PRISONERS OF WAR

New Zealand Listener, Volume 4, Issue 103, 13 June 1941, Page 3

PRISONERS OF WAR

Allowances to Dependents Go On

EPENDENTS in New Zealand of men who are made prisoners of war will continue to receive the same allotment money that they received while their relatives were fighting soldiers, it was explained to The Listener by the Army Base Records Office, Wellington. A New Zealand private soldier receives 7/6d a day while overseas, with additional allowances of 3/- a day if he has a wife, and 1/6d a day for each child. These dependents’ allowances are paid in New Zealand, and of his pay of 7/6d a day he must allot at least 4/6d a day within New Zealand (if he has a wife and one child, for example, at least 3/6d of it must go to them), Of course some soldiers allot more than the minimum or have it paid to a P.O.S.B. account in New Zealand, but whatever sum it is, this allotment will continue to be paid over in New Zealand as long as they are prisoners of war. For higher ranks with higher pay the amount of the allotments’ vary, but the principle remains the same. Paid By The Enemy What a soldier has to live on himself while he is in a prisoner of war camp is money paid him by the enemy Government, although, of course, he is kept with food and clothing. Even these, however, are augmented from two sources. First, his relatives and friends can send him certain articles in parcels under certain rigid conditions, details of which have already been made public, and can be obtained at any Post Office. Second, the N.Z. Red Cross Society has a splendid system of sending parcels of food and clothing to prisoners of war out of patriotic funds raised in New Zealand. The parcels of food do not go to particular men, but to the senior man among the prisoners in each camp, and the food is pooled and shared. A clothing parcel is sent every three months, to suit the season of the year, and to replace the clothes the soldier was wearing at the time he was made a prisoner. Only Recognised Medium The Red Cross Society is the only recognised medium for communication between belligerent countries concerning prisoners of war. Both sides deal with the central clearing house operated by the International Red Cross Headquarters at Geneva. Shortly after a man is taken prisoner he is given a postcard to sign, stating merely that he is a prisoner, and this is sent to Geneva and forwarded to his relatives, as soon as possible. Later he is given a Prisoner of War. number, and if he has been captured by Germany he is placed in a camp in one of the districts into which Germany is divided for the purpose of prisoners of war, and when this number and district are known, communication ‘is made to him in the following style: Private W. Smith, No, 123456, Orflag VI, Ger-

many, or whatever district it is. Earlier in this war, several New Zeae land airmen were taken prisoner in Germany when their ’planes crashed over enemy territory, and the New Zealand Red Cross has therefore had a good deal of experience already in dealing with cases of this nature. It is known, for example, that men cannot make any specific comments about the conditions in their camps, but confine their letters to general personal matters. They frequently mention how much they look forward to mails from home, but it is impossible to gather from their letters exactly where they are, or what they are doing. The Geneva Convention The whole situation about prisoners of war is governed by an International Convention signed at Geneva in 1929, which has been ratified by most of the countries in the world, including Britain and Germany. So far throughout this war, Germany has generally adhered to the detailed provisions set out in that convention. This international agreement is pretty comprehensive in scope, and among the dozens of provisions are clauses referring to matters of internal discipline and hygiene in camps, the work prisoners can be called on to do, the relations between prisoners and the authorities, punishments, and recognised courts of inquiry, and arrangements for liberation, accommodation in. neutral countries, and repatriation at the end of hostilities. As regards pay, Article 23 lays down that officers who are prisoners of war shall receive from the detaining Power (in this case Germany), the same pay as officers of corresponding rank in the armed forces of that Power, provided it is not higher than their own pay, and that this is to be paid to them in full, once a month, and without deductions and at an agreed rate of exchange. Some of it is to be paid to the officer, and the balance paid to his account, and the credit balance of his account shall be paid to the prisoner of war at the end of his captivity. Prisoners who are physically fit, other than officers, may be employed as workmen, but not on work directly connected with the war, and receive pay for their work. Article 30 says that the working hours shall not be excessive and in no case exceed those permitted for civil workers of the locality employed on the same work, and with a 24-hour break weekly, preferably on Sunday. There is, of course, a general clearing up of accounts on both sides after peace is signed, and account is then taken of amounts already paid to prisoners. At the moment, however, relatives and dependents of New Zealand soldiers taken prisoner of war will continue to draw from the New Zealand Government exactly the same allowances that they have been receiving.