A. G. HALES CRITICISED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7002, 18 January 1901, Page 4

A. G. HALES CRITICISED.

«, The "Broad A^tow " is very severe on " Smiler " Hales. In its issue of Oct. 13, it says: — The "Daily News" has generally been so fortunate in obtaining- war correspondents in, sympathy with the services, who, writing with knowledge and experience^ have given to the world' accounts from camps to which, they have been, accredited whichi have become accepted as faithful history, that it is dSficult to understand why 'fiha* journal should this week have devoted three columns of its space to tihe details of an interview with' one of its correspondents during the Boer campaign, in which interview self-laudation and abuse of British; officers are the ieading features. This correspondent is described 1 as " born Australian, bred A^stralia-n, Australian to tihe .sojrei, with speech, full of the racy : vernacular of tibfe bush," and wifcn the further experience of having "gone shearing on sheep stations, been a bullock-puncher " (whatever that is),* and has "fallen, Bplit and fenced." Such being Ms qualifications I to represent a high-class d&ily London paper j at the seat -of war, one will not be surprised ! to learn tba* when, for the first time in his life he came into contact with, English gentlemen — or, as 'his interviewer in the " Daily News " prefers to call it, " British officialdom " — he did; not like it. Mr Hales, for such' IS' tihe name of the correspondent, has j a profound cowbempt for the British, officer. [ "Instead of glory when they come home, glory and guzzling, some of them should get three years — you know where." Following up this polite remark he then "poured out diatribes and! scorn on tihe young gentlemen witih their eye-glasses, their lisps, their hee- v haw manners, their cigarettes, their drawl- ' ing speech!, their offensive arrogance, their astonishing ignorance, their supercilious condescensions, their worship of dress, their loye of luxury, tiheir appalling incompetence." This opinion of the sheep-shearing critic is, .however, not to be taken so seriously as tiie statement that,' with regard to the transport of baggage to the front, half of the waggons were laden with officers' luxuries, whilst the private soldiers got nothing. "What do your Australians think about it' all, Mx Hales?" asked the interviewer. "You'll hear that when they get; home," is the answer; "their belief in the' British, Army-is shattered. I don't suppose they'll • ever ask another English.-. man to train their Volunteers." All this would be harmless enoughs and deserving, of only contempt did it appear in one of the " gutterlings" of the Press, wiho a*e

_in »i..nii. . .. . ... — . -j obliged in the fierce competition for existence to publish anything, however false or malicious, provided it is sensational enough to increase the uncertain circulation! of the paper ; but being put forward in a. journal like " The Daily News," Ansfcrailiani Teaders are not unlikely to accept tin© descriptions and statements as correct, aaid to form their judgments accordingly. The democratic feeling is a factor whicE must stall be taken into account with regard to Australia, inotr's withstanding all the truthful aseuranoes regarding colonial loyalty and the desire for Imperial federation. The *remd r of the " sheep-shearing " correspondent's remarks is to pander to. this denaocratac feeling, for he reoonvmends that British officers should be sought for in. the ranks, as "no one makes so good an officer as a sergeant-major.'' The combination of ignorance, conceit and impudSence displayed in tihese remarks may not seem astonishing to distant readers; bet to readers nearer Ihome, who may remember "The Daily News V war" cowesponden'ce during the Franco-German, Russo^Turkish, Afghan, and Zulu Campaigns, tihis diatribe drivel must be indeed a pitdkbl© contrast. One able^ honeat writer of ihe old school, Mr H. S. Poarse, forfcunatßly remadns on the paper to make one pauie- before saying of it, Quaan -onutatis ab iHo Hectore, in recalling the name of ATchiibaldl Forbes amd j those who served! it aoad the public so well in bygone days. „,. , ■, .■■; .--:-