South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-03-03
The German Prisoners In France

population In about half of the camps
there tobacco at the canteens but the
other hand. the shops OF the surrounding region had
all hung out the sign: NO tobacco-nO cigarets-it is
useless 10 ask"
\ THEORETICAL MITIGATION.
There is another mitigation of the food situation
which at almost entirely theoretical Pris
packages may be sent to Germans in France
they constantly sent 10 Frenchmen in Germany.
But the Germans have little nothing n
the way of foodstuffs Last summer little fruit
through; at Christmas were few cakes
made from know what mixture; and there is
still a drbbline of fish sausages ObviousIv the
French prisoners in Germany better off that
on the other hand. the privilege which
Lelps the German prisoners France is Of little
or no practical use to the French prisoners in Ger
many. The Germans, keeping TO the letter Of the
agreement. maintain canteens in their prison camps
bu; they have virtually food to SELL perhaps
little fruit in season A French invaded prisoner
recently returned from Germany, told me last week
that the in his camp when he left had for
sale only lemonade and mirrors.
When all is said and done. however, I believe that
the prisoners fare best during harvest when
they out 10 the peasant Under this arrange
ment the employer feeds them all the world,
the farm hand" be the rule of harvest time
The harvester in France traditionay gets five meals
day. His breakfast the regulation coffee, bread
and butter of France At 10 o'clock, the women bring
repast of bread butter wine. At
the heavy mea, of the day There is another of
bread, butter and wine at o'clock and finally supper
before going to bed told, by reliable authorities
who have supervised the work of the Germans
that the peasant generally give them exactly the fare
which they eat themselves
Even employers who prison labor fed gov
eminent ratons at the great camps get extra zeal for
work by little luncheon in the middle of the day
Further. in certain conditions the French military
authorities add TO the ration In one district of whsh
have knowledge many prisoners chOpping wood
during weather of January Febru-
airy In cold weather as every one knows a man needs
in Therefore, the authorities
have addec pound of potatoes day to the ration
of these
PRISONERS FARE BETTER THAN wORKMEN
To this discussion the situation;
On his ration of p 600 calOries the Ger
prisoner fares better present than the free
German workingman at home He receives 500 grams
Of bread day. his brother in Germany receives just
half of that allowance, and the quality is probably
1erior. August September the German allow
ance Of fats-an essential life-was so so grams
a that scientifically compounded if
Gus stew German prisoner i'm France gets 20 grams
of fat a day. 140 a week. Even the scanty allow
working class of Germany And above all that as
have shown. there mitigations like the right OF
purchase in the canteens and the additional meals
given by peasants other employers When this fact
weII--if quite welI-as the laboring class of
France in these tight times.
Doubtless. the other hand, the average German
prisoner has not quite enough to eat define
enough" in liberal-liying America. AS compared
the newly arrived prisoners to the Austrians the
average "old" German prisoner, who has been cap
tivity three and half years. a little
lacking of color And still they look much better
physically than the German civilians whom I
crossing into Switzerland last And the phrase
enough eat needs great deal of definition in
these days Except for the soldiers at the front and
a very small class of wel-t do civilians scarcely
Europe has enough if go by
the old standards
LAWS SOMETIMES DEFEAT OWN ENDS
Laws and international conventions sometimes work
defeat their ends. In the conventions the
subject of prisoners it provided that the of the
sanitary service" who wear the Red Cross and who
for the wounded, shall be given separate treat
ment from other prisoners of Among other items
is the agreement that they shall for their
captors. like ordinary prisoners. The French who
all international
less depart from them reprisals designed
protect their keep these men idle in the camps
Being working prisoners they the smaller food
raton-19 500 caories week. instead of 21.0O0. As
10 spend the Doubtless the French would
like these at productive labor; it is time
when pair of hands is factor in victory. And
doubtless of thNse idle prisoners would prefer
employment. the military authorities. respecting
their wishes should them to work they could be
accused of breaking The Hague convention and the
might revenge themselves with less
welcome breach OF the rules their prisoners in
Germany. few of these 'santaires' find occupation
in keeping UP the camp hospitals The rest simply
hang about the This, of course, gives them
little liberty, compared with the ordinary criminal
prisoner n a penentary. Fortunately for them, they
ar casually confined in the larger camps which have
Y. NJ. c. A huts and libraries So they put in their
studying under the tuteage of college professors
of schoolmasters among their fellow captives In
largest camp which ] visited, I found regular
classes French, English and Spanish mathematics
mechanical drawing, the theory OF music and MS
tory.
4 prisoner may be well housed. clothed fed and
still be most brutally by his capOrs In the
early days of war I from many escaped
or exchanged British prisoners, the Germans often
punished their captives inhumany. I have told
conditions improved this respect after the first
year: still hear France, of French prisoners
camps forced stand at attention in the
cold without overcoats, for hours at time. OF
This in the spirit of fairness have no
first testimony; these introduce the
question whether the French have ever replied i'm kind
whether they have ever il-treated their prisoners
physically.
ABOUT REPORTS OF PHYSICAL uLL-TREATMENT
For me to this question without reservation