Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-01-30
PRISONERS OF WAR PROVE
FAILURES AS FARM HANDS
Austrians and Hungarian Are Not
Greatly Impressed With Russian
and Serbian CnptivcS.
TAKE NO INTEREST IN WORM
Il'at Dual Monarchy Has Splendid
crops Is Due to- Unusually Favor
aDie Weather COnditiOnS--I.an-
Sua%c Also Is Handicap.

VIENNA. January 2c.-Austrian aud
hungarian landowners ana farmers are
not particularly Impressed with the
value of Russian and Serbian prisoners
81 war as farm laborcrS. Accounts from
an Sides generally support me old
saw. on can lead a horse to water.
"nt you cannot make him drink
'h IN" Whole, the prisoner of war
~ Il farm hand seems to have b"ci' Il
i"lIhrc. This is true for other reasons
hhh mat tn" prisoners hay" Il natural
aversion TO work for their enemies.
oh' or the great handicapS has been
'hht IN" RUSSIAN and Serb farmers who
were selected 80 work ION the Austrian
ana Hungarian farms. were for tho
greater part unframed in the rather
intensive farming methods employed in
'h' dual monarchy. Though tn. men
were shown how 10 70 about thcir work
h'oSt OF them failed to understand the
reason why 1T had 10 be done :, Ger
tam way Others who Gid understand
preferred To hc careless. when not un-
n"r The eyes Of tn" ovcrsc,r and guards
3u, few of the prisoners of war tool.
any Interest in tho work. Patriotic
l''iiil%S appear 10 hav" h".n nn active
deterrent fcr most Of them
Iha' Austria hungary had q snlor
u'h 'ror inns E""r is due 10 uruSii:,lly
iaNpfahl" weather conditions with AN
"rh'nhrN crop year ANA prisoners of
var on many OF the farms. the coun,r,.
would have Jared badly. say ,hos. f.,
j ..
mat ihc accession in crop returns due
10 IN" labor Of tho prisoner II war ,s
naidiF equal 10 what the Russians and
SeihN held in Austria Hungary viii
themselves consume during the wear
"'hi PHoDtFtiNE ~ OTHER
FIELDS OF ENDEtNOR
y seems. however. that tn. lapor
"f prisoners Of war way NOR. nrn.
ouet'N" mother fields OF cndcnvor. cs
Hp'.ia!!N is this true whore tn. Rus
H'ai's ana Serbs remained altogether
u"'l"F IN" control of tn" military In
h"'iding roads ana railroads no opror-
UNITY Tor shirking was viven Each
p"iH had 10 10 a certain aiunrii. of
work; results wore Immediately yisibIo
AN" therefore sUSc"pt HI" To iro.,,r,
corrections which was not thu cay.. j.,
i'IinINr. IN" "rGiu""r tro,p7 uud,,
"''os" Surveillance" railroad work v..s
zone could not h" easily fooled hy mo
prisoners of war. while tho farmer LoN
.' waited I" SuprIvts" his Involuntary
arm hand closely, Gould hnN. don. M.
Work himself Since most of IN. nla
f"N.rNiStH guarding tho prisoners -.
""' yer" .itE people no Improyon.c
from mat direction could TO cNport,d
German farmers who .nit,loy.d m
Si'i PRISONERS OF war are said 10 Lay.
obtained better results though 10
Associated fr"ss correspondent c..p,o,
S'E that 81 large landowner of mo
ffhnd"rburs province wiki whom n.
"'S'HSsed The matter was q, AIN en-
thuStasti" oi"r tn. prospcc's of h;yi,,,
!" rails" another crop with Tho aid ~
prisoners OF war. ~. sala th,r n, al
diiion To being most unwilling w.rt
'TS, the Russians he hnd cmploycd
ihlIc" I" learn rupidly, though he had
inc services Of AN able interpreter
The haudicaps Of Language nav. noon
sor.Iy tel; toy both sides. of co,irse
An Improvement IN this situation +.
now expected. Many or tho Russians