Gilpin observer., 1915-11-25
Man Released From the Isle of
Wight Gives His Ex-
periences.
WAS NOT TREATED BADLY
lnterned Germans Are Well Supplied
With Food and Diversions-Seif-
governing Prison Camp-Abuses
Are Remeded.
BY FREDA TchERKEsoFF,

VI dleH enemies IN the lnternmenJ
camps, l went to see my friend, Lud-
wig, who had been interned six weeks
in the Knockaloe camp on the Isle of
Wight, and who now was released on
the ground of having no nationality
at all.
Ludwig was born in Russia of Ger
man parents. He had been educated
there, had married a Russian, taken
part in the revolutionary movement OF
the University of Moscow students,
and finally had been expelled by the
Russian police, going to Germany
Here he was not only not welcomed
but was denied the rights of German
nationality. At last, after some years
spent in Bulgaria and France, he came
to London.
When the war broke out all Ger
mans were forced to register. My
friend, from an excess of honesty. con
fided to the police the puzzle of his
nationality; from an excess of piu-
dence the authorities interned him
until his papers of identity had been
examined.
Did you find life in the camp very
hard?" l asked.
Existence in the camp" he said
is quite bearable; of course one must
fix in ones mind once for all that one
is no longer free and has to submit to
regulations. Within certain limits,
however, we were quite at liberty to
organize our internal life, and we, in
our compound, made full use of this
permission. We chose among us our
own police for each section, and this
arrangement worked so perfectly that
the English soldier-guards left the
keeping of order entirely to the men
elected by US and entered only on
their request-a good deal of unpleas-
antness and friction being avoided
in consequence.
Generally speaking, the food is
good and sufficient.
Settling the Meat Question.
Each person is supposed to receive
half a pound of meat, including fat
| and bones. or four ounces of corned
beef. But the German cooks, who are
appointed and paid by the English
contractors, are hand in glove with
officials know what is going on; in
any case, the amount of cooked meat
each man receives is nearer two than
eight ounces. This question of the
meat portions has given rise to much
friction and was at the bottom of the
riots in the Douglas camp, when many
were killed and wounded.
Il was impressed at once by the evil
dent disparity of the official and the
real portions of meat, and consulted
with my fellow prisoners. Whenever
| public question has to be debated
general meeting is called. A resolu-
tion was passed and a delegate sent
to the governor. AS similar resolu-
tions had been forwarded to him on
several occasions, he told US that now
we would receive each our half-pound
of raw meat.
This caused CONSERVATION among
the wealthy prisoners, who did not
like at all the idea of having to cook
their own dinners. The poorer ones
proposed to find among the prisoners
some cooks and walters who could
prepare the food for us all together.
But resolution was carried by the
majority asking the governor to revert
to the old way. AS result of our
protest, however, we received after.
ward somewhat larger portions.
Worry Over Hot Water Supply.
THE next cause of trouble arose
in this way: An excellent rule had
been made by the authorities that hot
water could be obtained in the official
cookhouse from early morning till late
at night. But the German cooks en-.
forced an unwritten law that penny
must be paid by each person each
time hot water was required. | paid
my penny, like everybody else, and
obtained the hot water at once. no.
ticed, however, n sailor who did not
get any until all had been served.
When asked for an explanation, he
frankly told me that he had no money
and therefore was boycotted by the
cooks.
"The next day asked for water,
but did not pay. On the succeeding
days I was ignored systematically by
the cooks. At my request our section
chief called general meeting, to
which / made my complaint about the
lmpossibility Of procuring hot water
without payment and explained that
as about three thousand men three
times daily fetched hot water this
meant about G3 to "a ($15 to 500
day for the six cooks. Accordingly,
unanimous resolution was sent to
the governor, who promptly abolished
the abuse.
Regulating Camp Affairs.
"As a rule the military officials were
willing to make any alterations sug-
gested by us. For instance, there was
much delay in the delivery Of letters
and postal parcels sent to the prison.