NO SUBSTITUTE YET FOR CIVIL CONTROL

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5325, 11 February 1947, Page 5

NO SUBSTITUTE YET FOR CIVIL CONTROL

! (Press Assro.-

palestine government . * " V. i I ADDITIONAL MOVES TO SUPPRESS TERRORISM

—Rec. 9.80 p.m.)

JERUSALEM, Feb. 10. j The Palestine Government j at present contemplated 110 substitute fbr ihe civil administration, but clearly, in the „ situation created by terrorists,. the -Government had ;io. pre- ! pare for all eventualities. The High Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sir Alan Cunningham, made this statement to. Mrs. Meyerson and' Mr. Eliezer Kaplan, Jewish agency presentative.t He told 'them that the recent acquisition of buildings was purely a security -measure. The inconvenienee caused by the a-cquisition was regretted, but the Government could not take the responsibility for its neeessity. General 'Cunningham asked the Jewish community t0 maintain tran--quility while efForts were heing made to solve the Palestine problem. The Government later announced that all passenger railway services between Jerusalem, Lydda and Haifa would be cancelled from February 11 "owing to the security situation." Mrs. Meyerson, after seeirig General Cunningham, convened Ahe Jewish agency executive for urgent consultations. She told the executive that General Cunningham had reiterated the ultimatum demanding the Jewish agency's -co-operation in measures taken to suppress the terrorists.

The Jewish agency executive has I completed the draft of its reply to the Palestine Government's letter aslciit-g for co-operation to combat terrorism. One message from Jerusalepi forecasts that the agency neply will reject outright co-opera-tion, but will promise the support of the Jewish community to combat terrorism by stern methods. Sailors Attacked By Jews When Ship Intercepted JERUSALEM, February 10. A Jewish refugee ship named Negev, carrying mere than 600 passengers, was capturedi outside territorial waters and will be brought to Haifa. It is officially stated tliat a Royal Air Force reccnnaissance plane spotted tlie ship and a British destroyer later took her into custody.

| Government officials said the boarding party met "some opposition." Reuter's correspondent says the illegal immigrants threw bottles and -iron bars at the british naval boarding party which . tried to board the Negev, a two-masted schooner. Oue Jew was wouncled in the leg by a richochetting bullet fired in the air as a warning. Sailors from the British destroyer threw tear gas canisters ahoard the schooner, but the refugees threw them into the sea. Several Jews were slightly injured during seuffles before the resistance was overcome. The authorities sighted three small boats off the coast near Ca'esarea and am-ested nine Jews. The police believe the boats may have been assigned to assist the landing of th'e Negev's passengers. Troops of the -Sixth Airborne Division are moving into Haifa pre-^ paring for the arrival of the Negev. The whole port has been cordoned off and is heavily guard'ed by tanks and armoured cars in case of possible trcuble from terrorists. ' The Jewish community in Haifa declared a two hours' general stri'ke following a British announcement that fehe Negev would be sent to Cyprus. It is believed the ship came from France. She was flying the Cuban fiag. No Resistance Later , A later message stated that at Haifa more than 600 illegal Jewish immigrants have been taken from a two-masted schooner. The immigrants offered very little resistance, ancl embarked quietly on the steamer Empire Hayward for Cy.prus, a contrast to the stiff resistance they p-ut up to a British naval boarding -party who intercepted them -at sea.