OUR NEW COMMANDANT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2497, 22 January 1902, Page 4

OUR NEW COMMANDANT.

INTERVIEWED IX .MELBOURNE. (From Our Own- Correspondent.) MELBOURNE, Januaiy 3. By the Himalaya Major-General J. iL/ Bahington, who ha.-, recently been at the front, and who is now the appointed Commandant for New Zealand, armed in .Melbourne, en route for We'lington. Tins distinguished bdldier is already well and favourably known to Australasia, as both Austialiin-" and New Zea'andf r-. li.ne "rvetl under luin at the Cape and in the Orai.ga Kner and Trans\aal colonies. General Bab'ngton, who is a young looking, krenoved, soldierly man, with a charming s-'-nila and mo>t cugagms? manner, was rci.n oro board the mail boat by a reprt»«entati\ o of the Aq;^, and m the course of coin elation ho p\prf »=ed his iileasure at levi-itm^ thi"? part of tl'ip world after an absence of - imo four in the years

"I was hero m "97." he said. "I then, = pent »if weeks in Sydney. I ha\e tho plea- mtest recollections of Australia, or that part of it which I then wsited, and I look forward to my stay in New Zealand, and I hope an occasional \ isit to tho Commonwealth, with great pleasure I ha\e .some relatives in Sydney, you know; that brought me out before."

When did you leave South Africa 9—"ln.9 — "In. September la*t. The war, a« a war, was said to be over, and practically thero was a great deal of truth in that statement, but of course the guerilla warfaie is not yet stamped out. But it will be.

"Reverses 9 Well, here and there we see annoying little surprises by the Boers, but what can you expect in a country of such hugp dimensions? Australia, I believe (smiling), is pretty big. but the Australians have said themselves that South Africa is a. tremendous place, and full of tremendous difficulties. You can only expect it. Wo might just as well try to play a gamo of chess without expectinjj to lose a piece a"« to finish the war without an occasional little set back. But it mus>t be remembered that whatever we lose the Boers lo«e too. The s-train i» telling on them — depend upon it." How long do you give it? — "Well, that is a hard thing to say. The end may come very much .soonei than some people expect. The irregularities of the war mayflicker here and therp , the Boers are stubborn and .shortsighted, and England ha" been very lenient. Consequently it would bp difficult to put an immediate limit to the fighting It all depends on the treatment; of the disease. Mild remedies if they fail, must be replaced by strong ones. But I think the fever has nearly run its course. The next dose of medicine will prove fatal to it."

You would not care to say auythinsr about your new command or any local affairs. I suppose? — "Well, I don't think I could bay anything that would interest" anyone, but if I could T ought not to, and .should not. Good bye."

General Babington is accompanied by Mrs Babington. and his personal a'de de camp. Captain C K. L. Campbell, of the 16th L,ar.e°rs. Before he went to thp Cape the New Zealand Commandant spent some 10 or 12 years in India, where he received most of the admirable training he has acquired. The (ienpral, by the way. is one of the most accomplished riders and steeplechasers in the United Kingdom, and has won many races for army friends ; he is also a gieat athlete^