INQUIRY OFFICE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 April 1943, Page 4

INQUIRY OFFICE

SERVICE FOR PRISONERS OF WAR PERMANENT & VOLUNTARY STAFFS. NEXT-OF-KIN ASSISTED. The growth of the prisonei>of-war enquiry office is indicated by the fact that when it commenced operations there was only one lady on the office staff at headquarters. There are now 15. In addition there are the many voluntary workers who assist, both day and night, and also the permanent and voluntary staffs in the other depots. Throughout the dour prisoner-of-war enquiry offices approximately 150,000 communications are despatched during the course of a. year. Many thousands of International Red Cross 25 word and express message forms are handled on behalf of persons living in occupied and belligerent countries and prisoner? of war. Another important service is the handling of book parcels for prisoners of war. Books may be sent individually addressed, but all must go through the prisoner-of-war enquiry offices for censoring and Iff addition the Prisoners of War Enquiry Office has forwarded many hundreds of text and study books for which requests have been made, and these have been sent without charge where there is knowledge that the next-of? kin are not in a position to, defray the. cost. Besides the individually addressed books, the Joint Council agreed to supply early in 1941 at the cost of 5 s per man a year books and games for the various camps where New Zea? landers are interned. The prisoner-of-war service has also helped next-of-kin by making it possible for them to obtain many articles for their quarterly parcels which they , would not have been able to get in the ordinary way, and it keeps them advised of all the latest information concerning prisoners of war. The total cost of all these services is financed through the National Patriotic Fund Board. The burden on the funds for this purpose has been relieved by a Government grant this year of £340,500, but to meet the total estimated expenditure on behalf of prisoners of war for this year it will still be necessary to provide £108,750 out of patriotic funds. The Joint Council is doing a splendid job, and by responding generously to the patriotic appeal? citizens help to maintain not. only this service, but also the many activities carried out by the patriotic organisation and the welfare organisations allied to it on behalf of New Zealand’s combatant forces.