A semi-official delegation of the Spanish nationalist junta arrived here to-day, headed by the former foreign minister, the Duke of Alba, and including the Marquis Luca de Tena, owner of the monarchist paper "A.B.C.", and Senor Teiz Or, former Consul-General for Spain in Switzerland. The delegation will soon meet representatives of several South American countries, The Duke of Alba immediately sent a letter to the Credentials Committee of the League denying that the delegates of the Valencia Government had the right to represent Spain, but the Committee refused to take the note into consideration.—Havas.
Geneva, Sept. 13.
Senor Juan Negrin, in making the opening speech, declared that Spain, "which more than ever keeps intact her faith in the League of Nations,' regrets that most of the sacred principles of the Covenant have been continually broken. However, he said, the reform of the Covenant would not facilitate its application so much as the willingness of the men who constitute the League and who can make the Covenant respected.
Peiping, Sept. 13.
With the approach of dry weather, the Japanese are preparing for a new offensive in Hopei along a line west of the Peiping-Hankow Railway.
Large quantities of ordnance. munition and other supplies are being concentrated on the north-west bank of the Hun river, opposite the Chinese positions at Kuan, thirty miles south of Peiping.
Hundreds of pontoons are being built in readiness for an attempt to cress the river, which the Chinese are expected vigorously to oppose, since the success of the operation would endanger the Chinese defences on the Peiping-Hankow railway.
Five thousand cavalry and—2,000 cther troops encamped in Peiping moved towards the new front during the night.
"Scant Success"
Meanwhile, Japanese attempts to pacify the countryside round Peiping have met with scant success. Japanese aircraft are almost daily called on to bomb concentrations of guerillas at points close to the city, but it is reported that the chief victims of the bombings have hitherto been noncombatant villagers.
Weeks ago the Japanese deprived tne Chinese police of their arms as a precautionary measure, but re-cerly they were compelled to rearm 600 to assist in the maintenance of peace in the western suburbs of Peiping, where there is considerable foreign property.
At least 1,000 guerrillas are roaming the western hills under the command of the well-known bandit chieftain, Liu Kwei-tong, and many professional bandits.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.