The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1920-11-04
MANY PRISONERS
YET IN GERMANY
FLEET OF SHIPS CHARTERED TO
RETURN MEN.
Nations Cooperate.
Supply Funds for Continuing Work
of Repatriationl-COn
of the Prisoners Pitiful.

LONDON, EQSlaQQ.-1u6 pIISOuo1
of war still remain in Germany, Rus
sia, Siberia and Turkestan-es estimat-
ed to number approximately 100000
persons-will be greatly benefited by
the grants which have now been made
by the various governments concern
ed in the work of repatriation. 1t
is understood that the greater por-
ton of the 100000 pounds requir-
ed has been made available and the
actual task of repatriation is being
rapidly carried out by DR.. Fridtjoff
Nansen under the authority of the
league of nations and in cooperation
with the international committee of
the Red Cross and the German and
Soviet authorities.
The following credits have been
received by the league of nations:
Norway, Sweden and Denmark, 35,-
900 pounds each; Holland, $4,000
pounds with 10000 pounds addition
al promised in case the other nations
fulfill their allotment; Switzerland,
$4,000 pounds; Great Britain, 49,
900 pounds, with an equal additional
sum promised in case the other ma
tions meet their allotments. France
has Professionally promised $4,000
pounds and Italy $4,000 pounds. The
American Red Cross has allotted ST.
100000, and the American Y. NJ. G.
A. has made large contribution for
the betterment of the conditions of
the prisoners, and the provision of
comforts.
Ships Chartered.
The sums actually received will
allow the continuance of the work
until October. If the French and
Italian contributions are received by
then, the work will go on until all
prisoners are returned to their home.
It should be added that all the ex-
penses for repatriating German pris-
oners are borne by the German gov
ernment ITSELF
To carry out the repatriation, a
fleet of ships has been chartered in
the name of the league of nations,
most of which will travel between
Germany and Russia in the Baltic,
but others will make the long six
weeks trip from Hamburg to Vladi-
vostock. In order to keep the ex-
penses at the lowest possible figure,
cargoes have been booked on the
longer voyage ships at the same time
that prisoners are being transported.
It is perhaps interesting that Of
flcials of the league of nations, in
the extremely difficult and complicat-
ing task of returning prisoners of
war to their homes amidst the most
confused political conditions, are di-
recting a small fleet of steamers, Sc
curing argoes, and overseeing all the
work necessary to carry out this es-
sential humanitarian work in the
most economical way. The execution
Of the great amount Of detail work in
volved is being carried out by repre-
sentatives Of the international COM
mittee of the Red Cross and by Ger
man government authorities.
First ship p Sailed in May.
On the Baltic, which is the most
important route, Is vessels have been
chartered to ply back and forth be-
tween Stettin, Germany, and Navva
and Riga in Esthonia and Bjorke in
Finland. When the first ship sailed
early in May last there were over
100000 Russians still in Germany
and an equal number of Central Eu-
ropean prisoners still in Russia, ST.
IBERIA and Turkestan, of whom only
about $4,000 were Germans, while
the rest were Hungarians, Austral-
lans, Czechs, Rumanians, Poles and
Serbs. Up to the present time about
10000 prisoners have been repatriat-
ed each way, of total of 10000 via
. the Baltic route. The present week
ly rate of repatriation on this route
is 5000 with the exception of reach
ing $4,000 to 10000 shortly.
The second route runs from Ham
burg through the Red Sea to Vlad-
livestock. By this route between TO-
900 and 10000 Austrians, Hungar-
ians, Rumanians and Poles still in
eastern Siberia would be brought
back and roughly the same number of
east Siberian Russians still in Ger
many, taken out to their homes. Two
vessels, each capable of taking 1900
or 1000 men per trip, have already
been chartered for this work and car
goes secured despite the difficulty of
finding material for export from Ger