The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1901. THE SOUTH AFRICAN SITUATION.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 41, 18 February 1901, Page 4

The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1901. THE SOUTH AFRICAN SITUATION.

For tho cause that lacks assistance, For the wrong: that needs resistance, For the future in tho dlstanco, And the good that ire can de.

The most satisfactory phase of the position In South Africa to-day is the optimistic public view of Hie situation which appears to prevail as generally in other parts of the Empire as it does in our remote colony. When we glance dispassionately at the activity of the enemy, and the inability of our army of occupation 1o frustrate their raids, wo must recognise that this optimistic spirit has no foundation in the progress of late made in the campaign. Botha, with whom is Viljoen, De la Bey, Kruitzinger, Mertzog, and above till Christian de Wet, are veritable thorns in the flesh.

Botha, although he has been comparatively inactive for months, has suffered little inconvenience from the British army, and has successfully kept in a state of unrest the Eastern Transvaal. A few days ago we were told that his following totalled 0000, and that he was moving with a large convoy into the southeastern recesses of the Transvaal. The dashing, if somewhat hot-headed French, and the lesser known. Smith-Dorrien, appear to have their hands full in dealing wtlh the rearguard of his force, and have not so far come in contact with the main body, or the extremely valuable convoy accompanying it.

De la Rev also pursues • his way with a degree of immunity from serious mishap, which is the more surprising when we remember that his headquarters have been for months within about forty miles of Johannesburg, and a slightly'greater distance from Pretoria. The hilly country on the fringe of the Magaliesberg, which he favours, we have more than once been told lias been cleared by our generals, but with laudable pertinacity De la Rey has returned to his base. At latest advices he was west of Krugersdorp, in the vicinity of former exploits-.

Many hundred square miles on the eastern side of the trunk railway, which divides Orange River colony into two almost equal halves, have been for months the happy hunting ground of the redoubtable De Wet. The towns of Reitz. Lindley, Winburg, Bethlehem, Senekal, Ficksburg and innumerable smaller centres of population, have been forcibly reminded of the horrors and trials of war by his frequent visits. True, he is the hunted, not the hunter.; but in the success with which the quarry has extricated itself from many a trap loudly proclaimed as infallible, we have come to lose sight o.f the relative positions. It is better to be a success as a fugitive than a failure as a pursuer. Now, De Wet has succeeded in attaining the object for which he has worked for months. Evading seven separate columns which were watching the Orange River, he/ crossed unopposed into Cape Colony. At the present time he is in one of its best populated northern districts strenuously endeavouring, and with no mean abilities, to fan the smouldering flames of rebellion into a devastating blaze.

Then there are the raiders who in scattered bands have penetrated far

south in Eastern, Central aud Western Cape Colony, almost within striking distance of Capetown itself. Fortunate it is that in their -wake have not risen the disloyal Dutch, who, at the commencement of Hie war, would, under like circumstances, have joined the flag of their Republican friends of common descent, and fought, for a Hinted Dutch Sonl h Africa. Tho course of Ilie march of the raiders may be strewn with the carcases of dead horses, but the sacrifice has not been made in vain, for these bands, aggre-

gating at least 2000, have escaped serious reverse at the hands of the British columns on their trail. Should they succeed in concentrating under De Wet, that implacable fighter will have no mean force at his disposal.

So it is evident that British optimism cannot have its origin in a feeling of satisfaction at the manner in which the subjects of the new colonies have been reduced io law-abiding

citizens. If it arises from any serious thought, and is not due solely to the inherent belief oi' Britishers and their descendants in British invincibility, it must be attributable to faith in the preparations of Kitchener.

Tn the hero of Khartoum there is every reason to believe that the nation hits no ordinary soldier. The man is a born fighter; but above and beyond that he is tin organiser of exceptional ability. The success of the preparations Kitchener has made for fighting the Boers after their own fashion we await with burning interest. The thirty thousand men now arriving, en route, and preparing for embarkation will constitute a formidable force. Unhampered by infantry they should deal effectively with the raiders. If the mounted divisions now being put in tlie field are unable to run the

guerillas to earth, we will have to acknowledge that something is very radically wrong indeed. Will they fail? We think not. In the meantime the present methods are against us and in favour of the enemy. The slow process of wearing down the irreconcilables must, however, continue till the men and horses Kitchener has secured are in the lield. It is only in view of the early appearance in the arena of this mounted force that an optimistic view of the war is rendered possible when the position is scrutinised somewhat closely.