With General Franco's victory parade through Madrid a thing of past history, the world will watch anxiously to see whether the promise of Signor Mussolini to withdraw the Italian troops from Spain directly that formality was concluded will be carried out or not. Happily the reports, which are up to the present available, suggest that some at least are being repatriated, 1,000 men having already arrived in Naples, while it is reported that no fewer than five ships were leaving it port for Cadiz engaged upon a similar errand. Thus it remains to be proved when ther the only remaining trophy of Mr. Chamberlain's policy of appeasement will stand as something of a permanent success or whether that also will follow other achievements into the discard. When General Franco completed his victory over the Republican Government it was anticipated that these troops would be immediately sent back home in accordance with the Anglo-Italian Agreement. Some disappointment was felt, first, when it was announced that they would not be returned until after a victory parade had been held, and, second, when the date of that parade was postponed. The repatriation of one thousand men, and the prospect of several thousands following as quickly as possible, should serve greatly to improve feelings in Europe, though there can be no real satisfac-lion until it has been shown that the Italian engagement entered into with Great Britain is carried out in its entirety. It is to be hoped that this will be the case, for, should it prove to be, it will be one of the best contributions towards the furtherance of the task of ensure ing peace that could in the present circumstances be made. That attempts will be made both by Germany and Italy to wield an overpowering influence over the Spanish Govern" ment may be taken for granted, but it is also to be assumed that at any rate for the time being, and for some time to come, General Franco will be too busily engaged in repairing the wreck to which so much of Spain has been reduced to wish to embark with the dictator states on policies to which they have already committed themselves. It may be a long time before Great Britain will consider the time ripe to extend to Spain that financial aid of which it is claimed that country is in great need. The times do not warrant much lending of British money abroad on the Continent, and until it is quite certain that such money would not be used for the purpose of strengthening Spain as an adherent to the Rome-Berlin Axis it had better remain where it is at present.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.