The age-herald., 1900-02-13
ROBERTS READY
 FOR A B|C MOVE ..I' Proposes to Turn the Left of
 MageTsfontein [inss KIMBERLY IS IN SORE STRAITS Censorship Will Not be Rigid
 Hereafter. THE MAIL WILL NOT BE CENSORED .e
 2 aBombardment of Kimberly Has In- .. creased and There Is Danger of the Town Falling Under
 Roberts Eyes.
THE MAIL WILL NOT BE CENSORED

-' London, February 13.-4:15 a. m.)-Gen- leral Roberts has gathered 5000 men with whom, according to the best military opin- ion in London, he purposes turning the left of the Magersfontein lines near Jacobsdal entering the Free State, compelling General Cronje to raise the siege of Kimberley and thus making his first step toward Bloem- fonten.
 Yesterday Lord Roberts announced the appointment of General Sir Henry Colville, hitherto commander of the Guards brigade to the command of the ninth division which is being formed and will consist probably to a great extent of colonial troops
 General Colville will be succeeded by General Reginald Pole Carew.
 Lord Roberts tells the correspondents that when the gets down to business they shall have ample opportunity to send news His chief press censor yesterday issued new rules and in future all written com munica tions are to go unchecked. Only teegrams will be censored. For the next few days little is likely to get through but aaIter there will be more freedom. Thus says the censor and the last clause may be tterpreted to mean that something is about ito happen.
 Kimberley, twenty miles away from the Modder river position, is in sore straits. Details of the December death rate show that in a population of 14,000 whites and 1900 blacks the mortality was 60 whites and 3S blacks per 1000. The in- fantile death rate was 6n per 1000 among the white and 912 per 1000 among the blacks. Entric fever was prevalent This frightfui state of things in December cannot have alJ eli, nl ho fighting power of the garrison must have been greatly diminished. Meanwhile the bombardment by the Boers has increased and there is imminent danger of the town falling under the very eyes of Lord Rob- erts. It is believed In circles close to the war office that he will move at once.
 Scouts have approached within thous- and yards of the Boer entrenchments at Magersfontein. They have found these strong and ascertained that they used as dwelling places. Native gunners are constantly watching the enemys line with strong glasses and they declare that there is an appreciable diminution in the Boer forces. In Natal the Boer commandos south of the Tugela occupy Bold's farm and several mines west of Chiveley. Two thousand Boers with three guns are ad- vancng through Zululand toward Natal.
 Raising More Troops
 The war office is making preparations to continue the stream of troops for South Africa. Four large stamers have been chartered Japan agrees to let the Arm strongs transfer to England four naval quick firers that were built for her, con- senting to wait for the execution of her own order until the hostilties in South Af- rica are over Several European powers, by similar consents as to guns being con- structed by Vickers Sons and Maxim, en- abling England to secure 100 Maxims.
 Two thousand men are constantly em- ployed at Woolwich arsenal and all the gun and ammunition factories are work ing night and day to execute orders. The weekly output of four firms is 100000 rounds.
 Outside of the requirements for South Africa, Great Britain is accommodating im- mense stores of war material. Considerable divergence of opinion exists as to the ade- auacy of the governments military propo-- sals even now. The military experts and newspapers, while acknowledging the diff faculties to be met complain that stringent measures are necessary for the immediate emergencies in South Africa, and declare that the governments scheme is mainly di- rected to large increase of volunteers un- trained and unorganized men, while noth- ing Is being done to prepare a large we'll organized force. ready to take the field.
 The Daily Chronicle says: "An unfriendly critic might call the scheme a make-shift. It is hardly fair to criticize temporary expedent, but it would be unfortunate if such an expedient were to be made the pretext for dessting from the demand for a thorough recasting of the whole military system"
 The Daily Mail, which calls the scheme a make-shift, says: Great is the emergency and a splendid opportunity has not been grasped. There is nothing to demonstrate to President Kruger and the continental empires that we are in deadly earnest"
 Spencer Wlkinson's Views
 London, February 13-Spencer WillSin- son. discussing the military situation in the Morning Post today refers to Capetown Letter dated January 23 winch asserts that Lord Roberts will allow no movement un- til the transport Oregon is completed and says:
 ''It is probable therefore that the trans port Is now ready and that the arrival of Lord Roberts at Modder river is the signal flor action. It is possible that before be- gining his move he wishes to ascertain