CABLE NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 295, 13 December 1901, Page 3

CABLE NEWS.

By Electric Telegraph—Copyright,

BOER WAR. GENERAL ITEMS. PER PRESS-ASSOCIATION. London, December 11. At a conference of Bo°r delegates at Brussels it was resolved to ask Steyn and Schalkburgar their views cF the situation, especially the burghers' opinions on the question of the possibility of acknowledging fo-m .1 British suzerainty.

At a banquet at the British Chamber of Commerce at Paris, Sir Edmund Monson, British Minister to Prance, prot' sted against audacious and persistent misrepresentations of tbe methods of warfare in South Africa. Hesaid thoughtful, educited foreigners, especially military men of high rank, did not believe them.

General Hamilton, by a night march, capturfd the Betbel commando at Arichirdafonfrin. Seven Boers were killel and 131 captured. Bkussels, December 11.

In the Belgian Chamber, M. Vandtrve'l ', a Socialist member, quoting Miss Hobhouseand oth<ir Arglo Boers, Dsked whether Belgium would j>in in collective steps on behalf of the Boer women and children in the concentration camps. M. da Favereau, Minister for Foreign Affiir?, r plud that Bel gium was unable to take tin initiative. Eogknd hid declare! that she wouM admit of no intervention, and he did not anticipa'e collective ac<i in. Melbourne, December 12.

Mr. Birton sfates that in the opinion of. the Federal Gove nment the presen 1 posi'ion of affairs in South Afiica does not warrant the colonies in sending •further troops. If official intimation is made that • fur'.hev <ontingents are wanted it will be considered. The New Smith Wales Premier confid ti.« the State has dnne its fair share in providing troop?. If the Federal G'v>-rnmeot chose to tnke the responpibi'i'y of sanding mora men it could do 6".

The Queensland Premier Approves cf sending anotl e'- Con ingent and thinks Mr.' Barton bhould have offered one lorg ago. COMBINED COMMANDOS DRIVEN NOnTH.

HUNGARIAN HORSES FOR BRITAIN. Received 12, 10.31 p.m. London, December 12. A force of combined commandos was thrice repul'ed while attacking the grain depot a!; Tont llboachkop, in Oape Colony. Most of the attackers retired northward. Theron's commando has doubled back to Bi<? River. Buda"esth, December 12. The Hungarian Premii-r has declined to prohibit tre sale of horses to Great Britain. H« dechrrd that the great Bri-ish nation deserved to be held in | high e iteem SCATTERED COM MAN 008. A HORRIBLE AFBATR. Received 13, 0.24 a in. Losdon, December 12. Lord Kitchener is at Standerton, directing army movements. Botha, with a large commando, is north t ast of Vryheid. Colonels Broidwod and Byng have dispeised De Wet's foic-, which was hovering in the vicinity of Kroor.stad and Lindlsy line of blockhouses DeWttand S eyn, wi:h 100 meD, have gice to Senekal. Prinsloo, with the remainder of tne force, was driven in the direction of Bethlehem. The War Office has publ'shed Lord Kitchener's statement implicating O'mmandans Mjburg, Hertzog, Malan, Tneron and Scbeapers in the coU-b 1 "' murder tf sixty Kaffirs

Reichstag and the Government to take the initiative and stop the war.

BANNERMAN'S SPEECH CRITICISED. REFUGEES RETURNING TO THE RAND. Received 13, 0.31 a.m. London, December 12. Mr. W." Bobson, M.P. for South Shields, in an outspoken letter to the Times indignantly repudiated Sir! Henry Oampbell-Bannermaa's charges j of deliberate and wanton cruelty during i the war. He says that British leniency j h*s been converted into a weapon l against herself. Sir Edward Grey, speaking at Bristol, said he did not object ta farm burning if it would shorten the war. Lord Kitchener is allowing four hundred refugees weekly to return to the Band. The number of stampers at work ia being increased by a hnndred per week. BPEECH BY MR BRODRIOK. BRITAIN "WILL ACOKPT NO HALF SETTLEMENT." Received 13, 0.35 a.m. London, December 12. Mr St. John Brod rick, speaking at Glasgow, accused the Bo?r ambulances of gross breaches of the rules of war. Boars had twisted the legs of the wounded in order to secure their boots and spurs, and s'-o" some wounded and treated Kaffirs aw f uUy, He accused Sir H. Oampbell-Bannerman of strbbing the army in the back. Every letter from the front, ha declared, was in opposition to theanti-British speeches and continental sympithy, which only aided theprolonga'ion of tbe war. Before long tbe bandits in the field wou d no longer be treated as belligerents. The Government would accept no half settlement, and any fresh overtures must come from the j Boers. Lord Milner had proposed to break up most of the concentration camps, reduciog the number of these 1 confined, and sending the overflow to : the coast districts in the Cape and I Natal.

NEWS OF THE SEVENTH CONTINGENT.

Wellington, December 12,

The Premier has received the follow-1 iug cable from Lieutenant-Colonel Porter: Operating again't B deHcned commandos No general engigement,. but several skirmishes and i.ight mrprisaß. Amongst the captured were two field cornets, while 70 Boers surrendered. We also captured 960 rounds of ammunition, 18 waggons, 270 horses, 8 carts and 30 trek oxen. The health of the regiment is good, and all ranks are cheerful." Auckland, December 12. In reply to representations by Mr. Napier the Defence Minister states he will authorise an advance of £5 to each returned trooper..