The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-05-09
ALIEN ENEMIES
Will BE WORKED
until War ENDS
Government Will Establish
Detention Camps for In
termed Prisoners.
FIRST DETACHMENT
TO NORTH CAROLINA
Will Work on Farms and at
LAUNDERING and Road
Making.
(By Associated Press.l

washington, May 9.--Arrangement'
for placing all interned alien enemies
in permanent detention camps where
they will be well housed and given
work at fair wages, have been COM
pleted by Secretary Wilson of the la
Dor department. An official announce
ment yesterday says the first camp
will be established on a 500-acre tract
OF agricultural lands in the mountains
of North Carolina and that the 1900
| officers and sailors taken from Ger
man merchant vessels in American
harbors will be the first aliens to go
there.
The statement adds that Secretary
Wilson expects the necessity will
soon arise for the establishment of
| additional camps. In addition to enemy
aliens the department plans to care
for other aliens who cannot be admit
ted to this country under the immi-
| grafton laws and whose deportation is
impossible on account of the war, as
well as for feeble minded immigrants.
Those placed in camps will be segre-
gated in three classes-enemies oth&'
aliens and the feeble-minded.
The first detachment of German
sailors will go to the North Carolina
camp this week. There is a summer
hotel on the camp tract which was
originally destined for club purposes.
In addition to a large central build
ing, there are forty cottages, with &C
commodations for seven to fifteen men
each. All buildings are we'll fitted and
modern in construction and sanitary
arrangements. A large lake affords
opportunity for swimming and boat
ing.
| Some 200 acres are under cultiva-
ton and the interned men will be
employed on this work at first, while
plans are being made for the develop
ment Of industries into which their
labor can be turned.
Need Work and Play. ~.
Secretary Wilson pointed out that
with the approach of warm weather, 1t
was necessary that opportunities be
provided for informed persons to work
and obtain recreation in pleasant sur
roundings. THE government DESIRES
| he said, Ito treat interned persons
with the greatest of courtesy and
make the conditions under which they
must live as pleasant as possible.
Under The Hague treaty this gov
eminent Ia empowered to work the in
termed men or to farm them out to
| individuals or corporations. When
worked by the government they will
receive the pay of soldiers and when
farmed out will be remunerated at
prevailing wage rates. After making
deductions for their maintenance, the
interned men will be given at the
time of their discharge by the govern
ment whatever sums they shall have
earned. 5F.fs a. 81
"The men in the camp In North
Carolina will be used to cultivate the
tract, and will be farmed out for lum-
bering and road building. In view of
the necessity for guards these two
latter occupations appear to the only
ones in which they can be convenient
ly worked by private capital.
"All arrangements have been made
already with the department Of agri-
culture for the employment Of a num-
Der of men at road building on the
Vanderbilt tract that adjoins the
camp and which has been taken over
by that department as a forest pre-
serve"