CABLEGRAMS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 11354, 12 October 1899, Page 3

CABLEGRAMS.

[?BB PRESS ASSOCIATION. — OOPTIHQHT.J THE SOUTH AFRICAN CRISIS. TRANSVAAL'S DESPATCH. TJITLANDER'S 3BIEVANCES CHIMERIQAL. : DEMAND THE' TROOPS WITHDRAWN. PRACTICAL DECLARATION OV v WAR.. . Beeetrod October-Si, ISO nVm. ..... . Pretoria, October 10. The'deßpatohof Mr Reitz, Secretary of State fot the Transvaal, on September 26th, -is regard«d. as a belated reply to the British reply of May 10th. This despatch 'described the grievances of the TTitlandors as ohimerical, and declares that Great Britain was not entitled to take notice of the TJitlanders' petition to the Queen. " •' ' The complainants, Mr Beitz contends, should have approached the Transvaal Government, -which would have remedied the grievances, t&d have restored, perfect harmony. ' • ■■■„ ' ■ . ■ ■ ' ■ Mr Beitz, telegraphing' to Sir Alfred Milner on Ootober 9th,: said that the British troops on: the frontier menaced the independence of the Transvaal. In order to put aa end to ; the intolerable condition of affairs; h& requested that asanrancea should be given thatall.differ* encea should be submitted, to arbitration. The Transvaal Secretary of State demanded the instant withdrawal of all the British troops -from th 6 borders, and the removal' from ' South' Africa of all reinforcements sent since June Ist. It was £lso demanded by Mr Beitz that the laidTdg; Of all troop 3at present afloat should be Btdpped, the Republic guaranteeing not to attack during the negotiations, and withdrawing the burghers from the frontier. ■ If an affirmative answer was not received by 5 Volock on Wednesday afternoon, declared Mr Reitz, the Rephblio would regard the British action as a declaration of war, and would similarly treat any movements of British troops Bear to the Transvaal frontier within the time specified. ' r The deepatoh claims that the franchise was exclusively a question .for the flders to determime. ' -