"OUR DAY" 1918

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 9, 5 October 1918, Page 9

"OUR DAY" 1918

RED CROSS RELIEF FOR BRITISH PRISONERS. Among many branches of the work of the British, Red Cross Society and ttio Order of St. John to which recent developments in tho fighting areas have brought marked increase of responsibility is the task of providing food parcels for British prisoners of war in enemy hands-, Parcels oMfood for about one-third of our prisoners are provided directly by the Red Cross through the Central Prisoners of Avar Committeo at 4 Thurloo Place, London, S.AV. 7. The others are provided through regimental care .committees and local associations, all of which act under tho control and authorisation of the Central Committee, which administers the official scheme of relief. Financial aid grants are made to many of these care committees and associations. Precise figures are at the moment difficult to give with regard to prisoners, but in May parcels were being packed and sent direct from Thiirloe Place to more than 900 officers and some 20,000 men. By the end of June over 22,000 names of new prisoners had been received, and during that month no fower than 157,633 parcels were packed and sent off by the Central Committee. In addition, about twothirds of the British prisoners receive bread through the two special bread depots maintained at Berne and Copenhagen, while a depot at Rotterdam is "kept supplied with food in bulk to bo sent quickly to enemy prison camps for the benefit of newly-captured men. Tho system organised and controlled by tho committee is directed to ono thing—the supply of overy British prisoner, ' military and _ civil, in enemy countries of a full ration of food, clothing, and as many comforts as possible. To every prisoner 301b. of food is sent .each fortnight, and two parcols weighing 15)b. each whon packed are now being dispatched instead of the three 101b. parcels which went formerly in each fortnight. Tho bread, of course, is additional. So far, the work involved by the increase of prisoners has beim satisfactorily mot, in spite of the difficulty of obtaining workers. Tho requirements and limitations of tho censorship and other regulations under which parcels have to be sent naturally involve- great complexity of work, the handling _of largo sums of money, vast quantities of supplies, an ever-growing correspondence, and the keeping of elaborate records. At a recent date'the number of workers under tho Central War Committeo exceeded' 500, and they havo since been added to. AVomen play a largo and much-appreciated part in the work, and tho bulk of tho packing is done by them. As far as the cost to the Red Cross funds of relief for prisoners is concerned, it has, of course- rismi enormously. Last year it amounted to £1500 a day; it is now about £4000 a day, ami wilt probably incrcaso still further in the near future.

Tho servico for prisoners is one of tho. most urgent and vital for which tho Red Cross is responsible. Its increasing demands, liko those in other departments: of war activity, servo to emphasise the urgency of wide and generous response to tho appeal for funds which tho joint socioties nvo again malting on "Our Day" (October 24), for it is only by such rnsponso that tho mainteiiiiiico at tho full of all tho Red Cross help for sick mid wounded and captives can bo assured.

' Tlioso desirous of helping in this good work aro remiosicd to sand thoir subscriptions to tlio treasurer, Mr. H. D, .Victory, 330 Lambton Quay.