WAR PRISONERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24690, 16 September 1943, Page 4

WAR PRISONERS

THE MEN IN ITALY LACK OF INFORMATION LONDON, Sept. 14 "The whole position is confused," saicl Mr. C. B. Byrdekin, of tfcte Prisoners of War Department at New Zealand House, commenting on the position of New Zealanders who are prisoners of war in Italy. "There is no news of what is happening," he added. "Latterly there have been only a few of our boys in camps in Southern Italy. Some of them may have been moved northward before the Allied invasion. It is likely that when the armistice was announced New Zealanders, in common with other British prisoners, walked out of camps in Northern Italy, hoping to make for Switzerland or Yugoslavia, but there is no confirmation of this. "Seven men who have been reported so far were removed from Italy to Germany before the fall of Mussolini, They are:—Gunner A. B. Cresswell and Privates T. Mottram and A. L. Richardson, of Wellington, who were at Stalag IVB., and Privates E. S. Mcßride, of Christchurch, H. McCluggage, of Waipu, and T. R. Rusbi-idge, of Gore, and Sapper S. Seller, of Auckland, who were in Stalag VIIIB." CAPTIVES IN FAR EAST NEW RULE FOR LETTERS (P.A.) WELLINGTON. Wednesday According to advice just received, stated the Postmaster-General, the Hon. P. C. Webb, to-day, the Japanese | authorities require letters and postcards to prisoners of war and civilian internees in Japan and Japanese occupied territory to be limited to 25 words. The Japanese also require letters to be either typewritten or written clearly in block letters. This restriction is understood to be due to Japanese inability to cope with the censorship and delivery of the present volume of mail. BUTTER RATIONING A LABOUR PREDICTION BEFORE END OF YEAR (0.C.) ROTORUA, Wednesday A statement that butter was to be rationed in the Dominion, probably before Christmas, was made by Mr. A. F. Moncur, Labour candidate for the Rotorua seat, when addressing electors in Rotorua last evening. Mr. Moncur said that New Zealanders were recognised as the greatest butter consumers in the world, the average consumption being 471b. a head a year or IS ounces a person a week. In Britain the rationing quota was only 2oz. a week and in order that the British Government might maintain this quota rationing would be imposed in New Zealand before the end of the present year. The candidate also forecast a continuation of the egg short9ge in the Dominion next year and said that under reciprocal lend-lease New Zealand supplied 3,660,000 dozen eggs to American forces stationed in the Dominion. He defended the Internal Marketing Department. THAMES HOSPITAL SCHEME FOR REBUILDING (0.C.) THAMES, Wednesday Two schemes for rebuilding the hospital were recently placed before the Thames Hospital Board. One involved dismantling the hospital and rebuilding on the present site, the estimated cost being about £IOO.OOO. The -other proposal was to rebuild on another site, the cost being £250,000. The board decided to adopt the report of a special committee recommending the first proposition. TEACHERS ON SERVICE SUPERANNUATION QUESTION A decision to refer to the Education Department a suggestion that for superannuation purposes the military service of soldier-teachers of the last war should count as double time was reached at a meeting of the Auckland Education Board yesterday. The question of making a similar concession to teachers serving overseas in the present war was dealt with at an earlier meeting of the board and referred to the department. Mr. M. Priestley said it was probable that many teachers now overseas would have to retire from the profession before they had completed 40 years' service owing to the effects of the war. Teachers so affected would suffer a reduction of one-sixtieth of their retiring allowance for each year they were unable to continue their service as teachers. In the last war, Mr. Priestley continued. teachers on service had received two marks instead of one for each year of service for grading purposes only and this gave them one mark a year more than teachers who remained at home. If double marks counted for superannuation purposes in addition to grading, "broken" soldier-teachers would be enabled to enjoy added superannuation benefits and efficient teaching in the schools would be ensured. Mr. Priestley thought that, if given effect, the suggestion should be made retrospective. £28,867 FROM WASTE (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday For the year ended March 31, the National Patriotic Fund benefited by £9085 as a result of operations under the National Council for Reclamation of Waste. Altogether to date £28,86" has been paid into patriotic funds from this source. The money is allocated to the provincial patriotic councils on the basis of tha,svalue of waste material salvaged. I The £9385 has been allocated as follows:—Southland, £49; Auckland, £2139; East Coast, £69; Otago, £994; Hawke's Bay, £356; Taranaki, £505; Wellington, £1605; Nelson, £161; Canterbury, £3200; Westlandj £297. WET DAYS IN WELLINGTON There seems to be an unlimited amount of water up above waiting to be poured out on Wellington, and September is going to be the fourth month in succession with a rainfall well above normal, says the Evening Post. With a deluge on Monday night and early on Tuesday morning, September's average fall of a little under 3$ inches has already been exceeded, and there I is still more than half the month to I come.