IN SPAIN

Hokitika Guardian, 7 December 1928, Page 8

IN SPAIN

— GENERAL PRIAIO DE ISLVISRA, NAT! OX A[, RLERESCITE IN KUO. A! A DR 11), October Hi. In ;i.n (‘xdusivo interview granted lo me the .Marquis de its(e!la, Gener, General Primo de Rivera, deelared his firm intention of remaining in office until tin l cnnclnsion of the task which lie has set himself—the framing of a new and modern Constitution on tin; lines of progress in good order and discipline which the Directorate Government has set up since the coup d’etat of >oplembcr, 1023.

Tin's was the first interview that General Prime de Rivera lias granted to any newspaper since the celebration of the fiftli anniversary of the Dictatorship, which gave rise to a number of false rumours concerning the maintenance of peace and good order in Spain. ‘‘ f am pleased to have the opportunity through the “ Daily .Mail,” General de Rivera said to me when he received me in his study at the War Ministry, “ of reassuring the British Public as to the situation in Spain. Never have peace and good order been more complete.' “It is true that 'on the eve of the September IJH.Ii celebrations a certain number of temporary arrests were made by the police. Rut there should be no misunderstanding the I act that this was purely a police measure to restrain persons who it was thought might endeavour to create disorder

POLICE MEASURES. •• It was taken only in connection with a certain number of persons, many Opposition leaders, and some o'l them, the principal ones, were not interfered with, and to-day. with perhaps one or two exceptions, all tin* arrested persons, have been set tree.”

General Primo de Rivera, whose morning had boon occupied with his daily audience with King Allonso and with the enormous amount ol ministerial work which devolves on him. and just changed from his ceremonial unifarm into a well-worn khaki tunic, and pushing aside the documents on his table, he leaned forward to explain tm me the situation m S'phin and his own intentions. “ I intend and hope, granted life and good health.” he said, “to conduct the work which I started five years ago to a successful conclusion. That conclusion will he tin l proclamation d! a new Constitution. “ I Know what absurd rumours have been set afloat, and therefore 1 want to emphasise to you that my relations with the King are founded on the confidence he places in me. Prom the loginning and throughout these years 1 have been enabled to carry on with the great work or reconstruction in Spain thanks only to the continued trust put in me and the loyal help given me by his Majesty. “Tales as to differences of opinion between the King and my Government as to the line of conduct taken by my Government are merely fantastic. “ 1 can say more. All the chief powers of the State and the public institutions are faithful to the Directorate. The captains-general and the governors of provinces, the municipalities and tin* advisory provincial bodies, all of them have confidence in the Government and are patriotically faithful to it without any thoughts ol personal ambition or increment.

“ As to the Army, it is entirely lov;iI. It Ims nothing now to do with polities tuul is paving exclusive attention to the improvement of its technical training. ‘'This it is which forms the strength of the present dictatorship and which enables the Directorate Government to carry on with its task ot I famine the new Constitution. “ You ask me how the new Constitution will come into 'loree and at what date. Yvork on it is already progressing, and 1 trust that by the end ol kWh' everything av :il he ready for a plebiscite of the whole nation to he taken with regard to the fundamental laws which will form our new written Constitution. “ These laws will define the powers of the deliberative and legislative bodies and the administrative powers of the Government. The Constitution will also include laws governing the rights of association and public meeting and o ftho Press and police and municipal laws, and also, nalitralU. the electoral laws.

CRANKS AND COMMUNISTS. “ M’hen all these laws have been framed with the help of the present Assembly and the approval of King and Government they will be submitted to the people for their acceptance or refusal. This plebiscite will be open for. sav a week, and then if the new Constitution is accepted it will he proclaimed by the Government and have force of law. " l' reo elections will be bold, a Go\ernment lormed, and the new (onstitiition will have started its caieei. "I pride myself on the fact,” the general went on, “ that the opposition to my Government is at present >o small. You may have road newsp-pe: articles about a proposed united front against the Directorate. Allow me to tell you that opposed to tlm ‘22.000,000 Spaniards who are loyal to my Government there are barely 200.000 or. at the very most 300.000 persons. "There are mainly a banditti of cranks and fanatics, a lew Communists and Anarchists, some discontented functionaries, a few H.itieal leaders who have lost their jobs, and Imahy, those who find that under the new system there is no favouritism m the eyes o; tin, law or the tax collator. Aon

will notice that in this list I have not included the Socialists. “ I want to draw a very important distinction here. Jdo not say that the Socialist Party, shares entirely the views of the Patriotic Union, though countless workmen do, luit they are not opposed to us. I hey give the Directorate the credit lor all the social and economic work and progress it h s accomplished by the political parties ;n as many decades. “That is why the Socialists are not our opponents. They are Socialists who favour an orderly and progressive Government which ensures work and good pay for the working'classes. “My Government intends to continue this work of social progress and of encouraging both labour and industry until it can hand the task oil to whatever Government is lormed under the new Constitution, feeling assured that as [lie result of our eflorts such a Government will not he one ot party hut of genuine patriots with the interests of Spain alone at heart. “ I have been represented as a man fearing to leave this building unless I had an escort of armed men.” General Primo de Rivera said lo me as he sat hack in his chair and laughed. “ Why, | walk about as freely as any ordinary man. .Just the other day ■ went alone lor a long walk in too Retiro—the Ilvde Park; you would say, t,f .Madrid—and watched the children plaviug. I had not a soul with me. People recognise me all the time. Jliey take lheir hats off to me or else they cry ‘ Vive el General ; vivo el 1 residents.' “ I have no need to hide myself in .Madrid or anywhere, or to he escorted at midday or midnight. 'I he people know me. and 1 trust and believe that, they love me.”