Clothing Coupons For Prisoners’ Parcels

Northern Advocate, 15 August 1942, Page 4

Clothing Coupons For Prisoners’ Parcels

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Clothing coupons being issued to next-of-kin for personal parcels to prisoners-of-war should be in their hands by the last week of this month. They are being issued irrespective of when individual parcel labels are due, which will allow the recipients many weeks to procure wool and other clothing before the parcels are due to be sent from New Zealand.

Making this announcement, the Prisoners-of-War Inquiry Office in Wellington states that the Censoring Departmenet found this week in one parcel, a cardboard box with a personal message written on the inside, also a message enclosed in a pair of boots. Don’t Conceal Message Next-of-kin are warned that if they attempt to hide messages 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 be given this opportunity in the next parcels. A cable this week regarding invalid comforts says 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 preferable to sending similar articles to individual prisoners. A cable says it is unnecessary and undesirable that prisoners should write either to New Zealand or London for individual pai’cels. It is officially reported that prisoners now number 6144 and 12 unofficial.