Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-01
Slow and Costly
History Writing
snecia, Correspondence Of The Star

Special Correspondence of The Star.
LONDON, March 81. 1906.
T T is quite safe to say that just at pres
ent there is one more wishful for
universal peace than the British tax
payer. He has good reason too, for should
France and Germany or any other two ma
tions of Importance proceed to INK it
| up it is practically certain that the British
war department would find 1t necessary
to issue an elaborate history of the cam
paign, and the British taxpayer is inclined
to think that there has been about enough
of that for awhile.
He has come to this conclusion after find
ing in the recently published army esti-
mates for the current year the following
item: For compilation of history of the
Russo Japanese war S6,I5e' an item, too,
which disa greeable experience has taught
him is probably TO be considered only a
starter. What makes the above eXpendi-
ture doubly bitter, however, In the eyes of
the British taxpayeh is the fact that this
fresh literary undertaking has been gayly
entered into by his war department when
not single line has yet been published of
the official history of it's own campaign in
South Africa, although the compilation
of that work has been proceeding for over
three years, and has already cost the IS
founding sum of $1,000.
Really the story of this long promised
Official History of the war in South
Africa is of the most amazing chap
ters in the history of that amazing instr
tution--the British war department lie
delay in finishing this surprisingly expen-
sive work-not to mention publishing it's
emphasized, too. by the fact that the Ger
man war departments history of the same
campaign was completed and in print over
year ago.
1t would probably be just as interesting
to compare the cost of the history made
in Germany with that which even at this
moment is engaging the attention of the
powers that be in Pail Mall Suffice it to
say, however, that the salaries paid in con-
nection with this egregious official record
of the campaign In South Africa are the
envy of professional authors and writer's Oh
every sort in this country, even as they
are the despair of the luckless public out of
whose pockets the money has to come.
THESE salaries it may be said have stead
lily increased. To begin with. when first
the Compilation of the history was be-
gun in 1893. the historian himself was paid
$1,000 a year; an assistant adjutant gen
eral received IS, go and deputy assistant
adjutant general the same amount while
according to the army estimates, so-calied
attached officer drew $3.50 a day-the
total salary in this being S915, or pay
for Bob days. which apparently implies that
he not only worked on Sundays but on
February % of leap year,
In other words, the original cost of the
Il
year, but ii seems that In 1!04-5 more gen
erouS provision still was made for military
literature The historian continued to re-
ceive his snug 81. ZOO, and a tr1e of $30oo
was put down for miscellaneous expenses!
Same amount in the following year while in
the present estimates the item is exactly
0,o0O. So II appears that in round figures
$4,000 has been spent upon this icial his
tory, of which not single line has yet been
given to the public And, indeed, there is a /
pretty goodsreason why there should be de-
lay in issuing SO fascinating. if so visionary.
a work. For British generals are by no
means In agreement as to the facts, and he
must be a bold man who. even at 81 900 a
year and with $4,000 for miscellaneous ex-
penses, would apportion the responsibility
for Spion Kop. Is it any wonder however.
if the British taxpayer is curious to know
when the promised war office history of the
Russo-Japanese war, for which he is to pay
ST, $50, Is to be expected, considering that
there is not so much a hint yet as to
when the herculean task of compiling the
South African record is likely to be com
pleted? .