CAPTIVE SOLDIERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24715, 18 September 1941, Page 8

CAPTIVE SOLDIERS

NEW ZEALAND PRISONERS DELIVERY OF PARCELS OUTLINE OF ARRANGEMENTS (0.C.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 17. "The Government is doing everything possible to ensure that provision is made for, the comfort and well-being of our men who are unfortunate enough to be made prisoners of war," said the Prime Minister, Mr P. Fraser, in the House of Representatives to-day, when detailing the steps taken to deliver parcels to prisoners from their next-of-kin.

After praising the untiring efforts of the International Red Cross and the Joint Council of the Order of St. Johh and the Red Cross Society, Mr Fraser said it must be understood that the efficacy of what could be done for prisoners depended in large measure on the observance by the enemy governments of the terms of the Geneva Convention. Depots for Quarterly Parcels The Joint Council was establishing depots at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, where quarterly parcels addressed by the next-of-kin would be repacked for despatch overseas, Mr Fraser said in reply to an urgent question by Mr J. N. Massey (Opposition, Franklin). All parcels sent to prisoners had to be censorea to see that only permissible articles went forward and that no messages were included in the parcels. Officers of the censorship staff would therefore be attached to the depots. Up to the present, the work of packing was done in Great Britain, but it was mucn more convenient for it to be done in New Zealand, and it would also be quicker to send parcels direct, as the route for their despatch was via New York and Lisbon. The weight of parcels must not exceed 111 b. As only four parcels might be sent to each man a year, Mr Fraser added, a label system was being introduced similar to that already in force in Britain. A label would be sent to the next-of-kin of every man who had been notified as a prisoner of war. and at the beginning of each quarter thereafter another label would be sent, together with a contents slip in duplicate and a stamped acknowledgment card to enable the prisoner to acknowledge the safe receipt of the parcel. Parcels for men whose permanent camp addresses were not available, the Prime Minister said, would be sent to London to a special depot established by the High Commissioner, Mr W. J. Jordan, and would be reforwarded immediately the proper address became available. It was estimated that it would take an average of about 10 or 12 weeks for parcels sent via New York to reach prisoners after their despatch from New Zealand'. No Guarantee of Delivery It was felt that at first clothing would be very acceptable. Mr Fraser continued, but as time went on it might be that the men would become equipped and the make-up of the parcels might be changed. In addition to the quarterly parcels, weekly food oarcels were sent as soon as information was received of the arrival of New Zealanders at a prison- camp. There could, unfortunately, be no guarantee that food parcels from the Dominion would reach New Zealand prisoners.

Discussing reports indicating that up to July 14 no food parcels had been received by prisoners. Mr Fraser gave figures of parcels of food, clothing, medical comforts and tobacco delivered to the prison camps. Since July 24 deliveries had been regular, and the High Commissioner had been advised that the issue of a food parcel had been a regular weekly feature. Monthly parcels of tobacco or cigarettes, books and fames were sent by the Red Cross and St. John war organisation to all New Zealand prisoners whose addresses were known, and arrangements were in train for the despatch of these parcels from New Zealand. In addition to what was being done by the Red Cross and St. John organisation, the High Commissioner was sending through licensed firms in Britain 250 cigarettes fir Coz of tobacco a month to each New Zealand prisoner.