Mohave County miner., 1917-01-27
BRITISH TONNES IN
 NORTHWESTERN INDIA
 HAVE NOTHING ID DO

FRONTIER PROVINCE, Indla, Dec' 1O.-The British army officers and Tommies in this northwestern section of British India who often turn their thoughts longingly toward the activl- ties in the great theatres of war; solace themselves with the fact that they are holding "the eastern end ot the front" anyway. Under the dlrec- tion of Sir George Roos-Keppel, chief commissioner for the North West Frontier Province, they are kseplng open the Peiwar Kotal and khyber Passes, the gateways into Afghams- tan, and are preventing the tribesmen of the intervening territory from car rying into British India a warfare which might have strong bearing on the situation as whole.
 When the war broke out there was considerable uneasiness among British officials regarding the thousands of independent tribesmen, who are ever ready to make trouble, and who, If they should succeed in burying their tribal feuds and unite would present a serious menace. Numbers of Ger man and Turkish emissaries had made their way into this independent region and had been busy trying to stir up the mountaineers to war, playing on the religious fanaticism of the latter. To a certain extent they were sue cessful, for they created more or less unrest and aroused hopes of conquest which held dangerous potentialities.
 At this critical juncture Sir George Roos-Keppel, who was then on pro tracted leave of absence in England, returned to take charge of his pro vince, which forms the buffer between the tribesmen and the rest of British India. As the result of the measures which he instituted the situation is said to have been got thoroughly in hand, and while the habitual fighting still continues there is no longer any fear of SerlouS trouble.
 The handling of the tribesmen is largely a matter of personal influence and Sir George is credited in official circles with being extraordinarily sue cessfuI. One thing that undoubtedly has contributed to his success is the fact that he is a typical leader of men: tall, broad shouldered, keen eyed, quick of mind and with a particularly strong personality-the type the tribesman respects. The chief com missioner deals with the chiefs as man to man, employing their own open handed form of diplomacy. He has established a reputation among the tribes of never trying to bluff, fact which is said to have bridged many a difficulty.
 The Afridi, the most warlike and powerful of the tribesmen, have been remaining strictly neutral ever since the arrival of the chief commissioner, although they were restless when he left England. Here the personal in fuence of Sir George came into play, for he had worked amnog the Afridi for nine years and is known and res pected by the people. The fact that the Afridi are friendly is most im- portant, as it prevents the tribes on either side of them from joining hands against the British.
 The Mohmands, whose territory lies near Peshawar, have been giving con- siderable trouble, as have also the Mahsuda, far to the southwest, but it is not depredations by individual tribes that is feared, as only a con- certed action by all of them would give cause for particular worry. The Mohmands, who have been committing outrages in British territory and wag- ing petty warfare from time to time already are paying for their hostility Not only have they been barred from entering the province tC carry on trade by which they have been want to secure the necessities ot life, but virtually all the Mohmand' in the British domains have eithel been driven back into their own coun try or interned.
 The Mahsuds have been particular! active and have devastated a larg' tract of the province along their bor der. For the present they are bein; merely held in check, but Sir Georg
 Roos-Keppel told correspondent O
 The Associated Press that after tn
 war a punitive expedition would b
 sent into their territory and tha heavy reprisals would be exacted.