Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-03-03
against, music and other orderly recrea.

tons.
PRISONERS GET MORE TO
EAT THAN IN OWN ARNIr
flnaliy. comes the vital, all-impor-
tant question OF food.
In the beginning. the French adopt-
cd the rule OF giving prisoners exactly
the same ration AS their own troops
not on active service. The French are
an economical people. Though they ia
*ist OH good cooking. they eat less. in
bulk. than the British. the Germans,
or the Americans. So this ration is
signify smaller than the liberal allow
ancc OF the American or British sol
dler. still. ii is enough. Later in the
game il was established that French
prisoners in Germany were not getting
the Same treatment; that. in fact. they
received far loss food than the German
frSci'iS lists az idi" troops. ;hc French
maintain that their only way of pro
tcctlng comrades in German hands is to
take rcprisals. and to threaten more
reprisals against the prisoners which
they hold. The Germans cut down the
meat ration for French prisoners to
cighty-six grams a day. The French at
the time were giving their German cap
tires $50 grams n day When. after rep
reservations through neutral channels.
the French failed 10 get any adjustment
OF this matter. they adopted the repri-
sal policy and cut down the ration
for German prisamers TO eiShty-six
grams.
AS things have finally worked out.
the French have adopted, in this item
OF meat. three regimes. The first is
known as favored" 1t is for .Alsatians
forcib!y mohilizcd in the German army.
Tor the CHcczs among tho Austrian pris-
oners. and in general for the members
OF subject races lighting for tho central
n t-s. ,yNct 0 ,.,,
800 grams day. The Ordinary" re-
sime is the one followed at the begin
ming of the war before the action OF
the Germans made rcprisals necessary.
Under 1t 1.-Two the Austrian prisoners,
since Austria is still giving prisoners
the same rations as their own inactive
troops 1t allows $50 grams OF meat a
day. Finally, as mentioned before.
there is the special" regime, made
necessary by the conditions of the
times for the Germans.
KATIoNS ARE SCIENTIFICALLY
PREPARED WITH No WASTE
Taking this special German regime
as tho only one pertinent to the present
inquiry, the prisoners are divided into
two classcs-working and nonworking
Their rations are scientifically calcu-
lated for nutritive value on the basis
or "calortes"-the yardstick of the
modern food controller. The working
prisoners receive little more than
81 900 Galleries "A week the nonworkiuG
a little more than 1860.
Few OF us know how to think in
terms OF calories, so let me establish
comparison The average workingman
of the United states. | believe, con-
sumcd. before the war. about $500
Galleries day. whereas the prisoners
under this regime get 1000 day. How
ever. neither OF these items allows for
- ell, hn
best fed people in the world before this
war-eatinS too much If anything-but
we were also the most wastcful. How
much of the American work ingman's
800 calories a day went into the
garbage pail or was otherwise wasted.
have no means of knowing. Certainly
Il was 4 considerable item in our food
bill. In these prison camps not the
smallest shred is wasted. as | can GER
tify who have seen the meals prepared.
For the work is done by German
prisoner cooks who are naturally trying
to squeeze out the last drop OF nourish-
ment.
The ration. to begin with, includes
600 grams of bread !, day-about one
and one-third pounds. This is exactly
double the quantity of bread allowed to
the civilian workinEmar Of Germany
when last 1 had knowledge of their
food nationalist September. 1t is also
exactly double the allowance made by
the Germans To the French prisoners in
their hands. However. the French have
adjusted that matter. They send to
their prisoners through Switzerland an
extra 500 grams a day. and force the
Germans TO pay for it through the
Swiss authorities. The great loaf of
brown war bread which represents 500
grams is issued 10 every prisoner each
morning. The rest OF his nourishmcnt /
comes in the form of a scientifically
compounded soup of stock. grains, and
vegetables. which he receives three |
times day in his army grub can"
At the noon neal he receives his /
ciEhty-six grams of meat. t.ighty-six .
grams is slice about as big as the
portion of boiled mutton. say which