HOW WE TREAT OUR PRISONERS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2878, 16 September 1916, Page 3

HOW WE TREAT OUR PRISONERS

GERMANS IN'. ENGLAND

(Cjt Jane Anderson, in Ilia "Daily Mail.")

In the Wittenberg camp a thousand typhus patients, prisoners of war, were abandoned by their German guards. The supplies for the hospital were passed in on a trolly, worked by winches at either end, that there should be no contact between the prisoners and the outside world. When I visited St. Mary's Institute, a. British internment camp, whero England houses 750 Gorman subjects,,; I .found that tho prisoners are provided with workshops, with recreation grounds, with reading rooms, with every facility which will promote, their comfort and well-being. A maitre d'hotel, ■ a prisoner, is in charge of their _cuisine._ St. .Mary's Institute differs in 110 vital point from other such internment camps in England. It is typical. A large building with many windows is placed in tho centre of some well-planned grounds;'a stone wall encircles it. In a little plaza before the central doors of the tall building there is a fountain. To tho.right and left there are two enclosures, with .paved walks and trees and benches.

In the shadow of the wall there aro 1 flower-beds, bright with flowers, and tho white drive-way is hordered by .1 clipped hedge. There arc everywhere space and sunlight; the tall building rises; immaculate, white,, against the grey sky of Louden. ;The tall trees make shadows on the bright windows. When I looked at the colour and the brightness of this, it was not easy for me to beiiovc that the men that I saw walking up and down the walks, or reading while they shaded the pages of their books with their hands, were alien enemies, imprisoned according to' the' code* of war.

Then I ivenb inside tlio big building, and the major who is in command showed me, first of all, the chapel where services are held upon certain days; aJid he told me .that this room, with its dark panelling and high win'dows, was not a room set apart for one religion, -but that it was a chapel for all religious faiths. _ It is not the purpose of the British internment camp to interfere with or to direct the individual lives of the enemy subjects who are, for the space of the war, '.lider its jurisdiction, even though in Wittenberg one thousand typhus patients were abandoned by their German guards. , . /' A Livable Room.

From the chapel I went into one of the big dormitories for the men. It was a, long room with a high ceilin|; the beds were in two rows, with an aisle between them. Tho sunlight came in through tile windows, falling in bright: rays acrbce the blankets and across tho little tables by the bedfe, where there were books and certain Bmall possessions. It was a livable room; it was an immaculate and orderly room. Then the major told me that in addition to' the big dormitories there wore also small rooms for the men. I went downstairs to see one of these rooms., It chanced that the man who lived in it was at his table, writing. He was 'a young .German, and tho explainedl, with pride, the advantages of his particular room.. He pointed outto me the view from his .window, which overlooked n court; paved with grey stones and included' the corner of a conservatory, which was at [olio side.

It was here that I saw the first evidence of the co-operative scheme upon which St. Mary's Institute is conducted. For at St. Mary's, although I was not at all..prepared I .to find it there, there is Socialism. ■ I do not mean that there ai;e; Socialists; but in this internment'camp tlie oldest laws'of theoretical Socialism are applied ' in practice. Each, man contributes ■ his just proportion of labour to the community ; there is also a v certain toll upon each individual for tlu maintenance of the camp. The young German who did not live in the dormitory paid in proportion for his privileges; but if he profited, the community also profited. •' ■

This is time of the camp in all of its divisions,: and it is practical because in the work at St. Jlary's the division of labour is wisely adjusted. If a man lias served his apprenticeship at cabinetmaking he is not appointed as an incompetent assistant to the gardener or the chef. There is a lawful place for his talents, whatever they may be. This very small'and very now world has need of his gifts. Therefore he makes'cabinets. It is good! Socialism. The market for the output of St. Mary's is not only the camp itself, but also the City of London. There is at the camp a particularly good tailoring shop. This shop caters to a fashionable trade; it is a big shop with a big clientele. The community toll is .in proportion to the profits. \ Now, it is not a simple matter, this conducting of barter and exchange on a comprehensive scale in an internment camp. But the difficulties havo been overcomo to a large extent. There lias been a very Aviso expenditure of imagination, sympathy, and tact in tho organisation of St. Mary's.

Freo Legal Advice. , If certain interned incn liave business interests which lie outsido the camp these interests are protected. For 011 appointed days a 'Loudon barrister consults with theso property holders and determines with them the best measures to be adopted. This barrister gives his time gratis to St. Mary's. It was my good fortune to see him at one of his weekly conferences. Some twenty German subjects were in a big room whero there were desks and tables; each of them had papers and documents representing tho difficulties of his private affairs.. In turn they presented these, explaining whatever complications aiid obscurities had arisen, and tho - matters were sot straight for them. There was ono case where it was imperative that the owner, of a factory should go in person and arrange certain shipments. An order was signed which gave him permission leave the camp and supervise this. And theso men are interned, as enemy- subjects, according to the codes of war.

in the workshops I saw four ylong tables filled with carved picture frames, cigarette-boxes, and mahogany trays ready for transportation to the open market. This was particularly fine work; it seems that the man who is in charge of this shop was » cabinetmaker of much distinction. _ However, he told me it was a good investment for him this new enterprise under tho auspices of the British Government. "You sec," said tho major, "it is better that they should work. It is better they should have plenty to do." And ho added somothing about tho eternal monotony of bcin" shut away from one's people, one's life, making any recompense an inadequate one. Then he showed mo the new lawn tennis courts which bad been laid out at St. Mary's, and tho croquet grounds. He said "that tho men played a great deal. We went outside into tho little plaza, and I saw in the two enclosures at either side tlio German prisoners talking to their wives and their children. For this,'it seemed, was the visiting day at St. Mary's' And this I will never forget. It was a very fine tiling to have seen—theso moil and women paying tlio. price of war. "And so." said the major, "I think we've shown you all" v of St. Mary's." Rut I. was thinking that they had shown mo more than this. Tliey had

given me new evidence of llic British conviction Hint in war justice and good tiiith still have their lawful place. War and justice, war and honour. And in Wittenberg one thousand' typhus patients, Allied prisoners, were abandoned by their German guards and left to die.