Guatamalan Troops Flown To Border

Chronicle (Levin), 9 March 1948, Page 5

Guatamalan Troops Flown To Border

Roeeived Montlav, 9.50 p.m. NEW YOR K, A ! a r. S. Guatftmalan t roops with full iiehi ('(juipiiHMit were tlowu in traiispori phuit1? into tho IVton aroa vesterday to htj-cnf>tluMi the guard ncar the Briti^li llornluras frontier, says ihe Associateii Bress's rorrcspondem at Flores. The • (Inaternala troops landed 011 airlields liaeked ont oi' the juiigle in a region aecessiblo only . by plane. The centre of the troop eoneetitration apparentlv will be Flores, a town of 7000 on an island in Lake Pelen. The soldiers will be distributed aniong*the tinv garrisons throughout the jungle area. Guatemalan oliicers said that to avoid frontier incidents the }>arrisons direetly adjoin ing the border would not be augniented. The correspondent, referring to a (iuatemalan report that 1.100 British troops had been sent to the (Juatenialaa border (denied by the British autholdtiv'S), says that lie walked a considerable distance along the border vesterday and later flew over the area, but did not see a single soldier in British llonduras or sign^ of troop encanipnints. United Slates comniercial interests have now liecome direetly involved for the lirst time in tlie British dispute witn Guatemala. The closing of the frontier bel ween British Honduras and Guatenpra has haited the operations of three, Anierican 'ti niber. conipajiies who work iu tiie mahogany forests acfoss the border in (iuateniala. The only wav the eoiiipanies can get their timber to the sea is across the border to Beli/.e. An investment of nearlv 1,000, 000 dollars is believed to be involved. Onelof the conipanies alone has a eontract , to fell 10,000 trees just inside the Guate I, nialan border for royalties of 4(5 dollars : a tree. Most of the lumberjacks are . British subjects. J The season for running trees to Belize , is short and, if the frontier closing is prolonged, the wliole season mav be , lost . British Honduras and Guatemala are now eompletely eut ofl' by land, sea and- j air. The latest Guatemalan raove has . been to refuse landing rights in Guatemala to Ihe tri-weekly air service be- ' tween Betize and Guatemala Citv. *