Watching a War

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 71, 13 August 1914, Page 6

Watching a War

WORRIES OF CORRESPONDENTS. j A VETERAN'S CAMPAIGNS. S ENS AT lON A LISM CON DE M X ED. One of J-ho recent despatches about tin; operations in Belgium came from a veteran war correspondent, Mr William Maxwell, ,wdio is acting for tlje London Daily Telegraph. If there is any stirring, trustworthy news to be gained by fair means, this resourceful strategist, will be close to it. He went through the Balkan War, and 'had many memorable adventures, of which he described some in the March issue of the Nineteenth Century, His article, headed ''The War Correspondent in Sunshine and Eclipse," opened dramatically thus: "Tin: Avar correspondent has .shared the fate of the Tnrk in Europe. He has been driven from the field. For the .ttrst time since 1854 a war is in progress from which newspaper correspondent ale excluded. The Balkan states and Turkey, for reasons that no sane, man will question, have decided that a circle of silence shall be drawn round their military operations, and that their battles and sieges shall be recorded only in •rare and prosaic official despatches." Some lurid sensation-mongers —especially one Austrian —gave an abundance of unofficial thrills by the exercise of a lively imagination beyond the zone of censorship. ILLICIT "STORES" AND THE PENALTY. "The, purpose of an army, being to dtfeat tho enemy, not to provide interesting 'copy' for newspapers," -remarks Mr. Maxwell laconically, "the commander in the iield makes it his business to put obstacles between the correspondent and the telegraph wire." An unscrupulous recorder may elude a cordon, break his word, and "score" by the despatch of an uneensored message—a costly success. Others have to suffer ior the breach of faith. Every correspondent, with an army gives a solemn undertaking that he will send no message until it has been approved by tile' censor. This pledge is signed by the correspondent. as well as by the manager; or editor of the newspaper—but there is always one who will violate the undertaking, says Mr Maxwell, and, unfortunately for the profession, the faithless one boasts about his trickery in books or _newspapers. DEMAND AND SI.TPI Y. The public demand for news in time of war is boundless, but the means of supply—the facts are distinct from fiction —are restricted. Tile competition is keen, and some men are • tempted to resort to queer shifts in catering for the. popular appetite. In the old days, ,thc chronicling was deliberate; there was not tiie modern rush with the telegraph. "To meet ibis demand for full mid speedy i "ws an army of irregular correspondents is recruited whenever a war threatens," says Mr Maxwell. "Twenty year*- ago the. company of war correspondents was' smnll and select, and its privileges and traditions were, in safe hands. To-day. the number is legion. . . . The Hood of correspondents rises with every ivir. In the Omdurman campaign, there were sixteen, and Lord Kitchener said that they were numerous enough to form a battalion." In South Africa, there were many amateurs, as well as trained journalists. and in the Russo-Japanese War, there were scores Higer to follow t:ie armies. Two months before Mr -MaxTokio for Korea, fifty-six persons had applied to accompany the armies. _ They were a miscellaneous linn,;, soldiers, baronets, and an e\-convict. ■ SIDE-TRACKED. i About'a hundred tried to attach themselves to the Bulgarian army in the campaign against Turkey during IM2K>. These ambitious persons were mostly bottled up at Stariia, /agora, wlu;re they fretted and fumed, and were incensed by the bare, brief, ollicial bulletins presented to them daily. Here they stewed in indignation with military attaches. AGAINST THE TRIPLE ALLIANCE. Mr Maxwell that preference was given by the IJulgar authorities to journalists representing newspapers of countries in the Triple Entente. With the third and most important army, were representatives only of the Entente. Tiie only representative of the Triple Alliance at. Tehatalja was an Italian journalist, who was with the first army. "This exclusion of the Triple Alliance was deliberate," declares MiMaxwell, "for the Balkan States reeogI n.iscd in Austria a potential enemy---J (ieneral Savoll' made this clear to 'tiie unfortunate military attaches, who were never permitted to come within one hundred miles of active operations. Addressing ti'lie attaches at Stara JJagora. (.leneral Savoll', with native frankness. Used these words: "We have no intention of letting you see how we make war.' and as lie spoke his glance turned significantly towards the .military attaches oi Austria and Rouinaniii.'' WELL TREATED J!Y JAPANESE. .Mr Maxwell has warm praise for the courteous, considerate treatment of him by Japanese commanders and censor:.. Alter tlu; battle of Sha-lio, lie was informed by (general Fujii that his paper (then the Standard) had telegraphed recalling him (in the sco-re of expense. "If you care to star,', we will pay your sullary. \oiir expenses, and the eon I of conr cables," said the (icucrai. .Mr. Maxwell leplied tihat he could not be the paid agent, of an then came tins irresistible temptation:—"Perhaps vou would like to see the. lull yf l\,rt Arthur." The correspondent succumbed. A'Al!Wilis EXPEDIENTS, 111 Manchuria is was necessary to employ couriers, ehieily Koreans, who "ould walk two hundred miles almost without a. pause and would deliver a telegram with grcaier speed and rer!'»isity than a man ou horseback. llolteniots and Kallirs carried despatches out, of Lailynmitli during ;i,,. cage _ was pos-dde." he ,sa.s.. "line for esu h message «,fcl.v delivered. After sewra] of his runners had been captured -Mr .Maxwell took the precaution to scud every despatch four times, with I ills i I 1!: ,io' IS [i: tile lit'llc ollicc tha* Oll!r I the lir-ii, arrival was to be sent, !o Ix.iidon. I A story ol a lucky chance is told". .Mr jMa x'.v ■!] was viih the lil-i, l.aucer-. ! : j the Ivr-ptian cavalry in their man';, i along the banl-s of the Nile liefore tin l I buttle of Oimhirmau. "To send a «. •sage was impossible," he savs. !)„e allcruoon during a, hall. 1 .-aw a cloud on the horizon, anil, watching it, ear,,'ully. I canie {■> [fin. eoiicbi-don that. • < was Ihe a,,;,!:,. a st ,. nmir making iis way up Ihe river, .lictiring io cover ! haslily v. i-ote „ S su<.,.. de-'crPnn" urr " M!l 'l'iieu I sfro'ied !,;,„;• •!■ : wards the s!c 1: -;e : -. | again- i, Holding un'Vn eu- | veiojie and a stu'cr/ign, I made si' i o> i!is|-|-.'-,s; Al| A ■>< H tec g'iint of gold, pillaged fro.!, ;he deck, . !u; asllol'e. sei/.cii I. c- ~,. . and the sovereign, ran along the h ; >ni.; (lived into Uk, wafer, and reached tin steamer before my colleague.-:! in:;! realised what had 'happened. In the Balkan War, there accidents never happened. Lhey are not likely to h.'ippen frequently during the present war.