PARCELS FOR WAR PRISONERS

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 288, 3 September 1942, Page 4

PARCELS FOR WAR PRISONERS

Wellington Organization NEARLY 1100 VOLUNTARY

HELPERS Work is swinging along briskly in the new Wellington quarters of th® prisoners-of-war department of the Joint Council of the Order of St. John and the New Zealand Red Cross 'Society, now situated in a three-story brick building in Tory Street. Those who read of the prisoners of war receiving a parcel a week all the year round should really know more about it. Accompanied by Major J. Abel, chairman of the committee, a representative of “The- Dominion.” went through the establishment yesterday. Nearly 1100 voluntary helpers, women and girls, are at the disposal of this committee.

“We have so many helpers that these women are' only called on. to show up once in eight weeks,” said Major Abel. “When we step up the number ot parcels from about 6000 to 8000 we will have two teams of 30 each, which means that they will have to come down twice in eight weeks. The heavier work of handling the full'cases as they come into the store, opening them up, and later nailing on the lids and wiring the cases is done by men. Here we could do with some additional help, as it is essential to keep the place clear of the empty boxes ifi\ which the foodstuffs arrive.” Major Abel has instituted-an assembly line for parcel packing, manned by women. Initially there are the empty cardboard boxes, and as they move along the long table each helper adds something to their contents. These consist of a tin of cheese, assorted jams, honev, coffee and milk, two tins of meat, lib. tin of butter, two small tins of tea (Jib. in aU), a tin of regulation emergency chocolate, a tin .of vegetables (soon to be replaced with a packet of peas and a portion of sugar), and a packet of raisins, The parcels, though they now bear on the top side the official Red Cross label, have to be specially rubberstamped with a list of the articles in English and German, and the words “for distribution,” also in both languages. Eight parcels go to a case, which passes from the packers to men who nail on the lid, while others wire the case with an ingenious .device. Formerly the lids of the case were stencilled with the usual Red Cross label, and the instructions that they were for distribution among British of war, but now the lids are clearly printed. When ready the cases are shipped to Geneva, via America, Lisbon, and Marseilles. Vessels flying the Swiss flag convey them from Lisbon to Marseilles under international agreement. Each parcel includes a card which invites the recipient to acknowledge it. That the parcels are appreciated to the utmost is revealed by the hundreds of cards which have been received from prisoners of war. By almost every mail acknowledgments flow into the office in .Tory Street. In most cases the writers use every atom of card space in expressing their heartfelt thanks >to the organization and the public behind it.