PEASANT PARTY ISSUES APPEAL

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5302, 15 January 1947, Page 5

PEASANT PARTY ISSUES APPEAL

(Press Assn-

WANTS FREE ELECTION acts of terrorism condemned

-Rec. 9.30 p.m.)

LONDON, Jan. 14. The leader of the Polish Peasant Party, Mr. Mikolaczyck, broadcasting over Warsaw radio, speaks of the manner in which his party has been handled in the election campaign. In many districts he said the party had been declared invalid so it would not be able to contest these seats, but where the party had not been banned he appealed to all supporters to vote. He laid great stress 011 the provisions for* free elections in Poland which were contained in the Yalta

and Potsdam declarations. He said his party would appeal against attempts to invalidate its representatives and he eondemned acts of terrorism by employees of the elecioral commission. These, he claimed, were aimed at preventing a nation from expressing its will. Ambassador Involved in Underground Activity LONDON, Jan. 14. "The tracks of these spies lead j 1 traight to the doors of a certain Ambassador who transgressed against j ihe elemefitary rules of relations beI tween two friendly States," said the prosecutor at a niilitary tribunal in Warsaw in demanding the death lienalty for the three male accused in. the trial of Count Grocholski and others, says the Warsaw correspond- ( nt of the Times. The charges include betraying secrets to a foreign ; Power. "It is certainly not the intentic-n of the Government that sent this Amhassador here that he should accept information from members of a Polish underground organisation," the prosecutor added. "As a result of doing this he walked in to the hands of the security police at the underground organisation's liaison point. We have a high esteem for the country represented by this Ambassador and it is with the greatest 2*egret that I am obliged to say that that State is involved. "Our people are busy rebuilding their country and we must assume," ihe prosecutor said, "that the Ambassador slipped into false ways beeause he does not understand the now Poland — a Poland without counts and big estates." Red Students Attack Party Headquarters LONDON, January 14. A Warsaw eorrespondent says that a gang of armed Communist students raided the Peasant Party headquarters there, and beat up a member of the staff. Security police were called to the building while the raid was being made, but no arrests were made.