PRISONERS OF WAR

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 62, 16 March 1943, Page 6

PRISONERS OF WAR

LETTERS TO JAPANESE CAMPS (P.A • Wellington, March 13. The International Red Cross has advised the New Zealand Prisoners of War Inquiry Office that the Japanese authorities are now proceeding with the distribution of mail received from abroad for prisoners in their hands now that the camps in the Far East are reasonably established. The Japanese Official Bureau advises that letters which had been received by them up to the end of last year had been distributed as follows:—Malaya. 180,000, Java 10,000, Shanghai 70,500, Hongkong 21,500, China (excluding Shanghai and Hongkong) 600, Philippines 5400, Burma 8100, Zentsuji 4500, Japan (excluding Zentsuji) 800, others 200. The International Red Cross delegate has visited the filing and sorting offices where approximately 150,000 letters are being sorted by 40 wholetime workers.

Cabled advice has been received to the effect that 17 cases of safety razor blades which were dispatched through the High Commissioner's Office, London, have been received and distributed by the International Red Cross to prison camps where New Zealanders are located.

A prisoner writing in November, 1942, from P.G. 47, Italy, states that the Red Cross had already delivered a quantity of special Christmas parcels which were to be consumed on Christmas Day. A second prisoner writes to the effect that all were well supplied with Red Cross comforts arxl they anticipated having an honest English Christmas dinner.

All letters addressed to the Prisoners of War Inquiry Offices must bear ordinary postage. Although official prisoner of war mail from the InquiryOffices is not subject to postal charges, incoming correspondence must have the necessary stamps affixed even when the printed envelope supplied by the office is used.

The Prisoners of War Inquiry Office assures next-of-kin that the information requested in the questionnaire recently issued is both important and urgent and requests that it be returned immediately.