Batch eval problem

[Harry Putnam <reader@newsguy.com>]

Due to complications with homeboy scripting and a shoddy news to mail
setup, I find myself needing to run nnml-generate-nov-databases-1 on a
certain directory to clean up a mess left (duplicates) by flaws in my
imperfect setup.  My temporary cure is to delete the dups then run
n-g-n-d-1. 

While trying to perfect this setup, I'd like to run that command in
batch mode several times a day.  Finally figured out the command line
but don't understand certain aspects.  Examples:

$ emacs  -batch -f gnus-no-server -eval \
'(nnml-generate-nov-databases-1 "/mnt/hdc2/n2nnml")'

Fails with this error:
  [...]
  Reading /home/reader/.newsrc-enews.newsguy.com.eld...
  Checking new news...
  Trying to require a method that doesn't exist

$ emacs  -batch -f gnus -eval \
'(nnml-generate-nov-databases-1 "/mnt/hdc2/n2nnml")'
  (or -f gnus-slave)

That works but queries the nntp server and does other things I'd
rather not bother with.  However in both cases I get queried about
reading the autosave file:
   Gnus auto-save file exists.  Do you want to read it? (y or n)

Which rules out running this unattended.  

1)
Can anyone tell me why using `-f gnus-no-server' fails in that way.
Is it simply that I've told gnus to use no servers then demand an nnml
server be used?

Is there something I could load that would prevent that particular
failure, yet still not query the nntpserver?

2) 
How can I prevent the query about autosave file, or at least have it
auto answered.