A CANARD.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 64, 16 March 1900, Page 2

A CANARD.

The fact that General Buller sends j ihis messages from the front direct to the Secretary of State for War instead oi through Lord lloberts has led to a lot of foolish gfossip. He- | sponsible journals here speak of Buller as, being on the point of throwig j up his command and coining, home, ! and the "man in the street" is .full of ; alleged remarks by the "Never turn j iback" general upon the iniquity ol i iris so-called supereession by Lord J Roberts. Of course there is no j shadow of foundation for the sup-; •position that General Buller was aggrieved at the appointment of "Bobs," j or that he contemplated ! "chucking" the game in the middle of . it. To put the lowest construction on ihuman motives General Buller has everything to lose by giving up his j proud position at the present time. . Only one thing- could justify such a J course, and that is the direct? inter- j ference of the Hoane authorities with ! his plan of campaign. Lord Roberts' j appearance on the scene was not a j Blur iiptrn. Buller, but the natural outcome of the English army system. Had a general of equal rank with j Buller been sent out then Sir Redvera j might properly have felt aggrieved,! feut "Bobs" is a field marshal, and! Buller is merely in the position of;t company officer who finds himself in . a. subordinate position the moment [his company joins the rest of the, (battalion. He can have no grievance | onthescoreand the notion that he has ; tfelt hurt by the criticisms of the press at Home on his conduct of the campaign in Natal is absurd. ! That General Buller communicates j direct to the War Office is a fact j .■which does not seem to have any. ■ particular significance, seeing that j all messages from all the generals at the front pass through Lord Roberts' (hands before they are transmitted to England.