Wairarapa Times-Age SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1942. A LISTENING SERVICE.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 September 1942, Page 2

Wairarapa Times-Age SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1942. A LISTENING SERVICE.

CONSIDERABLE amount of information about British, X Dominion and other prisoners of war is broadcast at times from some stations in Axis countries —the Vatican and Rome radios amongst others. The lists of names, locations and so forth issued in this way and the specific information given regarding individual soldiers are of great interest and concern to many people, in this and other countries, who are waiting anxiously for news of relatives who are or may be prisoners of war. Explicit particulars frequently are given of the names and home addresses of prisoners as welt as of their state of health and the camps in which they are now located. Much as this information is desired by those whom it intimately concerns, it is in many instances difficult or impracticable for individuals, or even for families, to listen in methodically to the‘broadcasts in question. There are variations, too, in reception conditions. At a given time these conditions perhaps may be good in one part of the Dominion and bad in another. It may not be out of place to suggest, in these circumstances, that facts relating to New Zealand prisoners of war given in foreign broadcasts —at all events those coming from stations known to be issuing dependable information —should be recorded in this country regularly and as completely as possible. They would be well worth rebroadcasting, but in any event the information obtained should be transmitted to the next,of kin of the war prisoners to whom it relates. If costs are regarded as an obstacle to the institution of a service of this kind many next of kin no doubt would gladly pay a fee, but information relating to prisoners of war certainly should not be withheld from their relatives in the event of the latter beingunable to afford a fee. > The methodical collection of all the information regarding New Zealand prisoners of war supplied in foreign broadcasts is of great importance and has every claim upon the attention of the Government and the broadcasting service. In numbers of instances this information has anticipated by months that supplied through normal official, channels. As matters stand, however, it is more or less a matter of chance whether the announcements in question come to the knowledge of those to whom they are of great moment and concern.