PARCELS FOR SOLDIERS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 January 1940, Page 5

PARCELS FOR SOLDIERS

PATRIOTIC BOARD INQUIRIES REPORT BY COMMITTEE. SOME PACKING PROBLEMS. (By Telegraph—Press Asociation.) WELLINGTON, This Day. A report by a committee which went into the question of sending gift parcels to New Zealand soldiers overseas was adopted at the last meeting of the National Patriotic Fund Board. It is proposed to send to the next of kin of all men who enlist instructions setting out the best way to pack parcels, suggestions as to contents and other general information. Under the boards plan, all addressed parcels forwarded by individuals to individual members of (he Expeditionary Force are to be sent through the Post Office in»< the normal way.

The present reduced cost of parcels is Is (id for 311 b. rising to 3s for 7.11 b, the maximum weight accepted by the Post Office. Inquiries have been made to see if the present rates can be further reduced and the Post Office authorities are awaiting replies from overseas countries.

Provincial patriotic councils are to be requested to arrange in all towns some means to enable local people to have tins hermetically sealed. No individually addressed parcels are to be handled by either the National Patriotic Fund Board or provincial councils. In lieu of individually addressed parcels, provincial councils are to be requested to make up standard parcels, which will be crated and forwarded to Wellington. It is intended to use a warehouse in Wellington where parcels can be stored and forwarded overseas as troopships are available.

Because tin plating is almost impossible to procure in New Zealand at the present time, it is practically impossible to forward perishable goods in individual parcels. Inquiries, however, are being made to sec if some satisfactory substitute for tin can be provided. The committee expressed the view that there is something to be gained by an endeavour to obtain a standardised parcel, but it is pointed out dial owing to a possible shortage of materials, a position may arise in which parcels would have to be wrapped in brown paper and packed carefully in crates.