LORD ROBERTS' DIFFICULTIES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 205, 4 October 1900, Page 1

LORD ROBERTS' DIFFICULTIES.

Lf his statement in the House of Commons last night, says the Chronicle of June 30th, Mr. Wyndham gave some interesting statistics which illustrate the difficulties that Lord Boberts has had to contend with in supplying his j army, and also throw some light on the numbers of the fighting force at the fntnt. He Btates that Lord Boberts during the last twenty-five days had had to bring up about a thousand tons ef food daily." in order that the army s should not be starred* It may be easily imagined what a formidable task this must be, with defective river crossLlngs, inefficient engines, a single line Ptaftys liable to interruption, and a - deficiency of fuel and water for the loconotives. The marvel is that under : theeircumstances the army has been a smplied, and the accomplishment of t'Sfech a feat reflects great credit on the departmental officers to whom the work was entrusted. The number of men to be provided for is stated to be 76,000, This most represent not only the troops in the actual fighting line at the front, but ako some of those doing garrison duty in the south of the Transvaal, and after allowing for losses, it Bhows that* out of the total force in South Africa •bout 100,000 men are engaged in guarding the communications and holding the conquered districts, and are therefore not available for ordinary operations in the field. These figures bring home to one in a striking way the gigsntio character of the enterprise which was so hopelessly underrated at at the outset, in the days when the fifty thousand horse and foot going to Table Bay were thought to be more than sufficient for the conquest of the Boer Republics.