Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1905-05-05
IaPll'S WAR CtPTIVES
The Burden Imposed by Keep
ing Russian Prisoners.
HEAVY EXPENDITURES EETAILLD

N"s"I~ Doubled In the Last Few
Monrh--CTar's Soldiers Hearty Eat
to Make Them Observe Sanitary
Precautions.
Aside from the tremendous burden
Of the active campaign itself Japan
must find herself saddcd with a heavy
indirect expense in caring for her RUS
sian prisoners. says the Shanghai Mer-
curry Already there are at the different
prison camps-that is, the places which
have been chosen rs headquarters for
receiving the prisoners some 10000
Russian captives. officers. privates and
supcrnumerarics these last including
few women and several children. all
Of whom have to be clothed. fed and
guarded and II all of the Port Arthur
garrison who are not 10 be permitted
- i'Nul II u pti l'tAA Wv 'lAN '-'4HNii
t. Japan this number will be very ma
teria,ly INCREASED, without taking into
consideration any more who may be
captured in other engagements. Al a
moderate estimate these three items OF
primary expense namely, food, cloth
mg and guards--cannOt be much less
than % sen "a coin worth about four
tfths of a cent Il day, ANA at that rate
the total which Japan will have 10 pro
vide for one years maintenance Of her
prisoners of war Is upward of 100000
yen "a coin worth about 70 cents, and
there is the disagreeable fact confront
ing the Japanese government that ii is
probably impossible for it to use the
labor Of those prisoners in any advan-
tagcouS way.
No wonder. then. that the people Of
Japan are grumbling ut this heavy eN-
pcnse that is added to their already
onerous burden. The legitimate eX
penses of the war they bear cheerfully
as matter Of principle although these
have already reached Il sum quite twice
as great az that which was announced
by the government at the commence
mcnt of hostilitles, but there is notice
able in the vernacular press a diSpos!.
ton to ask if the authorities are not
needleSsly coddling the prisoners. doing
too much for them in a sentimental
way, and II the men cannot be com
peeled to do something that shall at
least contribute toward their keep. II
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 10 them might seem almost
abstemious the cost of it would quick
, ly run away with three times the sum
that Is sufficient to feed Il Japanese
prisoner. In the Japanese iails it can
hardly be necessary to spend more than
10 sen day for the food of n native
prisoner, who gets no meat. but little
fish and absolutely nothing in the way
of what native of that land, would
! call 'luXuries." With the Russian pris-
oncrs 1t is very different.
TO keep them well they must have a
good deal of meat and other 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 it will be seen ut once
| 80 sen a day for food Is not an ey-
| travagant sum to allow per capita TO
! those Russian prisoners.
This leaves only 90 sen for clothing,
medical attendance and expense of
guards, a sum scarcely sufficient. and 1t
is quite likely that the estimate of 80
/ sen n day will be almost doubled when
the bills are actually settled. Best les
this burden of expense there is staring
Japan in the face the grave danger to
! her people Of an outbreak Of disease