PRISONERS’ PARCELS

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 285, 31 August 1942, Page 8

PRISONERS’ PARCELS

New System To Assist

Next-of-Kin

A. new system to- assist next-of-kin to prisoners of war has been adopted by the Joint Council of the Order of St. John and the New Zealand Red Cross Society. In the past it has been the practice to send clothing coupons only when the quarterly label was issued to next-of-kin, but in future the set of 15 coupons will be forwarded every quarter irrespective of when the Red Cross label Is due to be dispatched. Inquiries have been made as to why all labels, etc., are not forwarded at the same time. The official reply is that if that were done it would mean that the four packing centres would have to handle over GOOD parcels at one time. That would not only mean that much more packing space would be required, but that packers would have to work frenetically for several weeks in each quarter to prepare the parcels for shipment. On the other band if the parcels reached the packing depots in relays throughout the quarterly period, the handling became easier, and there was no marked accumulation of parcels for any particular ship, but every ship available could take its proportion. The receipt of these coupons by next-of-kin must noj.be taken to mean that they are due to send another parcel. They are simply forwarded now to enable next-of-kin to secure wool with a view to having it knitted in readiness for the parcel and to make purchases of’ clothing and so forth, when stocks are available. Labels will, as previously, be issued on certain dates (not the same to everyone), and parcels must not be forwarded till next-of-kin are in possession of the Red Cross tie-on label. Any unused coupons must be returned. Faults Of Senders. The failure of a large number of the senders of prisoner-of-war parcels to HU in their names and addresses on the Red Cross label, to enclose acknowledgment cards, and to fill in and enclose the duplicate contents slips, is likely to hold up the censorship, according to the weekly bulletin of the Prisoners of War Inquiry Office. The instructions should be adhered to by next-of-kin for their own benefit.

The total prohibition of the sending of parcels from Cairo to New Zealand prisoners of war is announced. Hitherto up to 100 a week had been sent through friends and relatives of prisoners' ll! the Middle Hast. Acknowledgment cards from prisoners are now arriving freely in Wellington, and after cheeking are sent on to the senders of the parcels. The prisoners of War Office headquarters requests that: next-Of-kin forward copies only of letters which were written in April or the beginning of March from Camp P.G. 52, Italy.