Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-04-24
.jApAn'S WAR CAPTIvEs
The Burden Imposed by Keep-
 ing Russian Prisoners.
HEAVY EXPENDITURES ENTAILED

Prices of Meat and Vegetables Have
 Nearly Doubled In the Last Few
 Months-Czar's Soldiers Hearty Eat CTS, and 1t Is We'll Nigh Impossible
 to Make Them Observe Sanitary
 Precautions.
 Aside from the tremendous burden of the active campaign itself Japan must find herself saddled with a heavy indirect expense in caring for her Rus sian prisoners, says the Shanghai Mer- cury. Already there are at the different prison camps-that is, the places which have been chosen as headquarters for receiving the prisoners = some 3O,0O0 Russian captives, officers, privates and supernumeraries (these last including q few women and several children), all of whom have to be clothed, fed and guarded, and if all of the Port Arthur garrison who are not to, be permitted to return to Russia on parole are taken to Japan this number will be very ma terially increased, without taking into consideration any more who may be captured in other engagements. At moderate estimate these three items of primary expense-namely, food, cloth ing and guards-cannot be much less than 50 sen Ca coin worth about four fifths of cenD day, and at that rate the total which Japan will have to pro vide for one years maintenance of her prisoners of war is upward of 5,OOO,0O0 yen Ia coin worth about B cents). and there is the disagreeable fact confront ing the Japanese government that it is probably impossible for 1t to use the labor of those prisoners in any advan- | tageous way.
 No wonder, then, that the people of Japan are grumbling at this heavy ex- pense that is added to their already onerous burden. The legitimate ex- penses of the war they bear cheerfully as matter of principle, although these l luVC dllCduy lCuSuCu U ouAl AuANC I"ACC as great as that which was announced by the government at the commence ment of hostilities, but there is notice able in the vernacular press disposi- tion to ask if the authorities are not needlessly coddling the prisoners, doing too much for them in sentimental way, and if the men cannot be com pelled to do something that shall at least contribute toward their keep. if not pay the whole expense thereof. Yet there is no open revolt at the ex- pressed intention of their government to do what it can to make the Russian prisoners at least comfortable.
 Russians justly have the reputation of being hearty eaters, and they are not accustomed to the simple diet which is satisfying to the Japanese, so that even If the prisoners are kept upon a diet that to them might seem almost abstemious the cost of 1t would quick ly run away with three times the sum that is sufficient to feed Japanese prisoner. Tn the Japanese jails 1t can hardly be necessary to spend more than 10 sen a day for the food of q native prisoner, who gets no meat, but little fish and absolutely nothing in the way of what a native of that land would call 'luxuries." With the Russian pris- oners 1t is very different.
 To keep them well they must have a good deal of meat and othSr things that are never dreamed of in arranging the fare in Japanese prisons at ordinary times. To such an extent is this true that the prices of meat and vegetables have nearly doubled in the last few months So that 1t will De seen at once 30 sen a day for food is not an ex. travagant sum to allow per capita to those Russian prisoners.
 This leaves only 20 sen for clothing medical attendance and expense of guards, a sum scarcely sufficient, and it is quite likely that the estimate of % sen day will be almost doubled when the bills are actually settled. Besides , this burden of expense there is staring Japan in the face the grave danger tc her people of an outbreak of disease among the Russian prisoners. In spite of every reasonable effort on the par' of the Japanese guards 1t is well nigf impossible to make the Russian prison CTS take necessary sanitary precau