Evening star., 1916-09-29


prisoners Of war. who are thus in a
position to know that the funds OF their
are honestly and accurate
ly administered.
Given School Privilege.
So long as he stays in Mauthausen.
which may be for a year. II his con-
duct is good. the italian soldier is
offered the privileges of a school in
which illiterates are taught to read
and write. and in which the better edu-
Gated may take courses in German. in
English and in other useful subjects.
II so inclined he may take up painting
and wood carving and sculpture He
product" Will be sold at a price not
under q minimum set by himself. and
he will be given the balance between
sales price and cost Of materials. Or
he can enter either the strinEed or
chestra or the brass band.
The correspondent eaw an exhibition
of one of the half dozen fire companies.
composed wholly of Italians. who
Migration. and who as a matter of
fact have kept the fire loss. despite the
wooden construction, down to two-bar-
racks and no loss of life. Fire preven-
ton Is further aided by a high flre
tower in the center of the camp. on
which two men constantly stand guard.
with a horn to warn of a blaze and
nag to indicate its direction.
The colonel Of the camp led the
huge barracks fitted with showers
and heated in winter time, or equipped
with rows Of faucets for washing
hands and faces-and through the liv-
ing barracks. The latter are large and
than any the correspondent had seen
in the course Of visits to camps in
other countries.
The hospital section of the camp is
one Of the best in Austria. in cleanli-
ness and equipment. It is the coloners
boast that there never has been an ep-
tdemic Of any character. that only such
diseases as were brought by the men
have ever b:en encountered. and that
there have been a large number of
cures Deaths occur regularly. as in
any large community, but now the
cause is chiefly tuberculosis Of ancient
standing among the prisoners.
Factory for Artificial Limbs.
Since the wounded as well as the welI
often come to Mauthausen the camp
has met tho need for artificial limbs
by creating a little factory for manu-
featuring these grim Implements. and
up to date has turned out about $50
and trained the war victims to use
them.
The Young Mems Christian Associa-
ton amusement hall, with its tiny
stage, has been equipped with scenery
made by the prisoners and with a drop
curtain showing the Bay of Naples.
Here, too. are the educational classes
conducted by the Intelligent and gifted
Italians.
The English classes are conducted
W Nyhn fo1d he
spondent that a brother in New York
Drank Tenore of 500 Bridge street,
Brooklyn) believed him to be dead boz
cause he had had no opportunity ia
who said he had lived two years IN
America. begged to be remembered to
the brother
One of the chief aims of the author
tiles is to give the men as much oppor-
tunity to work as possible. and on the
whole find them tractable and willing.
If the men do nothing they receive 6
cents day if privates. IL cents If COR
higher non n-commissioned officers If
they go out to work on farms or in
quarries or roads they get a settled
sum in addition.
sible. has been introduced, and the
common soldiers are commanded by
their own non-coms and merely super-
vised by Austrian troops. According to
lHc III Camp tncy i've, lou To-
$50, in the big, airy, lighted barracks,
with their own superiors told of to
keep them in order.
Their food, so far as the correspond (:
ent could judge from an examination Of
a weeks bill of fare, appears to be I
ample though somewhat monotonous.
They have two meatless days a week.
as all the rest of Austria does, a fat
less day, and the other restrictions. But
the authorities find it hard to compel
Italian tastes to accustom themselves
to Austrian food.
italians Prefer the Home Bread.
The few Serbian prisoners delightj
In the Austrian bread, but the Italians
loathe 1t and eat it only when their
families have sent them none Of their
tayorite Italian bread-which arrives
to the extent of about 10000 packages
q week.
Though the men are inclined to ba
moody at times, in keeping with their
have lost spirit so far as to the war
rs concerned. The colonels laughed az
they told of the market change in the
camp when the prisoners read of the
beginning of the general offensives
against the central powers. And in
me course OF the walk through the
huge camp the correspondent spoke ,
With no single soldier who did not ex9
press q firm belief In the eventual
hiR side. .4-