Daily Kennebec journal., 1900-08-13
ENGLAND'S SHAME.
Many Of Her Soldiers in Africa
Are Starving.
Thousands Of Tons Of Supplies Tied
Up by Red Tape.
Rundis's Men Doing Giants Work on Food
Barely FL TO Eat.

Correspondence of The Associated Press
London, Aug. 4.-Mr. A. G.. Hales.
representative in South Africa of the
Daily News. is the latest war corre-
spondent to attack the methods and
the red tape of the British war Office.
He says: 1.-THE men under Lieut.. Sir
Leslie Rumble have to hold q frontage
line from winburg, via Senekal. al
most TO the borders Of Basutoland. This
front. extending nearly 100 miles. is
constantly threatened by determined
enemy. who know the country. To hold
this line in the act. Gen. Rumble has to
march from point TO point as his scouts
warn him.
Gen. Rundle's task is colossal one
and gigantic efforts should be made
to keep him amply supplied with food
for his soldiers. But the men are alb
solutely starving. Many of the infan-
trymen are so weak that they can
barely stagger along. They are worn
to shadows. and move with weary
Hstless footsteps. This is what the SOL
diers have been getting to eat for Il
long time:
'-One pound of raw -four, which the
soldiers have to cook after hard days
march. is served out TO each man every
alternate day. The following day he
gets one pound of biscuits. There is
no fuel excepting a little OK dung dried
in the sun. If soldier is lucky enough
to pick up a little he can go to
the nearest water of which there is
plenty. mix his cake wothout yeast o:
baking powder. and make some sort of
wretched mouthful. He gets one pound
OF raw fresh meat daily which. nine
times out of ten. he cannot cook, and
there his SUPPLIES end.
What has become of the rations of
rum. of sugar. of tea, Of cocoa, of gro
ceries generally? Ask at the snug lit
tie railway sidings where the goods ara
stacked-and forgotten. Ask in the big
stores in Cape Town and other seaport
towns. Ask in your own country.
where thousands of pounds worth OF
food stuff lie rotting in the warehouses;
bound up and tied down with red tape
bandages. Ask-yes. ask: but don't
stop at asking-damn somebody hign
up in power Don't let some wretchei
underling be made the scapegoat of
this criminal state of affairs for the
taint OF this shameful thing rests upon
every Briton whose homes privileges
and prosperity are being safeguarded
by these famishing men.
The folks in authority will probably
tell you that Gen. Rumble and nis
splendid fellows are so isolated that
food cannot be obtained for them. |
say that Is false. The war correspond
ents traversed the country and got
through with winter supplies for them
selves. Why cannot the transport peo-
pie manage to do the same? If we war
correspondents could not manage
transport business better than they do
most Of us would willingly stand up
and allow ourselves to be shot.
Our men on the fields are famishins
whilst millions worth of food lies rot
ting on our wharves and in our cities.
food that ought with ordinary manage
ment. TO be within easy reach of our
fighting generals. Rumble faces the
work with, men whose knees knock un-
der them whose hands shake from
weakness. from poverty Of blood and
muscle. brought about by continual
hunger.
Yours be the shame of the empires
flag be lowered. You stand in your
music halls and shout songs full of
sentiments for your soldiers. and you
let him go so hungry that l have often
seen him quarrel with a Niger for
handful of raw meat on the march,