The Better Germany in War Time: Being Some Facts Towards Fellowship — John Shaqi
The Better Germany in War Time: Being Some Facts Towards FellowshipPicton, Harold W. (Harold Williams)
History
The Better Germany in War Time: Being Some Facts Towards Fellowship
Picton, Harold W. (Harold Williams)
World War, 1914-1918 -- Hospitals, charities, etc.; World War, 1914-1918 -- Prisoners and prisons, German
To me it seems that the Swiss have made some of the finest efforts of
the spirit during this war. It is no mean achievement. Some are bound by
many ties of friendship to the German people, some to the French. There
has, of course, been occasional failure and sheer partisanship, but an
utterance such as that of Carl Spitteler is marvellous in its
determination to do justice, and in its reverence for the suffering of
all the nations. The International Committee of the Red Cross at Geneva
has been a centre of kindliness in the midst of carnage. In France and
in Germany a committee was, by mutual agreement, established consisting
of representatives of the national Red Cross, of the American and
Spanish Embassies, and one delegate of the International Committee.
These committees arranged that delegates of the International Committee
should visit prisoners’ camps in both countries. No such committee
existed in Great Britain, but with the consent of the British
authorities some camps in this country were visited in January, 1915.
(See footnote, page 9.)
GERMAN CAMPS: FOOD.
In January, 1915, National Councillor A. Eugster was deputed to visit
French prisoners in Germany. In general, the Swiss reports[4] give an
almost exactly similar impression to those made by the United States. As
regards the food, M. Eugster remarks that the sum of 60 pf. (just over
7d.) is allowed daily for the German private, and exactly the same sum
for the prisoners. In his second report, made in March, he points out
that the food question has become more serious and (as far as his
experience goes) complaints are more numerous. He summarises very
reasonably the difficulties of the case, especially as regards the bread
problem. Prisoners were originally allowed 500 grammes daily, but when
the bread rations of the German civilians were reduced from 250 to 200
grammes, some reduction in the prisoners’ allowance was only to be
expected, and their ration was fixed at 300 grammes. They would
otherwise have been allowed two and a half times as much as the Germans
themselves. Potato meal was allowed to make up the quantity, but the
result was not good. Writing in March, M. Eugster says: “There are
to-day from 750 to 800,000 prisoners in Germany. Allowing 300 grammes
per man, this makes a daily consumption of 240,000 kilos. of bread
(about 235 tons). This is not a bagatelle at a moment when the
importation of cereals is impossible.”[5] By Art. 7 of the Hague rules
an arrangement between belligerents as to prisoners should be possible,
and Eugster suggests that meal might be sent under neutral care to the
camps, and bread baked there under neutral surveillance.
GENERAL RESULT.
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