CHAPTER X

SWISS ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE EMPLOYMENT OF THE INTERNED —DIVISION INTO CATEGORIES TO CORRESPOND TO DEGREE OF VALIDITY —TECHNICAL AND EDUCATIONAL INSTRUCTION —WORKSHOPS AND FACTORIES

The employment of the Interned became at an early date the object of much solicitude on the part of the Swiss Government and the Swiss public, and it was soon recognized that the best tonic for repairing the ravages caused by sickness, wounds, and a long captivity, was to be found in the restoration of the soldier to a state of activity approximating to the normal, by bringing him into touch with the ordinary conditions of civil life. For this purpose it was necessary to find work, study, or occupation for all those whose physical and mental conditions were still adapted for that purpose.

Instructions were issued by Colonel Hauser in April, 1916, by which the D.M.O.s. were made responsible for the occupation of the Interned in a manner appropriate to the state of their health, and it was laid down as a principle that the work assigned was no longer to be treated as voluntary, but was to be made obligatory. Any refusal to work was to be severely punished. Nothing was said as to the method of procuring such occupation or of its organization. These instructions, therefore, proved of little practical value, beyond focussing the attention of the responsible Swiss officers on the subject. It was soon realized that many of the wounded and sick had been utterly and permanently broken down by their sufferings, whilst others were quickly recovering their physical, moral, and intellectual stamina.

To meet these varying conditions, an order was published on July 8, 1916, with the approval of the Political Department, classifying the Interned into six categories:—

1. Those incapable of all work.

2. Those partially capable, and fit for employment in the residential establishments as postal orderlies, waiters, etc.

3. Those partially capable, and fit for a few hours' work in the camps and workshops.

4. Those capable of a full day's work, and employable as labourers or mechanics.

5. Young apprentices who, owing to invalidity, are forced to learn a new trade.

6. Students wishing to continue their studies at the universities or schools of Switzerland.

The employment of categories 2, 3, and 5 was deputed to the D.M.O.s; category 4 to special commissions set up in regional centres; category 6 to a University Committee. The "D.M.Os." were invited to place themselves in touch with a Society known as "Pro Captivis," with a view to the employment of men of category 3.

The "Pro Captivis" was originally founded at Berne at the commencement of 1915 by Monsieur Jean Bernouilli, as a complement to the International Committee of the Red Cross at Geneva, whose work under the direction of Monsieur Ador is so well known. Later, it occupied itself for a time as a "Bureau de Secours" for the despatch of parcels to German and Austrian Ps. of W. It then changed its complexion by becoming an exclusively Swiss neutral Society, under the direction of Mme. de Sprecher (wife of the Chief of the General Staff), who offered its assistance to the "Médecin d'Armée" for the organization of the work entailed by the washing and repairs of the linen of the Interned. This offer was accepted, and, in co-operation with Swiss women of all classes, an efficient service was created for the purpose. It then turned its attention to the employment of the Interned, and opened workshops at Brunnen for the making of shoes, and at Meiringen for tannery. It also organized classes for the instruction of apprentices. These enterprises received official support, and were subsidized by the Swiss Q.M.G. Department.

By the end of 1916, the "Pro Captivis" had in hand fifty workshops, of which thirty were in German, and twenty in French, Switzerland, giving occupation to about 1,140 men.

Other enterprises of a similar kind were created by private initiative. Colonel Luthard, of the French Red Cross, for instance, founded several ateliers at Leysin and elsewhere for the benefit of the French Interned. Some of them joined up with the "Pro Captivis," others retained their autonomy. A model institution of the latter class was that founded in August, 1916, at Vevey, and known as "T.I.M." (Travail Internés Militaires). It was installed in an unused building of Messrs. Peter Cailler and Kohler. Here toys, furniture, and fancy articles were manufactured. Commencing with ten workmen, work was finally found for fifty-seven.

All these workshops were organized on the same principle, with an interned officer or N.C.O. in charge. Raw materials were procured by the Managing Committees, the output in finished articles being disposed of in Switzerland by the Management for the benefit of their societies. The men were employed, as a rule, for four to five hours per diem, at an average remuneration of fr. 1 for the day's work.

In December, 1916, it was seen that the business of the "Pro Captivis" was being run at a loss, and it was decided to detach this work from the Society and transfer it to the Central Administration of the "Médecin d'Armée" at Berne. This reform was duly effected, the existing deficit being made good by the Q.M.G. Department, which was henceforth made responsible for the administration of the numerous existing "Pro Captivis" workshops, the services of Madame von Sprecher being still retained as Lady Director. The aforementioned organization was intended almost exclusively for the employment and instruction of categories 3 and 5.

Those coming under category 4 were not being neglected, and factories were set up in January, 1917, for the manufacture of goods intended for sale abroad. These factories were established under the patronage of the officers in charge of the Interned, under the title of national workshops ("ateliers nationaux"), those of the French being controlled by Count de Manneville, who occupied the same position towards his interned compatriots as I did towards the British. This enterprise more especially affected French and German Ps. of W., as they alone had their markets near at hand, and, consequently, were not faced with any special difficulty either as regards the import of raw materials, or the export of the manufactured product. The Political Department gave its consent to the creation of these so-called national workshops for category 4 men, on the understanding that a market for their output should be found abroad, in order that Swiss industry and Swiss workers should not suffer from competition.

In due course factories for German Interned were installed for:—

(_a_) Carpentry and woodwork, at Saint-Gall.

(_b_) Leather goods and orthopædic apparatus, at Stansstad.

(_c_) Toys, at Vitznau.

(_d_) Metal work, at Rorschach.

Other developments followed.

Some of the French workshops were financed and directed as matters of national concern, the French Red Cross taking a leading part in the matter; others were set up by French industrials as a business speculation, machinery and tools being imported from France. The manufacture of furniture and huts received special encouragement from the French Government, as these articles were required in large quantities for the restoration of the provinces occupied by the enemy in Northern France. Clogs and metal work also found a ready outlet, facilities for import into France being accorded by the French Government. The men employed in the factories were, as a rule, those who had been employed in similar work in France and Belgium in pre-war days.

I am indebted to Dr. Garnett, my technical adviser, for some details of the work done by the French, from which I extract the following:—

It has to be borne in mind that the British Army of August, 1914, consisted almost exclusively of professional soldiers, while the French Army consisted largely of tradesmen.

Wherever the French were located, nearly every available workshop, especially if provided with electric power, was secured by them, and turned to more or less profitable purposes. The most remarkable example was at Spiez, where the workshops used by the contractor for the electrification of the Lotschberg Railway had been equipped by a French firm. Fifty men were employed in two relays, working eight hours each, and they turned out 2,000 pairs of sabots daily, using about three tons of sawn birch timber every day. The sabots were sent at once to France. The men were paid 50 centimes an hour (about frs. 24 a week). I could not avoid the conclusion that the French employer was to some extent exploiting prisoners' labour. At the same time, it was much better that the men should be employed than that they should be idle.

At Champéry the French had leased a sawmill and a joiner's shop with machine tools, and were making huts for re-housing the people in the devastated regions of northeast France. This work was under the auspices of the French Red Cross. The huts were built in panels 1¼ metres square, and put together by bolts and nuts. For railway transport they packed solid. Associated with the hut building was the furniture manufacture, carried on in several of the French centres. The furniture was made in birch and pine, and, like the huts, packed solid. Another remarkable industry was the framing in birch wood of school slates for the French schools. The slates were quarried between Frutigen and Adelboden; they were cut to size at the quarries and finished at Adelboden.

At Adelboden the Belgians had a weaving shed, with hand looms capable of turning out linen 2 metres in width.

At Vevey a French Colonial officer, had established the "T.I.M." This appeared to be a purely commercial undertaking where unskilled labour made saleable goods, which comprised bags, wire rat-traps, wire for champagne corks, kitchen utensils, etc. In connection with the majority of this work it was hard to believe that the training would be of value to the men when they returned to France.

At Leysin the French had secured an unfinished hotel, and as there were no windows the men had the advantage of working almost in the open air. Excellent work was done in small cabinet work and French polishing. A modeller with four or five assistants made models of the Kaiser and Crown Prince in plaster, which were painted by a specialist. The demand was so great I could not purchase one. Another man with four or five assistants was making paper-knives from wire nails about 20 c.m. long and 1 c.m. in diameter. This industry was learned, I understand, from Russian prisoners in Germany. At Meiringen the French had a workshop for light leather work and another for rope slippers.

There was little about the work in general that could be regarded as systematically educational, though the assistants had the opportunity of learning as apprentices. With few exceptions, the educational element was entirely lacking.

Attention was also directed by our Allies to other fields of employment. On the initiative of the French Embassy and the Belgian Legation at Berne, an orchestra was formed at Montreux, and was assimilated from the point of view of administration and finance to the system of national workshops. This orchestra was composed of Interned professional musicians, and was placed under the leadership of Monsieur Marc de Ranse, a well-known French musician, who drifted into Switzerland as a P. of W. after a long period of captivity in Germany. British musicians were asked to join this orchestra, though few availed themselves of the privilege, as most of our bandsmen preferred service in the camp orchestras at Château d'Oex, Mürren, and Leysin. Monsieur de Ranse made many tours in the Cantons of Vaud, Geneva, and the Bernese Oberland, where his orchestra met with a well-merited success.

Arrangements were also made for the employment of category 4 (full-day workers) in the workshops, factories, and farms of the country, and for this purpose Labour Commissions were set up at Berne, Lausanne, Lucerne, and Zürich. These regional Commissions, on receipt of a demand by an employer for the services of an Interned, were called upon to satisfy themselves that—(1) The employer was in a position to carry out his engagements, and (2) The employment proposed was not detrimental to the interests of the Swiss workmen. If the investigation proved satisfactory, the demand was referred to a Central Labour Commission at Berne, where it was again examined, and, if approved, was transmitted through the "Médecin d'Armée" at Berne to the camp authorities, by whom it was dealt with. The system gave rise to vexatious delay, but in the end the employers' demand was, as a rule, satisfied. Men so employed were paid the same rates as Swiss labourers or artisans of the same class, and were obliged to provide their own board and lodging. During the period of their contract they ceased to receive the frs. 4-5 per diem allocated by the Swiss Government for the entertainment of Ps. of W. in Switzerland, an exception, however, being made for men working in the open air, such as labourers, masons, or wood-cutters, for whom such daily grant continued to be paid on Sundays and other non-working days.

It is of interest, in connection with the French, to record the fact that the Swiss Federal Department of the Interior was much pre-occupied with the question of the preservation of walnut-trees. As a means to that end, grafting (_greffage_) as practised in France, but the method of which was unknown to the Swiss, was considered of great importance. Instructors were accordingly recruited from amongst the French Interned, and in January, 1917, as many as twenty men were engaged in imparting their knowledge to Swiss gardeners in different parts of the country.

By December 31, 1916, out of a total of 28,081 Ps. of W., consisting of 1,879 British, 15,574 French, 1,893 Belgians, 8,504 Germans, and 231 Austrians, only 818 men of category 4 had found employment through the intermediary of the Labour Commissions, and even this limited number was distributed amongst as many as 741 different Swiss masters.

As regards general and technical education, schools ("écoles nationales") were formed under the auspices of the officers in charge of the Interned. I am writing now only of the French, Belgians, and Germans. With the French and Belgians, attention was directed to _general_ education in elementary subjects, languages, literature, commerce and accounts, and to _technical_ instruction in agriculture, aviculture, designing, and telegraphy.

The Germans appear to have interested themselves in languages, English and Spanish being specially favoured. Other subjects were shorthand, accounts, geography, and commerce, whilst technical instruction was also given in fruit and vegetable culture, forestry, chemistry, and mining. The aforesaid subjects cover a wide field, but only a limited number of students were able to avail themselves of the facilities offered.

Funds for the above purposes were provided, directly by the Governments concerned, and indirectly by private individuals and public societies.

To make provision for the needs of category 6, i.e. of officers and men wishing to continue their studies at the universities or schools of Switzerland, "L'Œuvre Universitaire Suisse" was founded in June, 1915, with a central office at Lausanne. This body assumed responsibility for the intellectual patronage of the Interned. In September, 1915, a decision was taken authorizing the Interned to follow university or college courses in the principal intellectual centres of the country, and local Committees of the "Œuvre" were formed for the purpose of assisting the students at the Universities of Bâle, Berne, Fribourg, Geneva, Lausanne, Neuchâtel, and Zürich.

A special sub-division of the Interned, too, comprising all these centres, was instituted under the general direction of Colonel George de Montmollin, of Neuchâtel, and at each centre a "Commandant de Place" was appointed for the organization, discipline, and lodging of the students. Commissions were also nominated in each region, who pronounced on the eligibility of the students for inscription at the universities.

In January, 1917, a total of 1,364 students had inscribed themselves on the rolls of the universities, of whom 13 were British, 195 Belgians, 749 French, and 407 Germans. For their administration and discipline, 16 Swiss officers and 18 N.C.Os. had been designated. "L'Œuvre Universitaire" arranged that these students should be exempt from all university charges, a gracious concession which caused some comment, as a distinction was thus drawn unfavourable to the Swiss student, who, in many cases, was financially less well endowed than his foreign comrade. The question of language was a stumbling-block to the generality of British officers and soldiers, and no amount of goodwill or zeal could compensate for a want of French, more particularly as this language was the medium used by the professors in the universities open to the British.