LITTLE PILFERING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 June 1943, Page 3

LITTLE PILFERING

OF PRISONERS OF WAR PARCELS REPORT BY AUTHORITIES IN BRITAIN. MORE LISTS RECEIVED FROM FAR EAST. ' (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The Prisoners of War Inquiry Office has recently received interesting information regarding the amount of pilferage of parcels for prisoners of war. An examination has been made by the British authorities of slips for a period of six months, all known losses of parcels which have been reported being taken into account. Losses have been reported in respect of 47 parcels addressed to camps in Germany and 12 to camps in Italy. During the same period. 45.000 next-oLkin parcels were despatched from England and the losses therefore ‘represent only one in 766. It is recognised, however, that losses may be slightly higher, as all are not reported. There were only three known cases of loss at Stalag XVIIIA during the period and no camp seems to have had this proportion of losses except possibly Stalag Luft 111, from which only seven cases have been reported and six of the parcels may have been redirected from another camp and that might have some bearing on the loss. By the end of December. 1942, the Central Agency for Prisoners of War at Geneva had despatched 20,000,000 letters, a majority concerning prisoners of war and their families. The incoming mail totalled 90,000,000 communications. It may be noted, by way of (Comparison, that during the 1914-18 war letters received and despatched numbered only 8,000,000. Two further lists of persons officially reported to be prisoners of war and detained in Japanese hands in Malayan and Singapore camps are available for inspection at Red Cross and St. John centres. The Inquiry Office requires copies of letters written since December from Oflags VHB and XXIB, and would also appreciate copies of letters recently received from Italian camps. Advice has been received that Camp PG 68. and also the military hospital at Bari, have been closed.