NO FACILITIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 October 1943, Page 2

NO FACILITIES

FOR FORWARDING PARCELS TO WAR PRISONERS GRANTED BY JAPANESE BRITISH EFFORTS AS YET IN VAIN (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The Prisoners of War Inquiry Office has been advised from Geneva that the Japanese authorities have stated that they will raise no objection to personal snapshots being included in letters to prisoners of war in Japan or Japanese territory, but reserve the right to confiscate them if they consider it neces-,, sary. The possibility of sending parcels to Japan, through Russian territory, has been considered in London and the Soviet Government, while not able to undertake the* forwarding of parcels, has undertaken in principle to transport relief supplies for the Far East, provided a prior agreement is reached with the Japanese Government regarding 'onward transport. It has not yet been possible to secure from the Japanese any final indication of their attitude to the practical problems of distribution. The British Secretary of State for War (Sir J. Grigg) has pointed out that no efforts on the part of the British Government could succeed until the Japanese Government recognised responsibility for the delivery of such supplies. Further lists of information concerning persons in Japanese territory have been circulated to St John and Red Cross centres.

The Dominion Office desires copies of letters, with full details of date and location, from prisoners in Japanese hands and also of letters from Stalag IX A/H.