Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-26
THE DETENTION CAMPS
Mr.. Townsend Describes Con-
ditions in South Africa.
ENGLISH Fl u M AN ITY
EXPENDITURE OF OVER A MIL
LION DOLLARS A MONTH.
The Stories Regarding British Treat
ment of Women and Children
Consul Generals Investigation.

Mr.. W. r. Townsend, who spent some
time in the detention camps of South Afri-
ca during the Boer war, has written freely
concerning what he saw there to a proml-
nent official of the government in this city
Mr. Townsend is a brother of George AL
fred Townsend and is regarded as very
careful writer. His letter is dated cape
Town, May 10, 1902.
While we were waiting in Durham last
month"; Mr.. Townsend writes, hoping TO
secure permits from the military authorl-
ties to enable us to visit Johannesburg, we
took day off and went out to the Boer
concentration camp at Merebank had
rad a very bitter article in the San Fran
cisco Argonaut in one of its issues OF last
January, against the British for their al
legged inhuman treatment of the Boer wo-
men and children, and as the Argonaut is
a favorite journal with me 1 was anxious
to investigate for myself, and set the edl-
tor right if he was wrong.
I'VE found the Merebank camp which is
about the largest of all in South Africa,
holding 5000 women and children, TO De
well located, on high sandy ground, above
the salt marsh at the head of the Bay OF
Natal We visited the hospital and found
only about a dozen patients, all GONZALES
cent; investigated the quality and quantity
of the food rations and made tour OF the
camp and came away convinced that the
British authorities were doing everything
possible for the Boer refugees, and so wrote
the Argonaut.
Shortly after our arrival at Cape Town,
and while making another effort to secure
a permit to get up to Johannesburg, L
learned from Consul General Bigham that
the State Department had just cabled MIN
to draw for $500 on account of the fund
collected in Chicago for the relief OF the
Boer women and children.
Consul General Investigates.
I'm discussing the matter with Mr.. Big
ham, and after learning of our visit to the
camp at Merebank, it was suggested that
he should visit some of the principal camps
and post himself on the exact state OF al
fairs Thereupon the consul general very
kindly invited my wife and me to make the
visits in company with himself and Mrs
Bigham, and we have just returned having
visited the camp at Johannesburg Two al
Irene near Pretoria, two at Bloemfonte1n
and a sixth at Kimberley, holding IN all
about 16, 800 refugees.
I'VE were shown every courtesy by the
civil and military authorities and every
facility was extended us to enable US 10
investigate thoroughly. The consul general
took his stenographer along and mace
copious notes. and will shortly make a fun
report to the State Department. he
thought 1t advisa BILE to have another Amer
lean. as a reference, so to say, to corrobo-
rate his statements, and as l am about TO
sail to Australia and New Zealand, write
you this as record IN prle1 Oh my I'M
pressions of Boer camps.
The stories started last year, Whlch
were distorted and circulated by the pro-
Boer press of Europe and America, had
no doubt some foundation, through force
of circumstances but that the British au-
thorities were in any way guilty of delb-
crate intent to starve or neglect the Boer
women and children is one of the basest
calumnies ever circulated. When the
camps were started the women and chill
dren were brought in from wherever found
in a generally wretched state. Weakened
by sickness and lack of food, many had
scurvy, and had they been left out on the
veldt or on their farms, the death rate
would have been appalling.
AT the outset supplies of every kind,
with which to organize these camps, were
scarce and hard to get, such as tents, pro-
visions, wood, water. nurses and physl-
clans, and the Beers were wrecking trains
hauling these supplies for their own wives
and families. The Beers had mostly lived
an isolated existence and some of the con-
tagious diseases were unknown. Measles
broke out among the women and children,
and owing to the weakened condition of
most of them, it was fatal in many cases.
Enteric Fever Stamped Out.
"Enteric fever, which has carried off many
more British soldiers than have Boer bull
lets, was also prevalent a. first, but as the
hospital service became organized this
was stamped out, and the records show
that every concentration camp in South
Africa has now q lower death rate per
thousand than the leading towns and cities
of these colonies, and lower than 1t ever
was before among the Boer population.
For the month Of March there were ILL.,
sos Boer refugees in forty-two camps and
a total of 400 deaths only; say 3.8 per
thousand, as against IS per thousand in
London and % per thousand in Cape Town.
The British government is taking care
of 10000 Boer men, $1,000 women and
$4,000 children in these camps. They are
all comfortably housed in tents or build
ings; are better fed than ever before; are
comfortably clothed the children are being
educated and the men who are willing to
work laborers, carpenters, wagon, har-
ness and shoe makers are paid fair wages
besides their rations. In the camp at Irene
those owning cows were supplied with free
forage and the milk was bought for the
camp and hospital and paid for. Some
Beers were raising vegetables for the
camp under similar conditions meanwhile
all were drawing rations. Boer girls who
are capable are among the salaried teach
ers and probationary nurses, and all the
boys had the opportunity of learning to be
carpenters. shoemakers, etc, and the girls
to cut garments, sew, knit and cook.
There is difference in the general man
agement and appearance of the camps, of
course, and of the six we visited, that at
Irene, under the management of Lieut..
Bruce, is by far the best arranged, and a
model in every respect. OF all the refu-
gees we questioned, scarcely one had a
complaint to make, and these were trivial
One man thought the condensed milk should
be served out In cans, formerly, instead
Of being reduced and bottled, but we learned
that the change was made for several rea-
sons. The full cans were being sold or
when opened. were not properly reduced
and often left in the cans to sour, so the
superintendent was having the milk mixed
with two parts water and all properly
sterilized and served out in bottles, while
the cans were boiled clean and used for
dealing out butter and lard l mention this
to show how trifiing the complaints were
as there was not a single instance where il