THE IBIZA INCIDENT.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 116, 2 June 1937, Page 4

THE IBIZA INCIDENT.

From overnight cabled reports now to ha,nd it seems fairly reasonable to gather tbat tbe international storm that might bave been raised by tlie incidents at Ibiza and the bombardment of Almeria is likely to blow over, for tbe present at any rate. Germany has declared ber wounded "bonour" -to ha.ve been quite satisfactorily salved by tbe wreaking of bloody reprisals on a practically defenceless city, while, of course,' there is no cbance of the Spanish Government effectively hitting back again. No doubt we shall have a good deal of diplomatic ta'lk back and forth among the cbancelleries, ,and possibly the League of Nations will conduct something in the way of investigation to ascertain wliere the blame really lies, but it can searcely go any further. On this head we so far have only the directly contradictory statements ladvajuced by the Spanish Government and by the German. The former alleges that its a,eroplanes were merely carrying out a reconnaisance over the island, that they were fired at by the Deutschand's guns >and responded by bombing her. In that case the fa,uit lies with Germany. The island being in the bands of the rebels, the Government 'planes were just as much entitled to look over or even to bombard it as the rebels are to bombard Bilba.o. That was no concern of the German warships, whose duty was confined to preventing the landing on Spanish soil of reinforcements or munitions of war from foreign countries. The Germans, of course, tell quite a differenb story, alleging that without provocation of any sort, the Spanish airmen started the game by delibera.tely bombing the Deutschland at andhor in waters where she was fully entitled to lie while off active patrol duty. There is, naturally, some difficulty in conceiving of the Spaniards being guilty of any such act of insanity. which could only help to make inatters worse for themselves without any possible conpensating advantage. Still, it has to be noted that the British Foreign Minister, probably with independent and fairly reliable information to guide liim, would seem io be accepting the German version of the origin of the incident. This being the case, the more sinister aspects of the affair would disappear and nothing be left but to deplore tbat Germany could see no other way of showing her resentment of the affront to her flag than by entering upon the slaughter qf some few score Spanish citizens and ihe destruction of their town. However, that would seem to^be the way of dictators, as Signor Mussolini also showed by the butchery at Addis Ababa. In the present instance, it may be set %p his credit that he would seem to have shown some restraint, for it was only a day or two earlier that one of his own warships had suffered damagc from Spanish aeroplanes, Ithough in no such deliberate manner as is now . alleged by the Germans. It is not, of course, at all safe to assqme that no further trouble will arise out of the Spanish situation, for matters still remain in very delieate, balance. There; cannot but he some grave doubts as to whether either Germany or Italy has been observing the strict neutrality implied in their participation in the agreement for non-intervention. As to what might happen if, as they threaten, they finally cut adrift from it no one may very well foretell. Mr, Eden is evidently doing his best to smooth their ruffled feathers and pejrhaps may bring them hoth back into the international fold. What possible ultimate schemes they may he concocting none may say, but it is to the good that Germany at any rate would appear just now to he very anxious to cultivate friendly relations with Great Britain. In the meantime the bombardment of Almeria give us some notion as to how thin .a veneer is this "civilisation" which everybody seems so desperately anxious to *'save " [A late message tells of the assemhly of an Italian fleet at Naples and of Germany contemplating sending more warships to the Mediternanean. Though this must read ominously, it may he hoped that it is only one more of the demonstrations of which dictators are so fond.]