CLOTHING COUPONS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20864, 17 August 1942, Page 5

CLOTHING COUPONS

PARCELS FOR PRISONERS ISSUE THIS MONTH (P.A.) WELLINGTON, this day. Clothing coupons being issued to next-of-kin for personal parcels tp prisoners of war should be in their hands by the last week of this month. They are being issued irrespective of when the individual parcel labels are due, which will allow the recipients many weeks to procure the wool and pther clothing before the parcels ar.e due to be sent from New Zealand. In making this announcement, the prisoners of war inquiry office, Wellington, states that the censoring; department found this week in one parcel a cardboard box with a personal message . written on the inside, and also a message enclosed in a pair of boots. Next-of-kin are warned that if they attempt to hide messages in this way, and the messages are not discovered by the local censor, the parcels are liable to be confiscated in Germany and Italy. Next-of-kin wishing to send an extra amount of chocolate will too given this opportunity in the next parcels. A cable message this week regarding invalid comforts says that the British Red Cross supplies the senior British medical officer in every camp with the necessary stocks of drugs, disinfectants and invalid foods. This is found to be preferable to sending similar articles to individual prisoners. The cable message says ‘ that it is unnecessary and undesirable that prisoners should write either to New Zealand or London for individual parcels. The officially reported prisoners now total 6144. and there are 12 unofficial prisoners.