The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-04-19
PEACE STILL
FAR REMOVED
SOUTH AFRICAN BLUE BOOK
ISSUED.
MINERS DoLEFuL VIEW
Sir Alfred Believes England's Task
Harder Than At Any
Time.

London, April 1.-THE South Afri-
can Blue Book, containing recent dis.
patches from Sir Alfred miner wired
night.
Sir Alfred Miner wired under date
of March 3. requesting permission to
return home at an early date upon
leave of absence for the purpose of
resting. Joseph Chamberlain. the
colonial secretary, replied by granting
this request, but expressing the gov
ernment's regret that it should be nee
essary for Sir Alfred to leave South
Africa at the present time, recognize
ing, however. his need of rest, and
mentioning three months as the prob
able period.
In a report dated February 6, Sir
Alfred reviewed the situation in South
Africa and said he had hoped that
some definite understanding would
have been reached whereby it would
have been able to sum up that chap
ter of history concerning the war.
and ~forecasting the administration
that must succeed it
But | am reluctantly forceu to- the
conclusion that there will be. no such
dividing line" continues Sir Alfred,
"and have not the slightest doubt of
the ultimate result, but l foresee that
tho utnrE will no c1owor r,oro diff o,,1+
more harrassing and more expensive
than was at any time anticipated. At
any rate, it is idle to wait much long
er in the hope of being able to reach
a clean cut situation. In spite of the
confused character of the present sit
uation | think it better to attempt to
discover, however roughly and mad
equately, the state of things as they
exist today.
1T is no use denying that the last
half year has been one of %retrogres-
sion. Seven months ago the colony
was perfectly quiet, at least as far as
the Orange river. The southern half
of the Orange River Colony was rap
idly settling down and even a consid-
cradle portion of the Transvaal, not
tably the southwestern districts,
seemed to have definitely accepted
the terms of the British authorities
and to rejoice al the opportunity to re-
turn to orderly government and the
pursuits OF peace. Today Things are
completely altered. 1t would be super
1uous to dwell on the increased losses
to the country caused by the prolong-
a,.on of tne struggle by the form
which it has recently assumed. The
fact that the enemy are now broken
up into a great number of small frag-
ments raiding in every direction and
that IL troops are similarly broken
up IN their pursuit, makes the area of
actual fighting and consequently of
destruction much wider Ian would .e
the case in a conflict between equal
numbers operating in a large mass.
Moreover the fight is 10Y mainly for
supplies. The Beers live entirely on
the country through which they pass.
only taking the food they can lay
their hands on, but looting the village
stores of clothing. boots. coffee and
sugar, OF wl-ch they are in great neeu.
Our forces are compelled to rid the
country OF everything movable in or
de to Illustrate these tactics of the
enemy.
"The South Africans are sick unto
death of the war" he says, but are
ready to suffer in order to make South
Africa an Independent country under
n flag"