THE AUTHORISED CORRESPONDENTS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2300, 6 November 1914, Page 6

THE AUTHORISED CORRESPONDENTS

A LONG WAIT IN LONDON. Some light is thrown .011 the position of the great London newspapers.. and their war correspondence by the following message published by the "Man- . ohester Guardian" from its London correspondent on September 1,4: —"As most people in Fleet Street know, _ a party of twelve war correspondents, including, men of long and honourable experience, were selected more than a month ago by the AVar Office and the proprietors .'of the leading English newspapers _ and agencies to accompany our Expeditionary Force in the field. They have loyally observed every condition laid down in the War Office regulations Acting on tlio instructions of the Press officer detailed by the War Office to. control their proceedings,' they have engaged servants, purchased horses, and helped to arrange for,their mess. In the hope of receiving orders at; any moment most of them have patiently remained in London, while other correspondents unauthorised by the War Office have gone roaming, about Belgium and Franco in motors, seeing and chronicling something'at air events of the realities in this greatest of wars. Yet they wait week after week; no order comes from headquarters; at the War Office they are repeatedly put off, and their patience is wearing thin. In the public interest, as well as, their own, many of'them mot on Saturday morning and drew up a letter to Lord Kitchener, simply stating the facts of the case, pointing out in what a difficult position they and their papers were placed just because they had been selected for their ' special qualifications, and asking whether he could not fix.a definite and early date for their departure.. I hear vaguely ' that there is now some talk of guiding them officially over the old battlefields ! at a future time. Queer notions of jourlialisin some people- have." 1