[No. 17 of 1900.] 31 Proclamation. Resignation of Mr. S. J. P. Krüger. THE late President, Mr. Krüger, and Mr. Reitz, with the archives of the South African Republic, have crossed the Portuguese frontier, and arrived at Lourenço Marques with a view to sailing for Europe at an early date. Mr. Krüger has formally resigned the position he held as President of the South African Republic, thus severing his official connection with the Transvaal. Mr. Krüger's action shows how hopeless in his opinion is the war which has now been carried on for nearly a year, and his desertion of the Boer cause should make it clear to his fellow Burghers that it is useless for them to continue the struggle any longer. It is probably unknown to the inhabitants of the Transvaal and Orange River Colony that nearly 15,000 of their fellow-subjects are now prisoners of war, not one of whom will be released until those now in arms against us surrender unconditionally. The Burghers must by this time be cognizant of the fact that no intervention on their behalf can come from any of the Great Powers, and further, that the British Empire is determined to complete the work which has already cost her so many valuable lives, and to carry to its conclusion the war declared against her by the late Governments of the South African Republic and Orange Free State, a war to which there can be but one ending. If any further doubts remain in the minds of the Burghers as to Her Britannic Majesty's intentions, they should be dispelled by the permanent manner in which the country is gradually being occupied by Her Majesty's forces, and by the issue of the Proclamations signed by me on the 24th May* and 1st September, 1900,† annexing the Orange Free State and the South African Republic respectively, in the name of Her Majesty. I take this opportunity of pointing out that, except in the small area occupied by the Boer army under the personal command of Commandant-General Botha, the war is degenerating, and has degenerated, into operations carried on in an irregular and irresponsible manner by small, and in very many cases insignificant, bodies of men. I should be failing in my duty to Her Majesty's Government and to Her Majesty's army in South Africa if I neglected to use every means in my power to bring such irregular warfare to an early conclusion. * Page 1082. + Page 1096. The means which I am compelled to adopt are those which the customs of war prescribe as being applicable to such cases. They are ruinous to the country, and entail endless suffering on the Burghers and their families, and the longer this guerilla warfare continues the more vigorously must they be enforced. Pretoria, September 14, 1900. ROBERTS, Field-Marshal, Commanding-in-chief in South Africa. 32. Government Notice No. 111 of 1900. (Embodying Military Secretary's telegram No. C. 4825 of the 20th September, 1900).-Treatment of Burghers who surrender voluntarily. As some doubt appears to exist as to the treatment of Boers who voluntarily surrender, the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-chief desires that the following instructions be made known to all concerned : 1. All Burghers now captured or surrendering are prisoners of war, but Burghers are to be informed that if they surrender voluntarily they will not be sent out of South Africa, provided they have been guilty of no acts, other than fighting against us, which, in the opinion of the General Officer Commanding, debar them from this privilege. 2. Should Burghers thus voluntarily surrendering be in possession of stock which is not immediately required for the use of the troops, General Officers Commanding may use their discretion in allowing one or two members of the family or group to be given a protection pass with permission to remain in charge of the combined stock. The locality where the stock will be herded must be designated, and those left in charge are to be bound over to appear themselves and produce the stock whenever called upon to do so. Failure to comply with these conditions will render liable to deportation those of the party who are retained as prisoners. 3. The stock of Burghers who surrender voluntarily is to be paid for, or a receipt given, stating the value, if taken for the use of the troops. 4. Camps for Burghers who voluntarily surrender are being formed in Pretoria and at Bloemfontein. Pretoria, 22nd September, 1900. J. G. MAXWELL, Major-General, No. 18 of 1900.J 33. Proclamation. Appointment of Central Authority. INASMUCH as it is advisable to have some central authority to which Military Governors of Districts, District Commissioners, and other officials can refer matters: I hereby notify that all communications concerning the Provisional Government in the Transvaal, other than matters of a purely military nature, will, for the present, be addressed to the Military Governor, Pretoria, and will be submitted to me by that official. Pretoria, 27th September, 1900. ROBERTS, Field-Marshal, Commanding-in-chief, [No. 19 of 1900.] 34. Proclamation. Appointment of Officers. I HEREBY authorize Major-General J. G. Maxwell, D.S.O., Military Governor of Pretoria, to appoint provisionally such officers as may be deemed necessary to carry out the provisions of the Statute Laws of the Transvaal, such appointments to hold good for all districts in the Transvaal. Also to make such alterations in the Transvaal laws as are necessary to suit present circumstances. Pretoria, 27th September, 1900. ROBERTS, Field-Marshal, Commanding-in-chief in South Africa. 35. Government Notice No. 115 of 1900. Uniformity of Treatment. As it seems to me advisable to insure uniformity in the treatment of the inhabitants of the various districts of the Transvaal and Orange River Colony, the following instructions are hereby published to assist General Officers Commanding in carrying out the conditions of recent Proclamations issued by me:— 1. By Military Secretary's telegram, No. C, 4825, dated the 20th September,* General Officers Commanding have been empowered to promise that Burghers who surrender voluntarily will not be sent out of South Africa, provided they have been guilty of no acts, other than fighting against us, which should debar them from this privilege. This concession does not apply to those who have taken prominent military or political part in the war, nor to those who have broken their oath of neutrality, nor to foreigners. In the event of a military or political leader inquiring as to terms of surrender, the question is to be referred direct to Army head-quarters. 2. All stock, supplies, &c., of those on commando, or of those who have broken their oath, are to be taken and no receipt given. 3. In cases where some members of a family, who all live on one farm, have broken their oath and gone on commando, those remaining are to be warned that, unless the former surrender within a reasonable period, all stocks, supplies, &c., will be taken and no receipt given. 4. In cases of sniping, leaders of bands are to be informed that, unless it ceases, their (the leaders') houses will be burned. A few days should be allowed for this to become known, notices being sent to the resorts of the leaders and to their wives. In the event of its being necessary to burn the farms, further notice should be issued stating why this has been done, and giving a list of other houses that will next be burned. 5. All stocks, supplies, &c., of snipers are to be taken and no receipt given. 6. Protection is to be given to all inhabitants who have kept the oath of neutrality, remaining quietly at home and taking no further part in the war. Any stock or supplies taken from them are to be paid for or receipts given in full for them. 7. Wives and families of men who are prisoners of war are to be protected, and receipts in full given for anything taken. When a man surrenders a protection pass is to be given to his wife. 8. Widows of men killed in the war and all lone women are to receive protection passes, and to be paid or given receipts for everything taken. 9. Burghers are to be informed that as soon as their leaders submit, and when every cannon has been surrendered, peace will be declared, and all prisoners of war will then be sent back to their homes. Exceptions only will be made in the cases of Members of the late Governments of the South African Republic and Orange Free State, who are responsible for the war and its present disastrous *See Notice of September 22, 1900, page 1099. (d.) Scarlet fever and scarlatina. (e.) Puerperal fever and puerperal septicemia; (f.) Dysentery; (g.) Diphtheria and membranous croup; (h.) Erysipelas; (i.) Leprosy. 5. Medical practitioners shall be entitled to a fee of 2s. 6d. for each case notified in accordance with the terms of this Proclamation; and any medical practitioner can obtain a book of forms of certification on personal or written application to the officer appointed for carrying out this Proclamation within the district in which such medical practitioner resides. SCHEDULE. Name of Municipality or Township. ,190. To thet I, the undersigned, a legally registered practitioner of medicine, hereby ROBERTS, Field-Marshal, Commander-in-chief in South Africa. * Insert date. Name and address of officer appointed under the Proclamation. § Male or female, as the case may be. Age in years; if an infant under 12 months, state age in months. If race cannot be given exactly, add E. (white or European) or C. (coloured). ** Give fullest possible address. ++ Name of disease. The medical practitioner's opinion as to the cause is very desirable, but it is optional. |
