The patriot. [volume] (Indiana, Pa.) 1914-1955, 1915-11-27
FEED PRISONERS
AS SCIENCE SAYS
Germans Evolve Great System
For 1000, coo Doardars.
EACH FOR 16 GEHTS A DAY.
Expert Has Figured II Down to Last
CaIore-Ten Per Cent More Required
For Men Who Are Forced to Work
There Are Eighty Regular Prison
Camps In Germany.

For wen VINO ARE TOTCeQ 10 "oTFE
There Are Eighty Regular Prison
Camps In Germany.
The government Of Germany Oper-
ates. among other things. boarding
house with u million guests. This in.
,tirutiOn offers one of the most com
plicated problems that Fran Germany,
he model hOusekeeper Of the world.
has had to solve. for her bOarders are
not paying guests yet they have The
boarding ho ISe temper ameut of Il Her-
rOuS bachel0r. They are Germany'E
war prisoners. They must be fcd'
though the German Lation is block
AIDED and is Itself confronted with u
fool problem. writes Il Berlin CORE
spoHGent of tie Chicago Daily News
Frau Germs H., in this case has work
ed through German professor. Alex,
ander Backh&us. Nothing could be
more German than tie manner in
which he has worked ont Il food mini
mum in ali2iL4en. carbohydrates. fat
content and caIOries. and with the 6G
pfennig NG cents Opriation for
each prisoners daily food provides
enough to keep his bOarderS alive and
we'll He has his buyers in neutral
Europe and throughout Germany and
his laboratories at work grinding and
testing and tasting. and aS d result he
has evolved war prison r1enu that
is Il model. not only for economy. but
for scientific eXactness.
Gives More Than Min nom.
The human body requires ID sustain
life about GO grams of al1umen. 30
grams of fat. $50 grams oS Carbohy-
dratrs and 1000 calories. he mini
mum set by Professor Back..aus for
prisoners is greater. He requ res that
each prisoner shall get daily - grams
of albumen. 40 grams of fat. - grams
of carbohydrates and ZOO ca, ries. In
working camps the supply must be In
creased 10 per cent.
Complaints may be made that priS-
oners in Germany are not getting sufh-
cient food Professor Backhaus can
dispute them with this scientific EVIL
dence.
When Professor Backhaus took over
the boarding house work he fitted up
laboratory in q building near. the war
ministry. where he experimental with
foodstuffs and human appetites. He
first called in Russian prisoners and
set before them food. This form of
experiment did not succeed because
the Russian prisoners Immediately
and without batting the prOverbial
eye consumed three times the food
they needed.
Instead of prisoners now he feeds his
own staff OF workers ON the camp diet.
| had such u lunch. 1t consisted OF
one-third Of each of the three prison
meals of Il day made together into q
three course luncheon, 1t was pleas
ant enough meal. though | should pre-
fer my own ,uUk. who has less science
and greater budget. But must hon
Orably testify that the food was edi-
bic. even palatable. And to emphasize
the point again. it was scientifically
nOuriShing.
Many experiments were made with
new fOodstulTS. The sofa bean. prod
uct Of Manchuria. was purchased i'm
large quantities. and it WAS found that
by grinding and pressing il useful
table oil and palatabie -four resulted
which contained the highly nourish
ing substance sought. The horse bean.
formerly used only for cattle food. was
similarly adapted for soup -four. Quan.
titles of food captured in the Russian
advance were turned over TO priSoD
uses. always first tested and applied
to the scientific" diet.
Buying on Vast Scale.
The buying system for this million
guest boarding house is on befittingly
large scale. Men who bought for bust.
ness houses before the wa now are
making government contracts. Nearly
100000 marks ($250.OOOl a day are
spent and no market open to German
which has anything 70 sell ut q rea-
Sonable price can escape theS4 Jealous
prison food buyers. The spirit that has
made army food scandals possible in
other countries cannot be fOnnd in this
ardent economy organization. Occa-
sionally Professor BackharS' buyers
find themselves competing with the
buyers for the army or for the garri
son kitchen. But this happens only oc-
caSionally.
There are about eighty regular prison
camps and from 500 10 GOO working
camps. More than quarter of million
prisoners are working behind the east
ern army building roads. These men
receive the same food as the German
soldiers.
One of Professor BackhauS' greatest
pleasures comes from the fact that his
scientific solution of the prison food
problem has led TO a saving per capita
of about . cents a day. which the priS-
on commandants may use for special
treats for the prisoners. either In t3e
food line or in social halls. musical d.
Struments and the like.
The work that Professor Backhaus