TO-DAY'S CABLEGRAMS

Feilding Star, Volume XXI, Issue 129, 30 November 1899, Page 2

TO-DAY'S CABLEGRAMS

■ THE FIGHT AT MODDER EIVER. 8000 BOERS DEFEATED. A HARD AND TRYING BATTLE. i j THE N.Z. CONTINGENT. SPEECH BY MR BALFOUR. Telegraph. Press Association. Copyright Capetown, Nov. 29. ; General Methuen officially reported that be defeated 8000 Boers at Modder r River on Tuesday last after desperate s fighting, lasting for ten hours. He suys i it; was one of the hardest and moat trying i fights in tbe annals of tbe British Army. The Boers were strongly entrenched with : a number of heavy guns omflanluug which made it impossible for the British artillery and naval brigade to specially distinguish themselves. Additional guns hays been sent from ■ Capetown to Natal, making a total of 72. The remainder of the New Zealand Contingent have been sent north. They had an enthusiastic send off. The streets of Capetown were decorated. General Gatacre has arrived at Bushman Hock, en route for Colesburg. London, November 29. Mr Balfour speaking at a gathering of tbe National Conservatives at Dewsbury, said although he affirmed tbe war was undertaken in the interests of capitalists, the mines would, hereafter, be taxed towards tbe cost. Great Britain's proffered guarantee in defence of tbe Transvaal in 1897 had been scornfully rejected by the Boers, who knew tbe corruption of their Government would be exposed if the Uitlanders were enfranchised. The war was simply a bold bid for empire on the part' of tbe Boers, who had miscalculated upon European intervention. He declared they would never allow to grow up in their midst communities of onr own creation which were able to use the liberties we conferred upon them to arm themselves against us. Freedom and equality were bestowed on all whites. - They will show tbe Boers' children that this war was a blessing.