THE NEW SPAIN

Hokitika Guardian, 4 June 1929, Page 7

THE NEW SPAIN

FROM CHAOS TO PROSPERITY.

FIGHT TO CRUSH CORRUPTION.

GENERAL PRIMO INTERVIEWED

BY SIR PERCIVAL PHILLIPS.

MADRID, April 15

Asked if ho would give me his own account of recent events in Spain, Gen era 1 Primo de Rivera, the Spanish Dictator, replied:— “ You will hear at once from my lip*-

the truth, and for this reason you will •lot hear anything new or sensational, fbe truth is the truth, and if we disort it in order to give novelty to the

acts it lacks merit. “From the first moment when the sparks oif a revolutionary attempt fwhich did not go beyond an attempt) flashed in Spain, I saw to it that the opinion of the country should he correctly informed by myself. I did not leave this task in the hands of other people, for I consider it my duty and one oif the principles of the Government since it assumed power. “ The wayward and undisciplined atitude of some sections of the Artillery

orps, whose contention lacks popular support, was taken advantage of by disappointed politicians, covetous of ’•ecovering the profits of power, to prepare a parody of a revolution which did not even start. There was not' a single victim in the streets, and events passed off in such a manner that the inter •ention rtf the Government and afterwards of the law was sufficient to put an end to the abortive movement.

“From that moment, at the same time as the abortive revolts which had been planned, began a fallacious campaign of opinion abroad in the effort to create feeling against the Spanish Government, this being stimulated by financiers who fish in troubled waters—.„+oToSfs which saw the finish of then: Illicit profits U'rom Spain brought about by the marked renascence of Spain’s vitality, and also by the above-men-tioned unadaptable ‘ supermen.’

“ The incident of the students was also taken advantage of by agitators enemies of the present regime, but without success. They attempted to paint us as prosecutors of the University. Nothing is ifartlier from the truth. The Government could show to the world many of its acts as proving that it is a decided protector of national science and literature. What ’t would not tolerate was that party politics should be entrusted to professors. A Royal Commission has been charged to investigate the recent occurrences, and 1 am awaiting their report, which will be presented to the Government, and by which the latter miii-o MgJjre and decide.

R EBELLTOUS PROFESSOR S

“T suppose that it will cause stupefaction abroad to learn that in Spain there existed a miltiary corps in which it. was impossible to he promoted for merit—however evident that merit might he,, add however many guarantees were furnished in support of it and although the Government ordered it. The Corps, within a period of si>: months, would compel the promoted officer hv coercion to accept a lower rank or leave the service. And this was permitted constantly by Govern ments which presumed to defend the sovereignty of the public power. “ From this latent rebellion sprang a hundred other troubles, which have been gradually extinguished, but there still remained the question off our university professors, who in many cases are ungovernable and more petulant than learned. The Dictatorship has never intervened nor restricted the liberty of the professorial chair in professorial matters.

“ Now this contention, already settled by law, has come forward again and there yet exists the spirit cf professors young in years, but who belong to old regime, which tolerated aIT excesses and which brought Spain to the state of decomposition which we all

now was her condition in 1923, when assassinations occurred with impunity n the streets; when only those paid taxes who wanted to. or who were without political influence ; when everv..vlv ov'ppt the Government governed; when the Press, the parliament, the corporations, or the syndicates destroy■u a Government every six months.” I asked General Primo do Rivera i'*' ihe opposition to the present regime was confined to the military, or if it Vended to the general mass ol the population.

THE CENSORSHIP. “Every regime finds opposition,” he

replied. “Moreover, it is necessary that a regime should have opposition which should be the contrast of its atlitilde, hut it should he noble and should combat the Government with sincerity and patriotism. I do not consider worthy of this description the opposition winch has recently been of--11:]'0< 1 10 US.

“tt tines not possess any importance, either in the quality or the number of tile persons who have tried to form that opposition. The people of Spain v(install.ly give me proofs of their friendliness. When J go for a vfaJk, which i like tci do, I am on every occasion recognised by the people with explosions of real affection.”

I pointed out that there had been many complaints against the censorship. and asked why this was allowed

to function in a manner which was detrimental. to the interests of Spain, altli High never to the detriment of the foreign Press.

“The censorship in spain does not suppress the liberty of the Press’ replied General Primo de Rivera. “What it does is to prevent licence which is used for defamation and scandal and for the spread of impious, rebel, and false ideas. The Government is primarily interested that the country should know the facts and the truth behind the facts and not ho misled by malign and evilrintentioned versions of events which a journalist hostile to the Government wishes to publish.

“I do not believe that the Government of any country lias done more that the Government of Spain in this respect, as can he seen from the semiofficial Notes giving the sober and exact truth concerning events, even at the most difficult time. The country has known how to understand and appreciate and has shown itself always disposed to suppot the policy of the Government in this respect.

“This point of view is adopted In the censorship in Spain. It is appliei. not only to oue national Press but to the foreign information agencies; and I appeal to the evidence of their representatives in Madrid to show with what diligence i have responded to every request made to' me to give information for foreign circulation. Thai section of the Press which indulges in fantastic and distorted versions of the until in naturally- much hampered by the daily publication of semi-official Notes by the Government because these Notes permit the people to form an exact idea of the true situation.” SPAIN HAS AWAKENED.

“And what of the future?” I asked. “It is difficult to he a prophet,” he replied, “but if we think logically of the facts and judge by the past the future will be the consequence of the present situation.' Spain has a tendency to progress. She appears to liave wakened front the lethargy into which she had fallen through so many years of maladministration, and, as you will have been able to appreciate, she is giving proofs of an intensity of international life such as she has never done before.

tjjie has a splendid and privileged geographical situation in Europe, and an exceptional position with relation to the American continent. The Spanish language is the most widely spoken in the world, and only compares with English in regard to the number of persons who habitually use it. Countries which possess ,means of material and intellectual communications of the first class can never die, and their importance must continually increase.” .

I asked General Primo de Rivera if he would tell “The Daily Mail” how Spain had benefited by the present regime.

“Yes,” he replied without tion!. ‘The ,terrorism! and growing Communism which existed in the country in 1923 have disappeared. The Spanish zone of Morocco has been pacified, and the region is now being brought, up to the standard of European civilisation. The whole legislation of the country is undergoing progressive modifications, lnit this work has not yet been completed.

INDUSURIES NATIONALISED.

“More than 0,000 schools have been built, 'the budget for public works, agriculture, and communication., speaks for itself. We have tlio mosi modern social legislation, Spain being the country winch has the greatest number of international agreements for workers. The nationalisation ol many industries is another accomplishment of this Government, while the placing of the national finances on a healthy basis has already resulted in the balancing of the Budget and in important financial reforms. “1 submit these significant facts to you. They speak for themselves. During your journey through Spain you will see other evidences of progress, such as the improved condition of our cities and roads, which 1 think will fully satisfy the most exacting tourist who visits us.”

•I suggested to the Prime Minister that the attitude of the Government towards industry was of great interest abroad.

“We have developed a policy of intervention in industry,” lie replied, “to regulate and methodise our production, bringing it in line with the capacity of tlu* umntry, and putting it. in a condition to compete in foreign markers. Our basic industries derived from agriculture and cattle breeding have developed extraordinarily. Other industries which .ire vital for the national economy, among them the steel industry, have reached the technical ncrfoitiVm which is a characteristic of the most advanced countries. This does not signify that we wish to exclude from our markets foreign productions which mean facilitating the extension of our own industries, or exclude justifiable preference in our internal markets. “The entire economic reorganisation

o. Spain, from the better utilisation of her si.il up io improved systems of ioreign commerce, which are about to i,e introduced through the Bank of Foreign Commerce, created a few days ago, fi.rnis the work of the Government

in this held of effort. As a consequence of this policy mercantile expansion directed IpenferentiaUy towards various European and American markets will he initiated immediately, and in this way Spain is assured of a definite future of prosperity.

“You have mentioned the forthcoming exhibition at Seville. This exhibition has the extraordinary merit of being the first complete showing made- hv the Spanish American Republics in Europe. Such a manifestation should logically take place in Spain, and we are proud to think that the favourable economic and political consequences which may he obtained by those countries front the exhibition will have been hrough about by an enormous effort made by Spain.”

SAFETY FOR. FOREIGNERS

I mentioned the unfavourable impression which had been created abroad by sensational stories of unrest in Spain, and the mistaken belief that foreigners were ill-advised to come here for this reason.

“It is astounding to think than anyone doubts the safely of foreigners visiting Spain,” replied General Primo de Rivera with great emphasis. “The thousands of tourists who go about in our country can testify not only to tiie guarantees of safety which they and on all sides, hut also to the tradi.ional hospitality which they receive everywhere. • “The Government has not even dreamed of taking any special measures to- assure those guarantees, and .lie fact that numerous congresses of .in international character are being field in Spain, and above all that the Council of the League of Nations i.v to meet in Madrid in a short time, arc obvious proofs of the absolute and indisputable: confidence with which the Government guarantees respect for ant' the security of foreigners.”

I asked the Prime Minister if there wore any important phases of the nev. policy of reconstruction and progress in which he wished to dwell. He replied: “The story would lie interminable if l went into all the aspects of this work, but I would • like to cite briefly the great social effort which we are realising in creating a new juridical structure to regulate the relations between capital and labour, based on the parity committees and the guild system. These have for their basis a strictly objective and democratic standard.

“The social pacification of Spain, the foundation of its prosperity and the starting point ol the development we confidently anticipate, is due in great part to this legislation for workers, which is understood and appreciated by employers and employees, as a rational application of the spirit of justice to their mu ( ual relationships.’ 7

“Do you intend to retire from public life when your work if finished?” “Emphatically yes. As soon as I have succeeded in endowing Spain with a combination of just and modern laws, by which the goverment of the country can be made possible, and at the moment when good citizenship and culture make unnecessary the furthei existence of an exceptional dictatorial regime, I shall retire to private life.

BACK TO THE ARMY.

“Neither my physicial powers, from which one cannot demand miracles, nor circumstances which I have mentioned would induce me to come bach to power. On the other hand, I do mm think that it would he necessary again, since Spain is not the same as she was before 1923. The nation wopld not again submit to the political bondage and the vexations which she suffered patiently in former times. “You ask who will succeed me when 1 retire? When that time arrives it will be for the King and the nation to decide. What I can affirm is that while 1 enjoy the-confidence of my Sov ereign and of the nation I shall no. abandon power until our work has been entirely finished by the drafting of a new Constitution which will re-ostah iish the normal political life of the country. “After that I shall retire from a time to my family home, Which I have neglected for so long, and then, il 1 preserve my good health, I shall return whole-heartedly to my old profession—the Army, which I love most because to it I owe the greatest satisfactions (sic) of my life. At the same time, it is also true that from my military career emanated my greatest disappointment in the discovery of conditions which made impossible that indispensable cordiality between various branches of the Army the'existitioe of a type of mind built on exessive pride and defending tenaciously ..nd confusedly certain absurb and nudist claims to privilege. “My greatest pride when, at the end if my mission, I am asked. What, have you done during these years: will be to answer, M came to govern and have governed.” He shook hands with a hearty grip and came with me toward the anteroom where Ministers were awaiting o see him. The long working day, of which this conversation was but the merest fragment, was hardly half over. Like every other working day in the room of silence and shadows, it lasted far into the night.

General Prinio de Rivera is the relont'ess taskmaster of the Prime Minister of Spain.