Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-10
.gAPTIVES OF JAPAN
BURDEN IMPOSED BIZ KEEPING
RUSSIAN PRISONERS.
Cars Soldiers Hearty Eaters and Will
Not Observe Sanitary
Precautions.

1 from the ShanEDa1 Mercury.
| Aside from the tremendous burden Of the
active campaign itself, Japan must find her.
self saddled with heavy indirect expense
in caring for her Russian prisoners. AL
ready there are at the different prison
| camps, that is, the places which have been
chosen as headquarters for receiving the
prisoners. some 10000 Russian captives. Off
| GERS, privates- and supernumeraries these
| last including a few women and several
chidren), all of whom have to be clothed,
| fed and guarded, and If all of the Port Ar
| thur garrison who are not to be permitted
| to return to Russia on parole are taken to
Japan this number will be very materially
increased, without taking into consideration
any more who may be captured in other en-
gagements. At very moderate estimate
| these three items of primary expense, name
ly, food clothing and guards, cannot be
much less than % sen day, and at that
rate the total which Japan will have to pro-
vide for one years maintenance of her pris-
oners of war Is upward of 100000 yen, and
there is the dsagreeable fact confronting
the Japanese government that 1t is probably
impossible for 1t to use the labor of those
prisoners in any advantageous way.
No wonder, then, that the people of Japan
are grumbling at this heavy expense that Is
added to their already onerous burden. The
legitimate expenses of the war they bear
CneerIOllS, as a matter OF pT1nClple, although
these have already reached a sum quite
twice as great as that which was announced
by the government at the commencement of
hostiities; but there Is noticeable in the
| vernacular press a disposition 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
compelled 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 expressed intention Of
their government to do what 1t can to make
the Russian prisoners at least comfortable.
Big Appetites.
Russians justly have the reputation of
being hearty eaters, and they are not accus-
toned to the simple diet which is satisfying
to the Japanese so that even if the prison.
ers are kept upon diet that to them might
seem almost abstemious, the cost of 1t
would quickly run away with three times
the sum that Is sufficient to feed a Japanese
prisoner. In the Japanese jails 1t can hard
ly be necessary 10 spend more than 10 sen
day for the food of a 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 Rus
sian prisoners K is very different.
To keep them well they must have q
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 1t will be
seen at once 80 sen a day for food Is not
an extravagant sum to allow per capita to
those Russian prisoners.
This leaves only 20 sen for clothing,
medical attendance and expense of guards,
sum scarcely sufficient, and 1t is quite
likely that the estimate Of 80 sen a day
will be almost doubled when the bills are
actually settled Besides this burden of ex-
pense there is staring Japan in the face the
grave danger to her people Of an outbreak
OF disease among the Russian prisoners In
spite of every reasonable effort on the part
of the Japanese guards it is well nigh
impossible to make the Russian prisoners
take necessary sanitary precautions
Possible Epidemic.
If an epidemic of dysentery, or SMALL
pox, or some thing even worse should
break out at any one of the prison
camps it will have sad effects upon the Jap
anese people in the neighborhood. and may
spread all over the country; and with the
approach of warm weather that danger
will become a positive menace. 1t would
be Interesting 10 know just how the Jap
anese prisoners in Russian hands are far
ing. Exact knowledge is not available, and,
besides, the number cannot be comparable
with that Of the Russian prisoners in Japan,
for no such disaster as the surrender of
Port Arthur has befallen the Japanese. 1t
Is certain, however. that a considerable
number of japanese have been taken by the
Russians but where are they and how
have they been treated? The disagreeable
impression created at the time of the sur
render Of Port Arthur, when the disparity
between the number of japanese prisoners
actually accounted for with the number
that must have fallen into Russian hands
became evident. has not yet been removed,
and is not likely to be efaced.