The Washington times., 1917-10-24
SWEDEN IS KEPT
OUT OF WAR BY
SIGHT OF HORROR

the sensation OF exclusiveness and
club life thereby given.
Owing to the failure OF Germany
and England to come to an agreement
for a long time as to the release OF
captured crews of ships, there were In
Ruhleben men as old as seventy-five
years and boys as young as fifteen.
There were in all between fifty and
sixty OF these ships boys. They lived
in a barrack by themselves. and un-
der the supervision of a ships officer
who volunteered to look after them as
a sort of a monitor. They were taught
navigation by older prisoners, and, 1
imagine, were rather benefited by
their stay in the camp. finally made
arrangements by which these boys
were released from England and Ger
many.
Old Men Not Interned.
with the exception OF the officers
and crews OF the ships, prisoners were
not interned who were over fifty-five.
The British government was gen.
erous in the allowance OF money for
Ruhleben prisoners.
The amount allowed by the German
government to the camp commanders
for feeding the prisoners was ex-
tremely small, only go pfennigs a day.
At first many of the camp command
ers made contracts with caterers for
the feeding OF the prisoners, and, as
the caterers profits had to come out
of this very small sum, the amount
of food which the remainder pur-
chased for the prisoners was small,
indeed. As the war went on the
prisoners department of the war of.
nee tried to induce the camp COM
manders to abandon the contractor
system and purchase supplies them
selves. sort Of convention of camp
commanders was held In Berlin. which
attended. Lectures were there given
on food and Its purchase and methods
of disinfecting prisoners. on providing
against tyDhus. and on housing and
other subjects. A daily lunch was
| served, supposed to pe composed OF
the exact rations given at the prison
camps.
The schedules Of food, etc. made
out by the camp commanders and
furnished to foreign correspondents
were not often followed in practice.
know on one occasion when l was
at the camp of Doeberitz, the camp
commander gave me his schedule OF
food for the week. This provided that
soup with pieces of meat was to be
given on the day OF my visit, but on
visiting the camp kitchen found
that the contractor was serving fish
\ instead of meat. Some OF the camp
commanders not only treated their
prisoners kindly, but introduced man.
ufactures OF furniture, etc. to help
the prisoners to pass their time. Inc
! camps of Krossen and GoettinBen de-
serve special mention. At Giessen
Z the camp commander had permitted
the erection OF a barrack in which
certain prisoners who were electrical
experts gave lessons in electrical mt
ting, etc, to their fellow prisoners.
4 There was also q studio in this camp,
where prisoners with artistic talent
were furnished with paints and al
lowed to work at painting and the
like.
Prisoners Compelled To Work.
As more and more people were
called to the front in Germany greater
use was made of the prisoners, and
in the summer OF 1916 virtually ali
the prisoners were compelled TO work
outside OF the camps. They were
paid a small sum extra for this, q
few cents a day, and. as q rule, were
benefited by the change of scene anC
occupation. The Russians. especially
became very useful to the Germani
as agricultural laborers-
/ Prof. Alonzo E. Taylor, OF the Uni
VersIty of Pennsylvania, q food ex
pert, and DR.. D. J. Mccarthy, also OF