“KULTUR" IN EAST AFRICA.

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 March 1917, Page 6

“KULTUR" IN EAST AFRICA.

ERTiSSH PRISONERS TORTURED. BHLTAh DFGHADATIOXReuter's Agency states that, with the arrival in Kurland in December of the first Hnglisbineii ami hnglish women who have been jirisoners of the Germans in Dust Africa since the outbreak of war, ami who were released when the Belgians captured Tabora, a picture in jirojter perspective is available of the terrible treatment meted out to them by. the Germans. Hitherto (says the London Daily Telegraph), owing to the absence of much information on the subject, and the fact that communication with the German colony was impossible, there was a feeling in I'ln gland that, on the whole, the 'Germans in Hast Africa had accorded better treatment to their captives than was known to be the case elsewhere'lt is true that, doubtless fearing raeprisals, the Germans became considerate, and even friendly towards the end, but this change of attitude only came about as the Belgians were at the point of reaching Tabora. Gntil then, the record of the degradation to which Hnglish university men, wealthy planters, military prisoners, and others were subjected, and the horrible* experiences of Hnglish ladies, is as revolting as .any in the history of German “Kultur-’’ Among those who returned home a few days ago is the RevH. H. Spanton, Principal of St. Andrew's College, Zanzibar, who was on a tour of school inspection in the German colony on the outbreak of wain After their release lie and his companions had to undertake a hard journey, involving a walk of o()() miles to Alwanztf, on Lake 'Victoria, by which route they reached British territory, a journey the arduous character of which was accentuated by the condition of the travellers after two and a-half years of German captivity. In an interview with Reuter's representative, Air Spanton said: “Tile real point is that the Germans from the first did their best to destroy British prestige- They were brutal and cruel in the prosecution of a deliberate policy to this end- They made both civilian and military prisoners do the lowest kind of work in order that they might lose caste before the Africans. For great distances throughout Africa the news was passed that we were German slaves. This was drummed into

the people on every opportunity, mid ny all kinds 01 propaganda, mill even ibe native (iciniaii soldiers referred to us as slavesCarrying out (heir plan ot putting while under black, (hey actually set both civilian and service prisoners to work as laborers to native masons--IFHRIXG XATIVHS“Their treatment of Indian officers who were jirisoners ot. war was abominable. These, including a near relative of a Haharajah, were treated absolutely as low caste natives. Ju pursuance of a definite policy, British jirisoners in the scantiest of clothing were set to pull a lorry through the streets —work usually done by oxen—-in full view of the Jeering natives, and one could see an Hnglish university graduate hoeing uji a native garden patch, or a wealthy rubber jilanter clearing out native latrines. “All this had a great effect on the native mind, and the news of the degraded ion of British and other Hurojtean men and women was flashed across Africa. “We were very badly fed, and protests were overruled. We were (old that jirisoners of war bad no rights whatever, and warned that further eomjilaints would involve three days' bread and water- For two and a-half months the slajile .food at one cant]) was interior millet, grown by the natives, chiefly lor beer, and, owing to its injurious effect, only eaten by the African when mixed with other grain- This brought about all sorts of gastric trouble- Hven (be native soldiers protested. All this time jiroper food was available only two hours away“At Tabora eighty-six ot us—men of all nationalities and stations in life—were herded in a corrugated slu'd, which was so crowded that the (beds touched one another- Sanitation there was none, and as we were locked uji at seven at night until six the next morning, the conditions were awful- As it we had not to endure enough, the Germans jierpe(rated the outrage ot making native soldiers with loaded rifles march up and down inside the shed all night. From a military point of view, the sentries were useless—it was only meant as another degradation for us, for one couid not imagine a greater outrage than to place a native guard in a white man’s bedroom. As a refinement of cruelty, the Germans took away our boots when they locked us up for the night. As it was not until nine that we were allowed to go to bed, and we were locked up at seven, we had to endure tortures from scorpions and mosquitoes during the period of their greatest activity. For four or five months we had to live in this shed,_ in conditions which it is quilt; impossible ’to describe.

TI’FiATM'KNT OF WOMIIX"The treatment of 1 lie* ladies was especially bad. 1 hey with required to do their own housework, and also six hours work toi Hie (iovernmenl every day- 1 hey protested against being' _ set to tasks which would assist the enemy, and were threatened with bread and water- they had to make underclothing tor the troops. In the ease of some of tlu l more elderly and weakly ladies, permission was asked that they might employ boys at their own expense- this was refused. While being conveyed from one camp to another, thirty English ladies, nine Englishmen, and about forty native prisoners were shut up in an iron railway shed (again without the slightest pre--1 etiee of sanitation) for one whole night and most of the next day-Half-drunken guards were in charge of them, and for a considerable time they were without food or water, and their sufferings were terrible, thi another occasion a caravan of men and women were sent on a, long' inarch of ten days under escort. If was pointed out that in the interests of decency (cuts must be provided for the ladies- Although these were obtainable, the officer applied to refused permission, and replied: “Wbaf have Englishwomen to do with decency 'f" Once, Indirect orders of the Chief of ISta ft, Captain Willniaun. a party of us were sent on a railway journey of nineteen hours, and deliberately kept without food"As soon ns the Germans began to see that their colony was going grievances were redressed- Fearing reprisals, they suddenly discovered that there were proper recognised methods of treating prisoners, and when the advancing Belgians were fifty miles from Tabora the German attitude completely changed. The Belgians behaved splendidly to lie Germans on entering Tabora —a great contrast to the manner in which the latter had behaved to us.”