The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-10-31
Italians Begin Smash

Rome, Oct. 31-CUP)-TWo Italian columns were reported tonight to be about to close in upon the Greek town of Janina, 30 miles from the Albanian frontier.
 The columns were said to be con- ducting a picners operation in the drive against the Greek town, first community of any importance on the roads leading into Greece from AL bania.
 Italian column heads were said to have pushed up to within f1eld-glass view of Janina.
 The drive was being made, it was said, by one column of Alpine ber- sag lieri aided by Albanian regi- ments. This column circled southeast toward Janina from the frontier town of Perat. The other column headed in from Konispoli.
 French, Nazis CollabOrate
 Vichy, Oct. 31 = (UP) = Vice. Premier Pierre Laval, told news papermen at Paris tonight, that France and Germany will collabo- rate in colonial as well as econ- onic matters but said such collab- oration excludes all ideas of ag- gression."
 (Neutral reports repeatedly have suggested that France might grant the Axis powers bases in French African colonies and agree to share administration of Tunisia with Italy and of Morocco with Germany and Spain.)
 Laval received newspapermen at the Hotel Matignon in Paris where he now is negotiating with German penipotentiaries, Reports of his in terview were transmitted here.
 He warned that negotiations be- tween France and Germany were difficult as long as military opera tions were in progress but said that France was at present preparing an answer to German proposals. He said it was hoped to submit the answer soon.
 The collaboration of France and Germany, he said, would be design ed to "serve German and European as well as French interests"
 He did not expand on means whereby aggression" would be ex- cluded from the collaboration. l Laval said that he and two other French representatives had import ant technical conversations with German military and political au- thorities in Paris today. Asks Attack on Italy London, Oct. 31- (UP) = Lord Chatfleld, former first sea lord today proposed a vigorous drive against Italy which he characterized as the "enemy's weak spot" In radio address Chatfield said that those sea and air forces which we can spare from the defense of these islands against Germany should enable us to strike some vio- lent blows against Italy now"
 He said that he was not able to give the comparative strength of the British and Italian fleets in the Mediterranean but that the British were Table to contain the Italian fleet, hold the Sthaits of Gibraltar and protect the Seuz Canal"
 Addition of the 50 United States ldeStroyerS, he Sald, went 8 long way toward meeting what may well be an increased threat to our shipping. "
 Night Raid Alarms | London, Oct. 3l-(UP)-London's anti-aircraft batteries hurled up a barrage of shells through cloud formation tonight as the night air raid alarm sounded.
 The anti-aircraft batteries went to work as rescue workers still dug for bodies in a block of apartments demolished by German bombs ir last nights air attack.
 Miserable weather kept the Brit ish capital fairly free of bomb at- tacks during the day.
 Tonight's barrage was considera- ply heavier at the outset than that of last night. The guns sent g steady stream of shells up into the cloud banks. The explosion of the shells was impossible to observe from the ground because of tht clouds.