ESSEN FOOD RIOTS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3061, 24 April 1917, Page 11

ESSEN FOOD RIOTS

ESCAPED PRISONER'S STORY OF HIS WORK AT KRUPP'S. A striking description of conditions in G«rmany was given to a "Daily News" representative by t man who was working at Krupp's, in Essen, up to till recently. As /a Belgian civil prisoner, Francis van Wen was sent 18 months ago to help in the construction of extensions at Krupp's works. On January 20 he contrived to escape, and has rejoined his family, who are among the refugees' in Leeds. "Krupp's," he said, "are working night and day. The order in Essen is that aE males between the ages of 12. and 60 must work on munitions. There wns.abig fite at the works about a year ago,..and-soine time ago a large munition factory' about 30 miles from Essen was destroyed by an explosion caused by hostile aeroplanes." His story of life in. Essen.was one of unceasing drudgery. , "Every day," lie said, "we were-marched out of the camp under a guard of German soldiers to start work at six o'clock, and -at eight in tho evening 'ivo were marched back to the camp. Wo were kept h#.rd at work all clay and had very little food. We had no meat, only soup made from beans or fish. The bread was made from potatoes, carrots, beetroot, and blaok flour." Tho people of Eusen complained that tho prisoners were better fad than they were.

Ho had heard of thrco food riots in Essen. There was ofton troublo in tho market place about the prices of food. In tho camp "they heard of women going -with their food tickets to tho shops at 7 a.m., waiting all day in tho queue- and having:' to go away at 7 p.m. without getting anything, Van Wen witnessed tho fol-. lowing incident: A dog had picked up a dirty piece of bread in the. and was running away with it when a, woman ran after tho dog, took the bread from it, and ate it. Giving examples of prices, ho stated that a ham cost 150 marks, horseflesh was ss. a pound, a pair ■ of brown leather boots cost £2. Regulations aro so strict in Essen that in order to prevent any person from another towii coming there to buy clothing or commodities other than, food, no goods are delivered under three days. A' customer goes to tho shop with his card, gives his order, and pays cash. Tho shopkeeper takes tho number of his card and submits it to the police to check it. If tho police nre satisfied tho goods aro delivered. So desperately driven wero some of tho prisoners, Van Wen stated,, that they killed the rats in the camp and cooked them for. supper. Besides being employed in building, prisoners l wero set to work to make shells. They were paid at rates varying from 10s. to 18s.