New-York tribune., 1918-12-10
British Record Ample Evil
dence for Investigation to
Fix Blame and Penalties
Worked Behind Lines
Countless Acts of Brutality
and Violations of Law
Found, Says Lord Newton
By F. A. Wray
Ne,o York Tribune
EurOpcQu RiIrrOu

NGtC York Tribune
European Bureau
tcopyrisht. lals. New York Tribune Inc,
LONDON, Dec. 10.--Lord Newton, who
has watched over the interests of the
British prisoners since 1915, has given
The Tribune a general review of their
treatment by Germany. Following i'm
mediately the finding of Justice Young
er's committee the report may be taken
and considered the official view of
Britain.
There is no doubt that taken as a
whole the treatment of prisoners of
the Germans is cause for an inquiry
to investigate the responsibility of in
divi6uals and insist upon their punish
ment if necessary. We know there
nave teen countless acts of brutality in
the actual camps in Germany itself,
but the worst charge against Germany
is that prisoners, instead of being sent
to these camps, were forced to work
DSllUQ tuS lines, liSQucully MliuIll
range of our guns, against all con-
ventions of warfare. There have been
$4,000 or 10000 cases of this kind.
"Nor did the matter rest with their
being compelled to work in this fashion.
Fictitious Addresses Given
MEN were given addresses of fcti-
tious camps from which they were
compelled to write to their relatives,
with the result that they not only did
not receive letters and parcels sent
to them from home but that they
concerned. 1t was only when broken
down and useless-and it doesn't take
long to break down man by hard work
when he is being starved-that they
we're transferred to the prison camps
in Germany, where we were able to
get in touch with them. This applies
not only to British prisoners but to
many thousands of French, Russians,
Italians, Belgians and Serbs.
eve were frequently criticised for
meeting representatives. of Germany
during the war and entering into dis
cussions with them rather than adopt
ing retaliation for bad treatment, or
rather reprisals. But there is never
any evidence that reprisals, although
sometimes unavoidable, have paid.
There is an erroneous impression that
the French obtained better treatment
for their prisoners by resorting to re-
prisals. These reprisals we're forced
upon them by German action, but re-
suited in no permanent improvement
for the prisoners themselves. 1t was
with the object of sparing the British
prisoners the consequences of unre-
stricted German brutality that we pre-
ferred to negotiate.
Negotiations Aided Captives
"The direct negotiations proved of
the greatest benefit to our men. 1t is
conceivable that it was not the inten-
tion Of the authorities at Berlin to
treat our prisoners as badly as they
were actually treated. That is the i'm
delegates. Undoubtedly the actual re-
spo possibility rested frequently on the
higl command of the army, which was
unouestionably responsible for the
treatment of prisoners behind the lines.
The Berlin authorities we're very like
" kept in convenient ignorance of
what was occurring there
~We are accused of treating the
&c man prisoners too we'll here. but,
all gether, it has paid. Sometimes it
b. ught about better treatment for
men. Sometimes it tended to make
IL Germans reader to surrender. 1t
j complained that we did not make
t. r men work the same way as the
Fl tish prisoners in Germany, but the
r. lie unions are responsible in that
'a consistently opposed the employ
NJ 1T Of prisoners in mines.
We are repatriating prisoners with
h utmost expedition, and have al
re dy returned between $4,000 and Co.
90 Of 100000 From all Of these we
ia q statement of their experience
50 as to have complete data whereupon
TO found charges.
AT the present time the great prob
lem is repatriating and feeding the
half million Allies and 100000 Rus
SLAMS who remain in Germany. The
question is terribly pressing, taxing
all the Allied resources"