The Portland daily press., 1900-05-14
A LETTER WRITER
In SOUTH AFRICA.
The Desperate Measures Necessary to
get Press Privileges Within tae
English Lines.
By Charles Edward Schulz.

am beginning to think that my trip
will have to be recorded as a failure,
owing to the many spokes put In my
wheel by the various officials, who
should be most willing to grant their
permission for me to get to the front,
in order to procure true pictures of the
various events connected with the pres
ent war; the reproduction of which are
of such interest to the public.
When / requested permission to get
to the front the Army people fooled me
completely, but requested me to stay
there on the chance OF getting up to
General French. They told me they
had wired him, but received no reply.
got discouraged, and sent long wire
to Lord Roberts direct. / had a reply
from his military secretary, stating
that they were to issue pass. so l
thought that / was all right. When
went to see the commandant he said
he could not let me have this pass I'M
less he heard from General French
that he would have me, so he sent an
other wire.
waited another day or two-no wire
came. so l wired General French my
self-no answer-so / sent another;
still no reply. The commandant ad-
vised me TO go to Naauwpoort and see
the commandant there.
When l arrived there / only found a
few tin huts and tin hotel-the place
waiting-rooms at the station were
turned into military offices. so / had to
look around for a place to sleep. / put
up with as soft place as / could find
on the dusty ground, with nothing but
my waterproof for n cover (some one
took fancy to my overcoat at Dur
ban) and my camera for a head-rest.
l went to sleep.
Next day saw commandment who told
me General French had removed to
Modder River and General Clements
was at Rensburg. but could not send
me to the latter without his permits
sion. At the same time he would wire.
and requested that / should again look
him up in the afternoon. Went back
and found there was no reply, but was
requested to call later on. l did SO,
and met with the same result
Next day saw the commandant, and
he told me l could not go up to the
front without pass signed at the head
Office at Capetown. l should have felt
most embarrassed to have any of my
friends see me after this trip. You
would have taken me for some worn
out tramp dressed in dirty khaki. OH
the pleasures Of photography
Get into Capetown Sunday night, and
went to see the commandment there. /
explained my business and requested a
pass. He stated he could not grant
same. I next applied to the officer in
charge of communications. He told
me to apply to the Press Censor ct Post
Office. did so, and he thinks he can
grant my request and get me up with
General Clements at Rensburg. He
wired him accordingly and told me to
call to-day. You can rest assured /
was there on time, but found no reply.
He wired him again, and / am to see
him tomorrow, so hope my efforts Will
be rewarded with some luck. 1t has
not been for want of trying that have
not met with greater progress.
Just saw the Press Censor. He states
that there are no objections to my go
ing to the front. and that / shall re-
ceive my pass tomorrow.
Meanwhile I have been gathering
some statistics. not the least interest
ing being some postal data.
Quite apart from the enormous rou-
tine work contingent upon the letters
from and to 100000 soldiers and sailors
in South Africa, there has been an
enormous increase in the ordinary work
of the Capetown Post Office on account
of the number OF refugees from all
parts of the Transvaal to that town.
The Capetown Post Office is a mag
nifcent building, one of the finest In
that or any other colony. 1t stands In
Adderley street, and has a most i'm
posing architectural front of white
stone columns. 1t is excellently or
ganized, and has most competent
STAFF, who, however, have been sadly
overworked for the last five months.
Some idea may be formed of the bulk
of letters for johannesburg alone from
the fact that the officials had to sort
the letters addressed to 5000 Johannes
burg private boxes and to redirect a
very large number of them. For this
purpose 1t was necessary TO utilize ten
redirection books, and II 1t had not