THE BOER WAR.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 3 December 1901, Page 2

THE BOER WAR.

The news from South Africa is as contradictory as it possibly can be made. Yesterday we were told that the war—if such it can now be called —has assumed a new phrase; was practically on its last legs ; the Boers could not stand longer. To-day we are told of fresh surrenders; and then of further invasion of Cape territory by the Boers, who bandit like were plundering British and Dutch alike. But the vyorst feature—and one that

has been going on all along is the paragraph which tells us that the Boers are constantly escaping from the concentration camps and rejoining commandos regardless of their oaths of neutrality. Of course so long as this goes so, so long will the struggle continue. A number of Boers in a starving condition and in rags surrender, take the oath of neutrality, and are sent into these concentration camps. There they are all well fed and clothed ; and in point of fact get themselves again into good fighting condition. As soon as this is accomplished they apparently “clear out,” possessed of much valuable informa tion, and, after the custom of the race, disregarding their oath, again join the enemy and commence the attack anew, well braced up with solid British food and clothing. And yet we hear Bannerman and other such traitors prating about the harsh treatment of the enemy. It is a little harsh treatment that is required, and the sooner every Boer caught a second time is shot the better it will bo for all concerned, and the earlier will the struggle terminate. With such experience it seems most extraordinary that better precautions are not taken to prevent such escapes, it being patent to all that the Boer has no regard for his oath. Had the Boers to deal with any other power, there would be a score shot every morning, and fear, the only deterrent with the Boer, kept prominently and constantly before his eyes. Had this course been adopted from the first, there would have been no fighting in South Africa to-day, and thousands of lives and millions of treasure been saved