PRISONERS OF WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3156, 7 August 1917, Page 4

PRISONERS OF WAR

PARCELS FROM HOME. The following statement is published with tho authority of tho Minister of Defence:— « "From reports which have been received from the.High Commissioner from time to time,-it is clear that the presents, procedure respecting tho forwarding of parcels to prisoners of war is not satisfactory. This is largely duo to the fact", that tho conditions relating to tho trans-, mission of such parcels for prisoners of •war in Germany are continually being", altered. Parents, relatives, and friends of prisoners of war should in future remit to tho High Commissioner money, for the purchase of food parcels, etc. He; will .'then arrange to p'urchase only such articles as aro provided for in the regulations, which if not implicity obeyed! will cause parcels to be confiscated. "The change is very largely attributable to the fact that difficulties have arisen with regard to sending food contained in tin receptacles, the Germans having adopted the practice of removing) such articles from the prisoners' l ' parcels.. Tho tins aro eventually opened and the. fowl is given our, but the tins are withheld, and, it is presumed, used by the Germans for military purposes. It will be readily understood that, as tinned food . quickly deteriorates when exposed to the air, this is a very serious matter for all prisoners of war; indeed, Sir Thomas Mackenzie has informed tho Minister of Defence that our men have already sent urgent and repeated appeals that" food in tins should not be sent to them on account of the a-bove-mentioneu action of the captor Government. , "Difficulties have also beta experienced with respect to cigarettes, the packets of which have been found to contain pictures and cartoons. In consequence orthis such cigarettes are being conhscated."