CHAPTER VIII

REPATRIATION FROM WITHIN AND WITHOUT

'Of all the cants which are canted in this canting world-though the cant of hypocrites may be the worst-the cant of criticism is the most tormenting !'-Sterne.

All we see about us, King, Lords, and Commons, the whole machinery of the State, all the apparatus of the system, and its varied workings, end in simply bringing twelve good men into a box.'-LORD BROUGHAM.

'WHEN the whole story is told,' wrote Lord Milner of repatriation, 'I think it will be regarded as a remarkably creditable one, though I am far from saying that a good deal of money has not been thrown away here and there. But I cannot see how it could have been otherwise, when we had to grapple with a work so vast, so urgent, thrown upon us so suddenly, and under circumstances in which delay might have involved not only untold misery, but actual loss of life. Haste and economy are never compatible, and extreme haste was forced upon us by the conditions of the problem." Though very inadequately, the story has been told, and attention will now be directed to the cost of repatriation, and more particularly to the losses incurred, which might have been avoided had the whole organization been perfect from the start, had all the officers employed been fully qualified for, and experienced in, the duties they were called upon to carry out, had the material placed at their disposal been complete in every possible way. The wisdom of applying ordinary audit rules to expenditure made on such an undertaking as repatriation may be open to

1 Parliamentary Paper, Cd. 2102, p. 11. Everything had to be done in a rush and desperate hurry, and the surprising part of the business is that most things were done so well' (African World, October 31, 1903).

question, and it goes without saying that the department failed fully to stand such a test. It would, indeed, have been marvellous had it been otherwise. It must be remarked, however, that this test was a very severe one, and it is submitted that the department came through the ordeal somewhat better than many of its critics had anticipated.

A Pharaoh is said to have arisen in Egypt who knew not Joseph. The difficult position of an officer in quelling a riot has frequently been pointed out, because the question whether the force he employed for the purpose was necessary or excessive will probably be ultimately determined by a judge and jury, and that the estimate of what constitutes necessary force formed by a judge and jury, sitting in quiet and safety after the suppression of a riot, may differ considerably from the judgment formed by a general or magistrate who is surrounded by armed rioters.' When the period of strain and stress had passed, when the extreme pressure of repatriation work was over, when things from an executive point of view were running smoothly, the Colonial Office despatched to the Orange River Colony an auditor to examine repatriation accounts. This officer collected round him a considerable staff, in addition to the inspectors of accounts sent out to the districts, and, snugly installed in a comfortable office, with no knowledge of the country and ignorant of the earlier difficulties, these gentlemen proceeded to wade through every available document, and to call for records which in many cases had not been kept.

An attempt was made gradually to enmesh repatriation in the coils of red-tape which were inseparable from the working of more permanent departments. But it was soon found impossible to apply the Colonial Office financial instructions in their entirety. Instructions were, consequently, issued

1 This does not mean that red-tape is to be condemned. It is essential in accounting and auditing, and, for that matter, in all government. 'There must be people to keep an office in order, to make a fetish of etiquette, to insist on a stereotyped procedure, and to see the world dimly through a mist of "previous papers." The point submitted is that redtape was inapplicable to repatriation.

that the auditors should devote their attention to seeing that all transactions were properly vouched, that no undue waste or extravagance took place, that the charges for administration were according to the authorized establishment, that the stocks and stores purchased were properly disposed of and accounted for, and that the scheme of repatriation, as defined in the Terms of Surrender and any subsequent instructions, was being properly carried out.

Even subject to these limitations the task was most arduous, involving as it did the perusal and careful examination of material which was huge in amount but frequently incomplete in detail, and it occupied three years. The expenses of auditing helped to swell considerably the already heavy expenditure incurred, and it is not quite obvious what practical end was served, beyond fixing the responsibility for mistakes made, and emphasizing what should and what should not be done in a scheme which had never been undertaken before, and which is never likely to be undertaken again.

The repatriation scheme on its financial side lay open to many criticisms, and these must be examined. The shortcomings of the department were numerous, and an attempt will be made rather to explain than to justify their existence. It may be stated at once that the amount involved is over £140,000, which will be found under the head of losses in the final statement of receipts and expenditure,1 and which was made up as follows:

Before dealing with these losses, however, attention must be directed to criticisms of a more general character. Reference has already been made to some of these, and they may be

1 Vide Appendix G, p. 278.