will not know ita con- tents till Tuesday afternoon, when the Budget will be presented in the House of Commons,

The sum of £30,000.000 will have to be found to make up the defcit, and there is touch specula- tion as to what form of taxation will be used to make up the amount.- Reuter..

REPUBLICAN SHIPS TO ENGAGE THE INSURGENTS?

say, than a military dictatorship more inclined to lend a friendly ear to English proposals,

tervention.

One version of her return has it that the Mary Llewelyne met with

CAPTAIN RETICENT

A report in the Paris "Informa; | bad weather and, as she was not |tion" that General Franco is plan- equipped with wireless, was com-

ning to resign his position aspelled to run before the gale. leader of the insurgent army and devote his attention to political tasks, is declared in Rome to have, been inspired "by French hopes rather than by facta.”— Transocean News Service.

SPECIAL "CONTROL"

PENNANT

London, April 17:

Mr. Lloyd George, intervened, wanting to know if the Govern-

whether or not the Basque Govern ment's statement was correct. GOVERNMENT POSITION

Mr. Eden repiled that naturally the Government would do all it

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and, in answer to another mem-

that no Another report, however, states ber, explained

one had that the vessel met a British des even said that no ship could get troyer which told her what at in or out of Bubao; titude the British Government would take in

The other private notice ques

SHATTERED

her adventure tion referred to the reported de: Dutch Queen Gives

should she encounter difficulties, parture of the British merchant at the hands of the insurgents. ship, Mary Llewellyn, from Saint

The captain of the Mary Llewelyne will give no indication of what exactly happened.

Jean de Luz and enquired about protection for British ships which disregarded the Government's ad- vice not to proceed to Basque

The problem of food supplies

of view

General Franco's ports.

Under the non-intervention con- | in tol scheme, It has been arranged blockade of the Basque coast, is that all patrolled vessels shall fly becoming acute in Bilbao and other the special pennant of the Northports in the bands of the Spanish East Fisheries Convention and loyallsta. that merchant vessels having ob- servers on board will fly a plain white flag with two black circles which has been specially designed for the purpose.

The Minister of Agriculture in the Basque Government is holding a meeting with members of the Valencia Government to discuss the situation.

An oficial statement issued by

None of the Britlah ships load- the International Board last nighted with food, now tied up in St. with reference to the coming into Jean de Luz harbour, is likely to operation of the control scheme at

try, and run the rebel blockade- midnight on Monday, exempts | Reuter. from the obligation to embark ob- servation officers vessels with wire- less equipment which have already passed an appropriate observation port and vessels without wireless equipment which have already passed their tast port of call- British Wirelen.

BUS STRIKE

London, Apr. 17. No new developments have oc- curred in the bus atrike in Kent and the service la stili paralysed. -Reuter

Premier Van Zealand To

Visit

Brussels, Apr. 17. The Premier, M., Paul van Zee- land, is to pay an official visit to the United States in June, says an official announcement.

U.S.

to the United States to receive an honorary degree, from Princeton University.

Mr. Cordell Hull to-day stated that he will deliver his "usual speech on the lowering of tarifs it M. van Zeeland cares to listen." Roster,

*:

Mr Eden recalled the explicit statement he had made in the de- bate on Wednesday that while the Government hoped ships, would not disobey instructions, if they did, and were on the high seas, they would be entitled to protec- tion.-

Aritish Wireless.

WOMEN OBSERVERS IN SPAIN.

Valencia, April 17. A delegation of British women Members or Parliament, headed by the Conservative Duchess of Atholl and the Socialist Miss Men Wilkinson, was received by the Spanish Premler, Benor Largo Caballero, here yesterday,

The delegation is visiting Spain In order to examine the situation with regard to the founding of a wounded relle organisation for soldiers, and the civil population

Senor Caballero, says a com-

Ultimatum

Milan, April 17...

A serious bitch "has suddenly developed in the romantic attach- ment of the Javanese Sultan of Djokjakarta for the beatiful 19- year-old daughter of a Greek ship-owner, Miss. Nadya Vlassov.

Queen Netherlands, who is the Sultan's sovereign, has stepped in with "an ultimatum to the Royal would-be bridegroom.

Wilhelmina of the

She has told him that if he marries a European girl-he 'must forfeit his throne.

Rumour has it that the Sultan, who is reputed to already be in possession of a considerable harem In the Netherlands” East Indies, chose the throne.

THREAT TO ABDICATE During the week, it was stated that although Queen Wilhelmina at first objected to the proposed marriage she later withdrew her opposition following the Sultan's threat to abdicate.

It was reported that the young

AN INDEPENDENT AUSTRIA

Most Important

Problem Of To-day

Vienna, April 17, "The important problem to-day is not the form of government in Austria but the maintenance of an Independent Austria” declared the Federal Chancellor, Dr. Kurt Schuschnigg, In the course of a speech yesterday..

The speech had its repercussions in comment in the newspapers.to, day, the semi-official press pointing out that the Chancellor's state- ment, which signified that the question of a Hapsburg restoration. in Austria was not regarded by him as an acute problem, WES &

negotiations with other Danubian hint that Austria was planning countries.

The nationalist organ makes the speech a pretext for a violent at- tack on the Austrian monarchists.

HAPSBURG RESTORATION · The journal says that the mon- archists' frequent references to an impending Hapsburg restoration are threatening to disturb the political atmosphere.

This is demagogy of the most unfortunate kind," the paper as- serts.

Austria, the article continues,

munique Issued after the inter-couple, whose romance developed view, told the delegation that during the winter sports at St. Spain, at the conclusion of the Morita, had planned to get marshould not be allowed to be made

civil war, would decide what form of government she wanted.

The new Spanish State would be a democracy with a parlament, while religious freed 'm would be completely restored.

This is regarded here as another step in the Premier's economic in

The British women delegates were vestigations, requested by Britain

guests at luncheon yesterday of and France, and considerable im- REDUCTION OF TARIFFS

the Spanish Parliament. Ámang. portance is attached to the visit

Brussels; M. van Zeeland's in- others attending were the Foreign In Paris, the "Temps" learns | vestigation of the possibilities of | Minister, Senor Alvarez del Vayo, a general reduction of tariffs, un- and the British charge d'affaires. dertaken at the request of Britain The delegation later left for and France, is already in full pro- Madrid.—

that the Belgian Premier will dis- CHES the possiblition of world economic revival with President Roosevelt,

London, Apr. 17. while all is quiet. on the Madrid "Merely another piece of bluf- front.

Low clouds and heavy rain have fing," is the description applied bý

hindered air and land operations the Gibraltar correspondent of the

on the Biscay coast. "Dally Telegraph" to reports that

In Paris, "Le Jour" says that He will also receive an honorary the Spanish Republican fleet was Count Romanoneal, & · former | ́degree from Princeton University.— steaming to the Bay of Biscay to Spanish Premier, has written, to Prankoccan Newi Service

Premier Leon Blum pleading for engage the insurgent navy..

French

General recognition of "Nothing has been seen of the Franco's Government. loyalist ships," the correspondent

Two-thirds of Spain, the writer continues, "and it is most unlikely points out, are in the hands of the that they will take such a vonture- some step aloce they have neither rebels, and there is no reason for If France does not recognise the Franco Government, she will In the meantime, insurgent have lost the friendship of the headquarters in Balamanca state Spanish people for many years to that Republican attacks on the coms,” he concluded.—-*** Aragon front have been repulsed, Transoccan News Service.

bases nor harbours on the Atlan- tic coast."

gress, according to an announce-reanioraan News Service ment here to-day.

The Premier has commissioned the former Councillor to the Aus- trian National Bank, Mr. Morris, to instigate preparatory work

ried in Milan and honeymoon on Lake Maggiore.

Now the dream has been shat- tered and the Sultan will return to his native land still "single." Transocean News Service.

CLYDESIDE STRIKE MAY GO ON

London, April 17.

the "object of experiments by ir- responsible politicians.

"The chief problem to-day in Ta- ther to make Austria a peaceful German Commonwealth,” čludes the paper.- Reuter.

2011-

Echo To Berlin

Shooting Affray

Berlin, April 17. The three young men found. The Clydeside strike has enter- guilty of participating in the ed its fourth week with the possi-shootingaffray in the Beriln bility of graver developments tavern in 1932 in which one Next when it was decided that there was killed and four wounded were, will be a ballot of the strikers on to-day sentenced to death. Fine the disputed issue before a return other accused were sentenced to: to work and it it resulted in a varying terms of imprisonment. majority for the continuation of Reuter's Bulletin Service. the stoppage, It will be officially a ZAR,

MR. DE VALERA'S RUMOURS CONFIRMED

ESCAPE Washington: Confirmation of the visit of M. van Zeeland to Washing-

Mr. Morris has already conferred

Dublin, April 17. ton in July is forthcoming in off- | In London with the economic ad-

Mr. Eamon de Valera, President clal circles here, which state that viser to the British Government, of the Irish Free State, had a the Belgian Premier will presum: Sir Frederick Leith-Ross, and re- narrow escape to-day when his recognised. withholding recognition.

ably discuss the question of lower- presentatives of the Foreign Office car collided at high speed with 'a This decision followed a meet- ing tariff barriera,

and Exchequer, i Die | motor/van, "B

Playing in London between the delega-. He will interview President

Next Monday "Mr. Morris will Although no one was injured, Mr. tion from the Glasgow district Roosevelt and the Secretary of visit Paris, after which his in de Valera had to proceed in an- committee and the executive of State, Mr. Cordell Hull, on the vestigations will take him to vari-other car as his own was badly the Amalgamated ⠀⠀⠀ Engineering matter, though the official version ous other countries.-

damaged.

Unson, of the visit, is that he is coming | Transocean News Servica.

Transssan News Bervice.

Reuter.

::

PRES: LIN SEN DUE IN NANKING Shanghal April 17-President Lan/ Ben, who has been touring Kwangting, Kwangst, Hunan, and Hupen, is expected back in Nan king this afternoon.— Reuter: