The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-03-04
REMOUNTS FOR TROOPS
AMERICAN MULES AND HORSES
 IN SOUTH AFRICA
Parliamentary Paper Which is Con sidered Strongest Indictment of War 0face's Incapacity Which
 Has Yet Come to Light.

London, March 3.-A parliamentary paper was issued tonight containing dispatches and reports regarding the re- mount department in South Africa. It refers to the American mules as being the best received from any source. mag nificent workers. and kept in condition under the most adverse circumstances. i" The American horses, the report says varied greatly, but the majority were excellent.
 The paper is considered the strongest indictment of it's own incapacity yet issued by the war office, and 1t will go far to explain to the public the reasons why the war has been so unduly pro- tracted This paper shows conflict throughout the war between the generals at the front ,who were appealing for horses. and the officials of the war office who were endeavoring to limit the num- Der of horses sent out.
 When the war broke out the remount department in Cape Colony consisted of one officer, fifty men, one veterinary off, ficer and 1900 animals and when the British reverses came, a scratch remount establishment was hurriedly got together. This proved itself utterly incapable of dealing with the sudden demands. It ap- pears that n August 1899 General Forest Walker wired home that the opinion of experts was adverse to mules. Again in December. after the mishaps of Lord Methuen. General Forest Walker sug- gested that no more American mules were wanted. After the disasters to General Butler the government first be- aN niIrc h0G ne f1 and the strain caused chaos to reign in the remount department. The blue book shows that the percentage of loss in horses during their transit by sea was small, but great wastage arose from the fact that the horses were put to work too quickly after their voyage.
 After Paardeburg, Lord Roberts wired for remounts, adding, Without mobile forces can do nothing in this country"
 Again on March g, 1900, Lord Roberts repeated his appeal.
 Lord Lan downe about this time was pi casing Lord Roberts to forecast the time when the supply of horses could be diminis he'd. After Pretoria was captured in July. Lord Roberts thought the SUD- ply of horses might be reduced 20 per cent" He soon revised this miscalcula- tion, however, and in August was urging the Government to send more horses. In the meanwhile. Lord Lansdowne was equally urging the necessity to diminish the demands for animals. In November of 1900 Mir. Brodeiick came upon the scene with representations of financial necessi- ties and the suggestion that now the harder portion of the campaign is over," the supply might be diminished. In March. May, June and September of 1901, Mir Broderick wanted to diminish the supply of horses, Lord Kitchener al- wny rfplying that this was quite im- possible.
 The parliamentary paper sets forth complications from the war office of the wastage of horses through the inefficiency of the remount department, and MT. Brodcrick wired in November, We can not continue indefinitely to send from 10000 to l2o)0 remounts month to be. used by commanders in a few days."N
 The final dispatch given by the paper Is dated January 5, 1902. It is from Lord Kitchener and says that the number of horses sent is sufficient.
 In Parliament today Mir Frederick an- nounced that the Government was stiU dispatching 13,O0O monthly and. accord ing to the Pretoria correspondent of The Tim6s, remounts are badly needed in South Africa.