The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1903-11-06
LORD LANSOOWNE
AND THE BOER WAR
TELLS WHAT THE OFFICE WAS
CALLED on TO DO AND WHAT
IT DID.


Lord Lansdowne ;ss;ify.ng in the in
qury into the work OF the British War
Office prior to and during the Boer
war said with reference to the resigna-
ton of General Sir W. Butler: l eX-
pressed the opinion that ii would
be desirable to accept this re-
signation. l did not doubt Sir w. But
lers sincerity, nor dispute has right 10
hold his own opinions with regard to
questions of South African policy, but
at such Il crisis it was absolutely nee
! essary the Sir Alfred -iilner and Cen
eral Butler should be on terms of mu-
tual confidence, and that their relations
should be known to be of a cordial
character. 1t was notorious that they
disagreed, and in NJ: opinion the i'll
assorted union should be terminated as
soon as possible.
| Answering questions as to the pre-
! parations for war, Lord Lansdowne put
| in a memorandum of May 2lst, 1900,
with regard to the serious deficiency in
our reserves of armament and military
stores. He appointed Sir Henry Brack-
enbury at the beginning of 1899 to in
quire into the matter, but before Sir
Henry had completed ais investigation
light the melancholy extent of our de-
ficiencies." In December, 1899, "Sir
Henry made his report, and laid before
me proposals for remedying a condition
of things which he correctly described
as full of peril to the Empire. The
condition of things was so grave that l
at once referred it to the Defence Com
mittee of the Cabinet by which it was
| considered at meetings held during the
month of January. The Chancellor of
the EXchequer urged and | thought
most reasonably, that wesought not to
accept proposals involving an eXpendi-
ture of many millions, upon the repre-
! sentation of a single Official of the War
Office The matter was then referred
to two Departmental Committees, who
recommended an expenditure of 1O1a
millions out of 1li2 millions recon-
mended by Sir Henry Brackenbury.
Sir Henry Hicks Bosch strongly OPP
posed great deal of this expenditure;
and Lord Lansdowne added that if the
views of the Chancellor of the Exche-
I quer were adopted they would seri-
ously hamper the War Office in giving
effect to the policy of the Cabinet"
Asked if the deficiency of stores had
been of long standing before the war,
Lord Lansdowne replied that that was
so. Lord Wolseley said in a memoran-
dunn, that we were better found at
the beginning of the late war than we
had ever been found before" but that
did not prove we had enough.
Asked by the Chairman CLord Elgin)
as to whether Lord Wolseley agreed
in the proposal that came from Sir
Henry Brackenbury's inquiry, Lord
Lansdowne said Lore Wolseley was
certainly aware of il, and concurred in
it.
1t is clear from Lord Lansdowne's
evidence that the representations of
Lord Wolseley and Sir Redvers Butler
were laid-ny him before the Cabinet,
but overridden by the latter, in the
hope that war might still be averted
and kthe expense of taking the neces-
sary steps to make the Army READY
for the field saved. In justification of
avoiding all preparations which might
alarm the Beers and precipitate war,
Lord Lansdowne brings out the strong
representations Sir w Butler made
against any steps whatever. The evil
dence of the latter officer is chiefly re-
markable for its extreme bias towards
the Boer point of view. From the doc
uments quoted lit would not appear
that Sir w. Butler ever suggested that
a larger force would De necessary than
10000 men; most of his warnings"
We're really vague denunciations of the
character of the war as likely TO be a
civil war. Lord LansdoWne says:
The general observation l would
make, is we were obliged to consider
that advice with some reference to the
circumstances as they presented them
selves at the moment we received it ..
We certainly did not regard peace as
unattainable; on the contrary, there
were moments we believed that we
were very near settlement which
would have avoided all the misfortunes
inseparabe from great war, and we
realized very deeply indeed that owing
to the inflammable state of public OBJ
inion in South Africa, we ought to
strain every effort to avoid any action
which was likely to precipitate HOSTILE
ties
Sir George White, in the course of his
evidence. said: II would like to sub
init to His Majesty's Commissioners
that my resolve to hold Ladysmith and
its successful accomplishment resulted
In the complete overthrow of the Boer
plan of campaign. That plan was to
oVerWhelm the British in Natal before
their reinforcements could arrive, and
by rapid coup conquer that province
to the sea. The overthrow of that pIan
had been accomplished even before the
reinforcements landed. During the
time the Beers could have carried out
their plan they were held at Lady,
smith. The holding of Ladysmith,
therefore, saved Natal. My task was
thus fulfilled. If could keep the Beers
round Ladysmith, and thus preserve
the integrity of Natal as a province, its
capital city of Maritzburg and it's sea-
a RlnaF
when the Beers power of early mobili-
; cation and concentration on Natal en-
I abled them to attack with greatly SUI
perior numbers, / had every confidence
3 that after the interval the greater re-
sources of the British Empire would
. be put forth to help my force. / can
not justly be held responsible for the
losses incurred in the relief
: ON the question OF Treasury control