The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-01-20
NO LONGER ANY
 FEAR OF CLASH
 AMONG INDIANS
British Officials Feel Eastern Situation Is Safe for
 Present.

HeSnaWaT, NOrtn west rIoHuei Province, India, Jan. 20.-The British army officers and Tommies in this northwestern section of British India. who often turn their thoughts long ingly towards the activities in the selves with the fact that they are holding "the eastern end of the front" anyway Under the direction Commissioner for the North West Frontier Province, they are keeping open the Peiwar Kotal and Khyber Passes the gateways into Afphanis- tan, and are preventing the tribesmen of the intervening territory from carrying into British India warfare which might have strong bearing on the situation as whole.
 When the war broke ou there was considerable uneasiness among Brit ish 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 re- zion and had been busy trying to stir up the mountaineers to war, playing on the religious fanaticism of the lat ter. To a certain extent they were successful, for they created more or less unrest and aroused hopes of con- quest which held dangerous potential ities.
 At this critical juncture Sir George Roos-Keppe1, who was then on pro- tracted leave of absence in England, returned to take charge of his prov ince, which forms the bueffr between the tribesmen and the fest 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 serious trouble.
 The handling of the tribesmen is largely a matter of personal influence and Sir George is credited in official circles with being extraordinarily suc- cessful. 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 par- ticularly strong personality-the type the tribesman respects. The Chief Commissioner 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, a fact which is said to have bridged many difficulty.
 The Afridi, the most warlike and powerful of the tribesmen, have been remaining strictly neutral ever since the arrival of the Chief Commission CT, although they were restless when he left England. Here the personal influence of Sir George came into play, for he had worked among the Afridi for nine years and is known and re- spected by the people. The fact that the Afridi are friendly is most im- portant as 1t prevents is most inn 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 con- certed action by all of them would give cause for particular worry. The Mohmands, who have been commit ting outrages in British territory and waging petty warfare from time to time, already are paying for their hos tility. Not only have they been bar red from entering the province to carry on trade by which they have been want to secure the necessities of life, but virtually all the Moh- nands in the British domains have either been driven back into their own country or interned.
 The Mahsuds have been particular ly active and have devastated a large tract of the province along their bor- der. For the present they are being merely held in check, but Sir George Roos-Keppel told a correspondent of The Associated Press that after the war g punitive expedition would be sent into their territory and that heavy reprisals would be exacted