INQUIRY BUREAU.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 222, 9 June 1915, Page 3

INQUIRY BUREAU.

ON WAR MATTERS AT ALL CHIEF POST OFFICES. The Minister of Defence, acting in concert with the postal authorities, has arranged for the establishment at every chief post office throughout the Dominion of an inquiry bureau, at which the public can make inquiries on any matters they may be particularly interested in concerning New Zealand's share in the war. It has come to the knowledge of the postal authorities from time to ,tim e that many people are quite at sea as to tjhe avenues of information on a variety of things connected with the war, and particularly in matters concerning communication with our men at the front or those lying in the various hospitals, and in order to give the public every facility cf finding out as quickly as possible any legitimate information these bureaux are being established. Not only will it be competent for inquiries to be made at hte -Chief Post Offices, but instructions are being issued to post offices in the smaller centres to attend to such inquiries The postal authorities have gone thoroughly into the matter, and hope to be prepared .to answer all inquiries (as far as lies in their power) by the end of the week. SUBJECTS OF INQUIRY. To illustrate what class of information these inquiry bureaux will afford tjhe public, th e following list will indicate: (1) Names on nominal rolls of New Zealand's forces in th e field. (2) They will supply enrolment cards and all information respecting enrolment. (3) Lists of wounded (as available), showing condition of sick and wounded. ' . (4) Changes of address of next of kin to soldiers in the field to be accepted and notified to the Defence Department. (5) Condition of wounded soldiers. (6) Cable rates to soldiers and method of cabling money to those on service. (7) Parcel post rates to soldiers. (8) Railway time-table and any concessions to soldiers. (9) Navy list. 10) Maps and atlases of countries and localities where New Zealand soldiers are engaged. (11) Any information regarding relief or patriotic funds. These are only a few of the many j heads which the bureau officers hope to supply the public for the mere asking. At present there are many officials engaged in other departments concerned who are too busy to answer such inquiries, but under the new arrangement it will be the duty of certain officials to answer all questions as far as they are able from the information to jhand. FREE CABLES. It is not generally known that any person, being the "official" next of kin may forward three cable messages free of cost to a wounded relative. This concession has been made by the Gov-

ernment under an arrangement with the various cable companies concerned. The official next of kin is, of course, {he person whom the wounded soldier has nominated as .bis nearest relative.

One may judge from the figures of the Post and Telegraph Department that a very active cabling business is done at present between New Zealand and Egypt. During 'the month of May the number of cable messages sent to soldiers averaged 140 per week and 98 cables per week were received from men en active service. Between May 5 and 29 the number of cables (inward and outward) handled amounted to 806. Thanks to the use of code words identifying each section of the forces employed at the front, th e Department has been able to cut down the number of words in each message by an average of four. This use of code words is a recent innovation.

Cable messages concerning the wounded New Zealanders located in England are being sent through the High Commissioner in London, and those to men engaged in tfhe Mediterranean zone go through the New Zealand base at Alexandria (Egypt), and should reach their destination approximately 36 hours after bein gdispatihed. IN FURTHER EXPLANATION.

The difficulty. of reaching wounded men in hospitals is to be got over by sending all communications to the New Zealand base at Alexandra, except in cases in which the post-office knows that the wounded ar e in England; then they send direct to the High Commissioner

Interviewed on the subject, the Minister for Defence said: "I am hoping to get from Malta a list of the New Zealand wounded there, and if I get that list we might communicate direct with Malta, but at present everything should go through the base at Alexandria.

; "I want the people concerned about their wounded to understand that they ar e comfortably located and well looked after. We have that assurance direct from Egypt. We know they are quite comfortable in England, because not only is the High Commissioner there but there is the Plunket Committee. The Government has subscribed to the Plunket Committee £SOO, and has agreed to subsidise at the rate of pound for pound all moneys that the committee may raise. '