THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 1901.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 97, 17 January 1901, Page 2

THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 1901.

The figures given by the AgentGeneral in his recent telegram as to the war in Smith Africa am anything but pleasant reading, ile says : “The British troops in South Africa number 210,001), ami are composed as follows : Regulars U2,U00, Militia 20,000, Colonials 30,000, Yeomanry 8000, and English Volunteers 7000,“ or a total of 203,000 men. Most people were of opinion that about 153,00 b was the largest number of British troops that had ever been in South Africa. It appears now there were over 208,000. The deaths from all causes total 12,700, an appalling number when the magnitude and resources of tim Empire are considered, especially in respect to the care that could have been bestowed on men who are wounded or injured. Many of the troops have been sent home, no doubt, but they have been mostly those that were invalided. Of the Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders, totalling some 11,220, about 4250 have been sent homo. Supposing the same proportion to have held right through and that a third of the men have returned, there would still be some 170,000 British troops in South Africa, and apparently this is not enough. Allowing 100,000 men to guard the lines of communication, there would still remain some 70,000 for active operations, and we are told that there are about 10,000 Boers now in the field, which is another surprise. The general belief, we think, was that 5000 or 6000 was the largest number how fighting. But at all events, according to the Agent-General’s figures, there should be about 70,000 British troops free to operate against 16,000 of an enemy. And yet reinforcements are to bo poured in from home, and the colonies are to,send more contingents, that from New Zealand—-500 men—being the largest sent yet. It must be confessed that all this does not seem very satisfactory. When Lord Roberts left, we were told his policy of conciliation had failed and that Lord Kitchener was the man who would soon bring the Boers to their senses. He would burn the farms, turn out the women and children, shoot all the Boers he could, and generally, them with mortal terror. Two months or more of the Sirdar’s regime do not seem to have resulted very happily. The farms have been A

duly burnt and the women and children duly turned out, but tiu-Agent-General’s telegram says, ‘‘ The farm burning and other drastic measures are responsible for having made the enemy light with desperation and with some success. Much outlying country has been abandoned to them, but they have failed to break our lines of communication. Their numbers have increased since October, and now there are about 16,0U0 in the field.” This does not seem a very satisfactory outcome of the new policy, considering the risk that Britain runs by the adoption of such a policy. We refer to the risk that there may be attached to Britain the odium that attached to Spain in its treatment of the Cubans of late years, and to the same country in former times, when its troops, under the Duke of Alva, overran the Netherlands. We have no desire that Britain should be handed down in the history of the future with a reputation for brutality and cruelty, such as Spain earned for InrS' IP, even though in this case there is a more justification. The practical lesson that seems cleat from the disagreeable events of the Boer War is that there musi bo a thorough reorganisation o. the Biitish army. It would probably do a vast amount of good if, after the war is over, there could be an exhaustive enquiry into its whole conduc. 'and management, political and military. We have no doubt, however, that no such enquiry will he held. The Government is not at all likely to permit any too searching investigations into any sins or blunders of omission or commission that may have been committed on our side. But we take it that the whole nation will, as one man, demand reorganisation of the Army. There is no need of official enquiries or investigations as to the question of whether there are not a good many screws loose somewhere in the matter of the British Army as at present constituted. One thing, however, is certain. The bravery, pluck, indomitable will and energy of the men are just the same or better than ever. It is no fault of the soldiers that the war has bristled with, to say the least, very disagreeable incidents. We shall probably never know who is to blame for most of the messes, but this is sure and certain, that a reorganisation must take place that will render the possibility of everyday disasters a remote possibility.