530 



NETHERLANDS. 



are regulated by agreement with the military au- 

 thorities. 



" The wages of the prisoners are to contribute 

 to making their condition more pleasant, and the 

 balance, after deducting the cost of their main- 

 tenance, is to be handed to them at the moment 

 of their liberation. 



"ART. VII. The government in whose power 

 prisoners of war have fallen has to support them. 



" In default of a special agreement between the 

 belligerent parties prisoners of war are to be 

 treated as regards food, lodging, and clothing on 

 the same footing as the troops of the government 

 which has taken them captive. 



" ART. VIII. Prisoners of war shall be subject 

 to the laws, regulations, and orders in force in 

 the army of the state in whose power they are. 

 Anv act of insubordination will authorize the ap- 

 plication of such rigorous measures as are neces- 

 *arv. Prisoners who escape but are recaptured 

 lefore being able to rejoin their army, or before 

 quitting the territory occupied by the army which 

 has captured them, are liable to disciplinary pen- 

 alties. 



" Prisoners who. after having made good their 

 escape, are again made prisoners are not liable 

 to any penalty for their former flight. 



" ART. IX. Every prisoner of war is bound to 

 declare, if questioned on the subject, his true 

 name and rank, and -make himself liable, if he 

 contravenes this regulation, to a restriction of 

 the privileges accorded to prisoners of war of 

 his class. 



" ART. X. Prisoners of w r ar can be liberated 

 on parole, if the laws of their country permit it, 

 and in such a case are obliged under the guaran- 

 tee of their personal honor to fulfill scrupulously, 

 both toward their own government and toward 

 the government which has made them prisoners, 

 the engagements they have entered on. Their 

 own government, in such a case, is bound not 

 to demand or accept of them any service contrary 

 to the parole given. 



" ART. XI. A prisoner of war can not be com- 

 plied to accept liberty on parole; nor is the 

 hostile government obliged to accede to the pris- 

 oner's request to be set at liberty on parole. 



"ART. XII. Every prisoner of war who has 

 been liberated on parole and is then retaken while 

 In-aring arms against the government to which 

 he has plighted his word of honor, or against its 

 allies, loses the right to be treated as a prisoner 

 of war, and may be surrendered to the tribunals. 



"ART. XIII. Individuals who follow an army 

 without actually forming part of it, such as the 

 correspondents and reporters of newspapers, sut- 

 lers, and contractors, who fall in the power of 

 the enemy, and whom the latter thinks it ad- 

 visable to detain, have the right to be treated as 

 prisoners of war. provided they are furnished with 

 a legitimation from the military authorities of 

 the army they have been accompanying. 



" ART. XIV. An office of information relating 

 to prisoners of war is to be established from the 

 commencement of hostilities in each of the bel- 

 ligerent states, or, as the case may be, in neu- 

 tral countries which have received the belligerents 

 in their territory. This office, which has the duty 

 of answering all questions addressed to it con- 

 cerning prisoners, shall receive from the various 

 competent sources all the indications necessary 

 to enable it to individually identify each prisoner 

 of war. It is to be kept informed of all intern- 

 ments and transferments of prisoners, as well as 

 of all admissions to hospital and deaths. The 

 information office also has the duty of collecting 

 and bringing to one place all the objects of per- 



sonal use, money, or letters, etc., found on fields 

 of battle or left by prisoners who have died in 

 hospitals or ambulances, and of transmitting 

 them to the interested parties. 



"ART. XV. The societies of aid for prisoners 

 of war, if regularly constituted in accordance 

 with the law of their country with the object 

 of acting as the agents of charity, are to receive 

 every facility for effectively accomplishing their 

 humane task on the. part of the belligerents both 

 for themselves and their duly accredited agents 

 within the limits of military necessities and ad- 

 ministrative regulations. The delegates of these 

 societies may be admitted to distribute relief in 

 the depots where prisoners are interned, as well 

 as to the halting places of prisoners who are being 

 sent back to their country, on obtaining personal 

 permission from the military authorities, and on 

 undertaking, in writing, to submit to all the dis- 

 ciplinary and police measures prescribed by them. 



" ART. XVI. The information offices are ex- 

 empt from customs dues. Letters, checks, and 

 money orders, as well as postal packets addressed 

 to prisoners of war or dispatched by them, are 

 to be post free, not only in the countries from 

 and to which they are sent, but also in those 

 they have to pass through. Gifts and help in 

 kind destined for prisoners of war shall be ad- 

 mitted free of all customs or other dues, as well 

 as of all transport rates on railways worked by 

 the state. 



" ART. XVII. Officers who are prisoners may 

 be paid such portion of their pay as becomes due 

 to them in this situation according to the regu- 

 lations of their country, their own government 

 being responsible for repaying the amounts thus 

 expended. 



" ART. XVIII. Prisoners of war are to be al- 

 lowed all possible freedom for the exercise of their > 

 religion, including the right of attending their 

 own particular services, provided always they 

 conform to the disciplinary and police measures 

 prescribed by the military authorities. 



" ART. XIX. The wills of prisoners of war are 

 to be taken care of or drawn up on the same con- 

 ditions as those of the soldiers of the national 

 army. The same rules are also to be followed 

 with regard to the documents testifying the de- 

 cease, and to the burial of prisoners of war hav- 

 ing regard to their rank and position. 



" ART. XX. After the conclusion of peace the 

 repatriation of prisoners is to take place with 

 the least possible delay. 



"CHAPTER III. OF THE SICK AND WOUNDED. 



"ART. XXI. The obligations of belligerents 

 with regard to attendance on the sick and wound- 

 ed are regulated by the Geneva convention of 

 Aug. 22, 1864, excepting such modifications as 

 may be introduced. 



"SECTION II. OF HOSTILITIES. 



" CHAPTER I. OF THE MEANS OF INJURING AN 

 ENEMY, OF SIEGES AND BOMBARDMENTS. 



"ART. XXII. The right of belligerents as to 

 the choice of means to injure an enemy is not 

 unlimited. 



" ART. XXIIL Besides the prohibitions estab- 

 lished by special conventions, it is more particu- 

 larly forbidden 



(a) To employ poison or poisoned arms. 



" (6) To kill or wound treacherously individ- 

 uals belonging to the hostile nation or army. 



" (c) To kill or wound an enemy who, having 

 laid down his arms, or having no means of de- 

 fense, has surrendered at discretion. 



