PRISONERS OF WAR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16499, 27 March 1917, Page 7

PRISONERS OF WAR.

NEW ZEALAND DEPARTMENT. PROVISION:: OF COMFORTS. [from our own correspondent.] LONDON, Jan. 26... A new scheme has been put into operation by ,the- Central: Prisoners of War • Committee with the approval of the War-Office in ; connection : with ■ the despatch • from ; the United : Kingdom of. parcels of .food- and other '" comfortn to British ■"' prisoners of war.. >;,'ln : a statement upon .;■ the .-;■; subject ;. the .High;; Commissioner says :—"lt ■ has been for some-' time * abundantly'; obvious: that something would have to be done to secure equality of distribution and coordination -of \ effort.; It -.was estimated that there were in existence upwards of one thousand .organisations, for, the benefit prisoners 'of war, and there was nothing to prevent any of these organisations; or any private individual, from sending any number of parcels'? to a prisoner of .War without the -knowledge of ; his appropriate Regimental;;fore : Committee. The result was that some prisoners of'war received far more than - was - 1 necessary, -while others .; received ;,': an ±. inadequate supply, and it was known ■• that . iii; some : cases the excess '/was ; sold ■;•; by ); the .1 Germans, and thus the food supply (of this '■ country was being depleted in favour of 'the enemy. Li order to remedy this;state of affairs the War Office '.gave ? its 'approval to certain ". proposals..: brought forward by the Central Prisoners of War Committee, of which Sir Starr 'Jameson-y is '■> chairman;; and the ; new; scheme. was put into opera; tion on- December ,1. •

Adequate V Supplies for .All. ' •:-'"The object of the" scheme is' that' every prisoner of war shall ; receive >an adequate supply of ;. food; and J other;, comforts, ;■ and that, overlapping :and» waste ;shall; be 'prevented. ■ In. order v. to attain these objects it was aecided, j (1) That all parcels must be sent i through ■:{ the; Central v Committee or an association authorised "by it; . (2) that individuals i wishing.Tie send' < food .parcels shall arrange: for this to -bo done bytho recognised ■•. association. '" " . "The New Zealand Prisoners of War JJepartment ;i 3 ; the recognised • association' through which all J parcels' must: be sent to non-commissioned officers and men of the; New : ; Zealand Expeditionary Forcethe.scheme does 'not' apply to officers-arid civilian.New;Zealariders who are interned as prisoners of war. Without its consent no other association or person can now despatch a :: parcel, to Ka .New;. Zealand 1 prisoner of war. There are several New /iealanders, serving in-other units who have been captured by ,the" enemy, ; but the care; of such * men 'has; been placed under the control of the s association : connected with their respective regiments or units; and they .can ; be - ' adopted ' by the New Zealand Prisoners fit* War Department only with the consent- of : the appropriate association or committee. -*> As *it* was/ thought that the, relatives in New Zealand would naturally prefer that r those : - belong, I to the Dominion should be cared for by our own Department/ application was made, to 'adopt' all Buc men, and "in only one case was a refusal given. ■ J v Parcel Sent* Every Week. "The New Zealand Prisoners .-'of War Department, has its .offices' at 415, Strand.' arid is under the direct control of Sir Thomas Mackenzie,,Us ;; Commissioner - The weekly; food parcel despatched to each of. our prisoners of war in Germany /costs about 10s, and the contents are varied from week :to Week '■ in' a" series covering \ a . period /of four, weeks, v and ■' the series is then repeated. Each man \ also received 'tnrough the Bureau ide i Secdurs aux.Trisonniers'-de^ Guerre in Berne the [ maximum bread supply allowed, and a fortniehtly tobacco and cigarette ' supply, in addition to the parcels of all kinds from relatives and friends:: h Immediately upon notification being received, ; a,-: complete shaving| and toilet outfit;; including , : a.' razor, i. is 1 "! despatched, and an order . is given iat the same : < time to tha Koyalr Army Clothing Department for : a l fuir outfit * of. clothing, including the prescribed, overcoat, tunic, trousers, and cap, ! and a supply of warm underclothing. A; ■ pocket-money allowance- has also been sent, to I our prisoners of ; war-in- Ger-■ many, but several of, the men have recently asked that these remittances should bo discontinued. , How Parcels Are Sent. , \\ .J :.■■■■'• | > ■ ~ .-. ,■' "■■ '. ■■'- ■ : :- : "All «parcels ;' arriving > from" New Zealand or abroad for. prisoners of war under the control of the New' Zealand Prisoners' War. Department are now? sent by : : the Q.P.0.,' London, direct to .this office, where ; the; contents are ; carefully -checked and ;full particulars recorded'of; the sender and the addresses as well as the contents of the; parcel.!' If the package has already been examined ;by .a, postal '. censor in 'New Zealand it is not opened, but ' the address of the prisoner of war is carefully checked in every case and : corrected if ■ necessary, and the parcel is then reposted. If the parcel has not been examined in New Zealand, or if it'.'containsy' any ' prohibited article'it is" opened, "and the article ex( tracted, and then the parcel /■, is / redispatched.'/,* This prevents overlapping and waste, for : our Department becomes aware of what-is being sent through, \ and can regulate the contents, of-its own' parcels accordingly. . , • - ; . v "With regard to remittances of money for. the-benefit of prisoners of war—other than officers—and interned t civilians, all sums'of money sent:to the Central Committeo are 'handed over to.the New Zealand Department, to be dealt with in accordance 'with'the wishes of the :senders. Thereforo it would save delay if all : such amounts wcro sent to the New Zealand Department 'direct." ' ■ ■■_