PRISONERS IN GERMANY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2850, 15 August 1916, Page 4

PRISONERS IN GERMANY

A question of very great oonoern is raised' by Major W. Kington Fyffe. of the New Zealand Medical Corps, in a letter published elsewhere in this issue, it relates to the welfare of such of our troops as may b«J captured by the Germans, and held as prisoners of war in Germany, and so becomes a matter which must) appeal to each and every one of us. Major Fyffe, who recently returned from England, and who has had special opportunities of forcing a sound opinion, confirms the reports which have reached New Zealand from time to time regarding the treatment accorded prisoners of war by the German authorities. Ho states emphatically that British prisoners in German hands are un-der-fed, and confidently expresses the view that it is 1 urgently necessary that steps should be taken to ensure that such of our men as may fall into German hands shall have their rations supplemented by parcels of food sent from England or from the Dominion. The sooner such parcels reach their destination' the better, and it is therefore desirable that arrangements should be made under which they might be made up and sent from England. These, of course,- could be supplemented by gifts from New Zealand. The first thing to be done, however, is to make a beginning on systematic lines which will ensure the desired results. Experience has shown that in the majority of cases parcels sent from England to prisoners in Germany have reached their destination, and have greatly minimised the hajr/lships suffered by the men in the prison camps. Majok Fyffb's letter only reached us last evening, and unfortunately the Minister of Defence is in the south, and wo havo not been able to put the matter before him. But there can lie no doubt as to the Government's duty to lend every possible assistance, and Mh. Allen, we are confident, if he has not already taken steps to do so, will havo the necessary inquiries made to enable parcels to be sent-through the proper channel. The matter is one of some urgency, and the Government should make an early announcement concerning it.