The Transvaal.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 142, 17 December 1901, Page 3

The Transvaal.

London, December 12. It is estimated that there are 30.000 Boers under arms in the Orange River Colony. The Loudon Stock Exchange has offered to raise a yeomanry regiment. December 18. Botha’s forces have spat up ; 700 have gone south-west to Amsterdam ; others are at Sterukoo;spruit and Southgrout, (Jlifaut’s River station. Part of De Wet’s force has joined De Ja Key. Lord Kitchener has forbidden ox waggons to accompany mobile columns. Ottawa, December 12. There is a large excess of recruits in many towns in Canada for the new contingent being despatched to South Africa. December 13. Brussels advices states that Botha executed fifteen captured burgher scouts whose services had been recently accepted by the British. The execution of fifteen burgher scouts has uaen carried out in pursuance of Botha’s proclamation of November loth to shoot ail exburghers assisting the British. Do la Ley’s commandants met in the Lichteuherg district. Some favoured surrender, but Da la Key declared that it was hopeless for Britain to insist on unconditional surrender. Another conference o£ commandants wdl be held shortly. Many uoioniais are subscribing handsomely to the King’s Colonials. Une gentleman offered £SOO, and another machine guns. Three hundred volunteers have offered this week.

December ,14

Mr Cecil Rhodes baa suggested to Lord Milner a scheme for settling 4000 mil' .ary colonists in iho Transvaal and Orange colonies. He proposes iirigation farms with communal grazing, at a cost of ! £3,000,000, with an annual allowance ef £SO each. Also, an expenditure of £8,000,000 in settling 2000 yeomen on pastoral runs, the Transvaal to be made responsible for the cost. After a long detour, General Bruce Hamilton’s wing, under Colonel Williams, surprised, at dawn on the 13th, Ret Viljoen’s laager at Witkranz, killed sixteen, and captured seventy (including Cornets Bieuhorst and Swanepooi), seventeen waggons and 4,000 cattle. He aiso recovered one of Benson’s lost guns, which was used ou the retreating Boers. The remaining gun had been previously broken by the enemy. Many i> >ers were ridden down in the open. I) jcember 15. Mr'Chamberlain has telegraphed to tho geuefais commanding in the Cape and Natal that he favoured ■using British products for British requirements whenever possible. Paris, December 12. “Le Temps” Owens upon tho inconsistency of German pro-Boers in condemning England, while justifying the harshness of the authorities of the Polish province of Germany. Wellington, December 13. The Premier has cabled, through the Governor, to the Imperial authorities, offering 1000 man And officers for South Africa, the length of service to be twelve months or till the close of- the war if sooner. He asks that this contingent be amalgamated with the Sixth and Seventh Contingents and placed in one column. The Tremier in his telegram expresses a belief that the additional men would not bo required if all the statesmen and parties in the United Kingdom had been guided by love of country and patriotism, and that there can be little, doubt that unguarded speeches and writings have encouraged the Boers to go on with a hopeless struggle. The offer has been accepted. Dunedin, December 13.

The Premier is asking members of Parliament to advise whether they favour sending more men to South Africa, the Imperial Government defraying, as in the cate of the last three contingents, all expenses and payments to officers and men.