Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-10
TELLS WHAT ALLIES .
MUST Do To WIN
Released italian Prisoner De-
scribes Conditions in Ger
many and Austria.
FOOD WILL SETTLE 1T

Correspondents of the Associated Press.
ROME. February 2o.-'-The allies-can
win this war only by holding on. by the
exertioa of economic pressure on the CEN
trsl empires and by rigid economy at
home" in the opinion of Or. Massfmo
Partaieoni of the italian army, who has
59st been exchanged after twenty months
as a prisoner in Austria and Hungary.
DR.. fanta,eoni. although Italian by birth.
has many relatives in the United States.
TIE secret of winning the war said
DR.. fantaleoni. remains in the blockade
and in the allies at home exercising the
greatest economy. but so organizing that
economy IN the way of limitation of con-
sumption OF foods and fuels and clothes
that People will not be compelled to lose
several hears of their time each day
searching TOR coal or bread or such ar.
ticles
Cloth $26 Yard in Austria.
at is like passing from darkness into
daylight on leaving Austria. where tho
stores are empty Of ai useful articles.
cloth sells at about the equivalent of s2S
a yard, where leather Shoes sell for 40
kronen the pair, whore there is no sugar
at all for sale. where the bread rate for
the civil population is Two and A half
ounces for each person per day, where the
where potatoes sell for 20 cents a pound
instead of cents a pound before the war.
In Austria mortality has increased
very much since a year ago because of
poor or no nourishment leading to rheu-
matiSm and dysentery, and when people
die there are no collins which to bury
them. Instead, their shrouds and good
clothes are replaced by rags and in these
they are buried.
Living conditions have not been inn
Rnnlanla
While in Hungary attending Italian
prisoners who had beer sent as far
away as possible from the Isonzo front
so that they could not escape and go
home. Runanians told me civil conditions
had been such in Rumania that the fields
had not been worked and, therefore, the
crops had been poor.
How Germans Regard U. S. in War.
las regards the entrance of the United
States into the war. both Germans and
Austrians said the effective result
would be more in money and materials
furnished than in fighting units, due
to difficulties of troop transportation.
They say it is hardly worth while at
tempting to capture or destroy enemy
artillery. because new cannon will be
forthcoming from the United States.
The Austrian people have been in
different a bout the war for a long time
They want peace. any kind of peace:
and the longer the war lasts the less
lney nave 10 keep the war gong The
Germans are still possessed of the
monomania of domination. of wishing
to grab all they see, to take. take, take;
but time is sure to bring them to their
knees. to cut down their fighting ma
terialS, while that of the allies keeps
on growing, and this is why | maintain
that the allies must win if they resist,
If they exert economic pressure on
themselves and refuse to patch I'D q
peace.
Fear English and French.
The Germans now are seriously
afraid of the English and French. be-
cause they realize their superiority in
fighting materials.
"All that las been said about the
i'll treatment of the prisoners is true.
They are poorly fed that if they fau ill
they are sure to die, as their bodies
have no resisting power Most of their
bronchial nature leading to tubercu-
losis. Their food consists, in the
camps. of soup made of beets in the
proportion of one-half pound a day for
each man, with sometimes a potato
and two ounces of meat once a week
IN the hospital of Sigmundsherberg
where l served. a hospital arranged for
5000 men, the death roll has risen from
one man every two days to three and
four day.
Prisoners put on government work
last about two months. The phrase
prisoners step" has passed into thu,
language, SO feebly do the gangs shuttle
along. without power to lift their feet
from the ground. Also, the Austrian
soldiers are very cruel. shooting or
oayonetinS prisoners for the slightest