“Taranaki Central Press” SATURDAY, JUNE 26, ,1937. EUROPEAN CRISIS.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume V, Issue 457, 26 June 1937, Page 4

“Taranaki Central Press” SATURDAY, JUNE 26, ,1937. EUROPEAN CRISIS.

The European situation again takes on an ugly look. Germany and Italy have withdrawn from the non-intervention committee formed to localise the Spanish war, which means that they hold themselves free to continue their support of General Franco. In Germany there is talk of independent action against the Valencia Government and an excuse may be found for another bombardment of some Spanish port. The French are very uneasy. “Pertinax,” the well-known political writer, says that France cannot tolerate further menaces of mobilisation. The British Government is disturbed because the promised visit of the German Foreign Minister to London was abruptly cancelled. If Franco wins in Spain the Peninsula will have a fascist government dominated by Germany and Italy and obviously hostile to France, which will thus have potential enemies on three frontiers. And Germany and Italy, in return for their support of Franco, will have command of the Spanish mineral resources, especially of iron ores. strong line by either France or Britain at the outset of the Spanish quarrel would probably have averted all the international trouble, but France was distracted by her domestic difficulties and Britain was unwilling to risk another such failure as she experienced when she took the leadership in the intervention of the League of Nations on behalf of Abyssinia. Moreover, Britain is playing for time to complete her armament programme and will do nothing to precipitate another war'. It is also true that neither Germany nor Italy wants a uropean war, but Italy, with German support, is establishing herself in a remarkably strong position in the Mediterranean, and Germany is getting the raw materials she needs. The greatest danger lies in the fact that there are huge accumulations of munitions m every country in Europe.