risoners in England. Lord Robert Cecil has fully allowed this.
(_Times_ report. March 11, 1915.) In spite of this, I have no doubt that
the British authorities have done their best to expedite delivery. I
would suggest that this is probably the case on the other side, too. We
shall indeed later come upon some definite statements in support of this
view. One frequent cause of the non-arrival of parcels in Germany has
been convincingly described by Mr. Ian Malcolm, M.P. (_Daily Mail_,
November 8, 1916, and Reprint):

I did not approach this subject quite "new to the game." I had
already visited general post offices in England, Switzerland and
elsewhere, and had seen thousands, literally thousands, of food
parcels intended for our prisoners of war in Germany falling to
bits and incapable of being forwarded for want of skilled
packing. The sight was enough to make angels weep. To think that
so much self-sacrifice had been exercised in humble homes to
save up bits of dripping, crusts of bread, broken cigarettes,
and what not, in order that these should reach son or brother or
sweetheart in Germany, yet packed so badly albeit by loving
hands, that in the first rough and tumble of the post the paper
burst, the string came undone, and the contents of a dozen
parcels fell in an inextricable jumble upon the floor.

There will unfortunately, too, be those in every land who will take
opportunities for mean thefts. We have all had experience of that during
this war, and the following cutting from the _Daily News_ of October 5,
1915, may be given in illustration:

In a letter of thanks to the secretary of the committee of the
Elswick and Scotswood workmen, formed for the purpose of sending
comforts to the troops, Sir Ian Hamilton says:

I am extremely touched by the extraordinary generosity and
kindness of the Elswick and Scotswood workmen. I will take
great care to let our soldiers know to whom they are
indebted for this most handsome contribution. Pray heaven
the parcels will escape thieves and scoundrels who waylaid
some of the gifts, and will arrive in good condition.

If there are, alas, not a few men who will steal from their comrades,
there are not likely to be fewer who will steal from their enemies.

Speaking generally, however, the delivery of parcels on both sides soon
became commendably regular. The care s