TREATMENT OF JAPANESE

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24599, 22 June 1945, Page 3

TREATMENT OF JAPANESE

FEATHERSTON PRISON CAMP STATEMENT BY MR NASH (P.A.) WELLINGTON, June 21. The Acting-Prime Minister (the Hon. W. Nash), in a statement to-night, commented on reports published about the use of gloves by Japanese prisoners of war while at work, the supply of morning and afternoon tea to them, and to allegations of fraternisation .between the guards and the prisoners'. “In the first place,” said Mr Nash, “it should be made clear that New Zealand follows the provisions of the Geneva Convention in the treatment of prisoners of war, and Article 12 of the Convention provides, inter alia, that prisoners employed as workers shall receive working kit, wherever the nature of the work requires it. "The Japanese prisoners at the Featherstoh prisoner of war camp are employed in the manual handling of heavy concrete blocks of the type used on roads and in other heavy work, for whiqh protective clothing for the hands is customary, and a request that this protective clothing should be provided was made by the delegate in New Zealand: ,of the International Red Cross Committee. Some of the gloves being used are leather gloves, but the majority have been made by the prisoners themselves from heavy canvas material salvaged from discarded Army icit bflgs “Morning and afternoon teas which the working parties of prisoners are receiving were introduced as a winter measure on the representations of the International Red Cross Committee’s delegate, and are drawn from the prisoners’ daily rations, which are in accordance with the Convention. The teas are provided by the prisoners’ own cooks, and are, not an extra.” Mr Nash added that allegations about fraternisation between the prisoners and their guards were being investigated. 1