London, July 30.
Well-informed circles here are wondering whether the renewal or air attacks against British merchant vessels in Spain will not result in the British Government seeking a further definition of "defensive armaments" for these vessels authorized by neutrality laws dlstinguishing between merchant ships and warships.
Authoritative circles would like to see installed on these vessels four-inch anti-aircraft guns, to be used purely for defence. Naval and military circles stressed the importance of this decision for convoys of merchant vessels thus equipped.
Recently, the Admiralty decided to organize a course of artillery "instruction for merchant marine officers to train them to the use of artillery in war.
According to information received from reliable sources, most of the merchant ships recently constructed in British yards have had their hulls and decks reinforced in some spots to permit the mounting of small-calibre guns."—Havas.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.