SOUTH AFRICAN AFFAIRS.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 19 April 1901, Page 3

SOUTH AFRICAN AFFAIRS.

A Blue Book Issued.

[by ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH. —COPYRIGHT.]

(per press association.)

Received this day at 9 10 a m. London, April 18. A Blue Book dealing with South African affairs has been published. In a despatch dated Oth Milner foresees that the of the country will be more difficWt, harassing and expensive than was anticipated. It was useless to deny that the preceding half year has been one of retrogression. Seven months ago the Capo was perfectly quiet and tho southern half of the Orange Colony was rapidly settling down while a considerable portion of the '.Cramsvaal —notably southwest —appeared to be definitely reconciled to tho British. To-day tho scene has completely altered fighting has been carried on by the Boers mostly to secure supplies, and the country has been denuded by miscreants who want only to destroy the outlying mines. He hoped that foreigners on the Band, and who were not burghers, and. who had offended, would be deprived of the opportunities of gold-stealing and illicit liquor dealing. The brilliant dash by Heberts on Johannesburg saved the foundation of the Transvaal’s wealth. The necessity for concentrating forces on the lines of communication to Pretoria and Xomatipoort had left the quiescent parts of tiie country exposed. Burghers broke the oaths of neutrality on the pretext that they were not preserved from temptations and joined incursionists : hence there was a necessity for the formation of protection camps. | The guerilla “ wave ” had spread southwards, affecting Capo Colony, where pro-Boor agitation was of a criminal mendacity. The majority of the Dutch did not desire an invasion and ought to be screened by local defence. -V The only possible screen, owing to the immensity of area, was a response of loyalists to a call. This inspired the Dutch to respect it, seeing other whites equalling tho best in courage for personal service. Although tha loyalists were sick to death at tho war, and although many were ruined they wore almost unanimously preferring to carry on war indefinitely, rather than run tho ride of compromise and leaving a remotest chance of recurrence of scourge. They wore thus prepared to fight and suffer on for one flag, one political system from Capetown, to Zambesi; tho system by which to assure the highest justice and froodom to ah’