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Show War Prisoners Aid with Utah Harvest Italian Prisoners Are Good Workmen By 0. N. Malmquist A large number of Italian pris- . oners of war, gathered up by United Unit-ed Nations troops in the process , of sweeping Mussolini's African empire into oblivion are contributing contribut-ing in a small way to the relief of the manpower shortage in the Ogden area. Held in the Ogden internment camp, which is attached to the Utah army service forces depot, about 1,000 of tire prisoners have been used thus far in cleaning up tlie reservation, taking care of a 40-acre victory garden and performance perfor-mance of other work not directly connected with military operations. Officers in charge of the camp regard the transfer of the prisoners prison-ers to the depot as an experiment experi-ment in the utilization of war-prisoner labor. And on the basis of a rather brief experience, they believe be-lieve the experiment is encouraging- I On the -whole, the prisoners are cooperative, good workmen, and many have a special aptitude for farm work, according to Colonel B. I. Lawrence, commanding officer offi-cer of the camp. Because of the guarding problem, however, they -i...;,. .niH nof. hp emnloved UUViuuJj to advantage in small groups. Details of the prison camp and its operation were disclosed to representatives of the daily and weekly newspapers of Utah during a tour under the sponsorship of the Ninth service command. Harrison Harri-son Conover, Springville publisher, represented the Utah State Press association as president of the organization. or-ganization. Regulations forbid the interview-in" interview-in" of the internees, but from all appearances the prisoners are not unduly depressed by their removal or escape from the fighting phase of the war. They .are weU fed, comfortably housed and clothed and in feood health, except for some malaria picked up in Africa. They are, in fact, treated like U. S. soldiers, in compliance with the terms of the Geneva convention. conven-tion. And the most convincing proof that the "rules" are being strictly observed at the camp is the hope so frequently expressed by the American officers in charge. "I only hope' our prisoners are being treated as well." Of the prisoners in the camp at the, time of the tour, two had been transferred to a geneiai uw-for uw-for treatment. They were received in two contingents, one group arriving ar-riving last April 9th, and the second sec-ond on May 10.' "The first group was captured by American, British, Brit-ish, Free French and Arab troops in NorthAfrica early this year. The second group were captured over a three-year period in North Africa Af-rica and Ethiopia and held in camps in Africa for varying periods per-iods before transfer to this country. coun-try. The contingent with the longer prison-camp experience, according to the American officers, have been more difficult to handle, having hav-ing developed more ''barracks lawyers" law-yers" who regard themselves as expert interpreters of internation- al agreements covering treatment of war prisoners. Their internal military organization, wnicn uu deteriorated to some extent, has been built up again and they are now cooperating satisfactorily. The prisoners are entitled to the same food rations as American ' soldiers but this has been modified to suit Italian tastes. They do not like so much meat, for exam-Pie, exam-Pie, as the U. S. troops do, but they want more fruits and macaroni. mac-aroni. Favorfte items" are oranges and raisins. They thoroughly dislike dis-like American bread and are sup-Plied sup-Plied with the ingredients so they can make their own. They bake L Vn,r l, KoQTYl Wlttl "usc paiu ui 10 aiiu Pride -when American visitors sample sam-ple it. All the prisonersare paid ten left cents per day in canteen coupons, whether or not they are assigned to work. For labor not connected with the operation of the camp itself (class two work) they are Paid an additional 80 cents per day. They are limited to a maximum maxi-mum of $13 per month (in canteen scrtp) and any earned surplus is Placed to their credit for payment in money upon release or repatriation. repatria-tion. The group includes a few mid-d'e-aged men and 'teen-age boys, bt their average age- is about the sjame as American combat (Continued on Page Five) try, is actually a cluster of depots, for the seven supply services of the U. S. Army quartermaster, engineers, en-gineers, signal, chemical, ordnance medical, and transportation corps The war material stored in the approximately 160 acres of warehouses ware-houses and hundreds of acres of open storage space, staggers the imagination both as to quantity and variety. There are an estimated estimat-ed 289.000 items on hand, ready tor shipment to smaller supply uepots ciose to ports oi em-Dara-tion or supply posts, camps and stations in the Ninth service command. com-mand. The items range in size from heavy road construction equipment equip-ment for the engineers to minute radio repair parts for the signal corps. It handles virtually every-j every-j thing an army can need 'in this complex age except airplane parts, tanks, munitions, guns and lethal gases ,all of which are stored in other supply depots located in this state. I ers with curious glances and others oth-ers keep their eyes glued on what- j ever ' they are doing. A few shyly j grimace at the Americans after j they have passed. i The camp is under the general I supervision of Brigadier General ! Ralph Talbot Jr., commanding general of the depot, in external matters. Internally, it has its own administrative set-up with a com- manding officer, executive officer, j and a staff of 24 other U. S. offi- j cers. The prisoners are organized into companies of approximately 250. To each one is assigned an I American first sergeant, mess ser- j geant, supply sergeant, company j ! clerk, cook, and general utility j man. Each company of prisoners i has its own staff of non-commissioned officers and control is exercised ex-ercised through them. The internees are permitted to send out two letters and one post card per week, plus one business j letter when necessary. They may ! also send one prepaid cablegram lor telegram per month and addi-- tional ones in case of death or serious illness. Approximately. 76 per cent of the allowable quota of mail is being sent out. A 140-bed hosptial, well equipped equip-ped and staffed with American medical officers and nurses, provides pro-vides the same health facilities for the prisoners that are provided for American troops. There are recreational recre-ational rooms, work shops, and sports. Soccer and volley ball are fields and equipment for outdoor favorites but they don't go for baseball. Religious services are conducted every Sunday morning at an outdoor out-door altar by the Right Reverend A. F. Giovannoni of Salt Lake City, known to thousands of Catholic Cath-olic and non-Catholic Utahns, as "Father Joe." Attendance approximates approxi-mates 100 per cent. The tour of the Internment, camp was followed by a brief inspection in-spection of the depot and a luncheon lunch-eon in the officers' mess as guests of General Talbot and his staff. The depot, largest in the coun- War prisoners aid with utah crop harvest (Continued from page One) troops. Average age of one com-' com-' Wny of 250 is 24. They appear to have strong physiques for the most Part and impress an observer as Sood soldiers from a physical standpoint. Some of them salute the U. S. officers fascist style, while others have adopted the American salute. The officers do not mind this, as both have the same meaning. Some of the prisoners greet vis-"ors vis-"ors with Ingratiating smiles, oth- |