The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-07-05
GOVERNMENT STORES.
How the Soldiers Are Supplied with
Necessaries.

~
The largest clothing. boot and shoe
store in this country is run by the
United States, though they sell things
down at cost prices, and there is no
profit in it. Every army recruiting
station is a branch store. where sup-
plies are dealt out 1t is different from
ordinary stores. in that the United
States treasury furnishes the money
that buys the boots. hats, blankets and
clothes. and the money that buys from
the United States also comes from the
treasury. Besides his pay each soldier
in the regular army has an allowance
for clothing which varies from Sis 50
10 SOS 40 for his five years term.
This is only from $35 Il to SIS 20 a
year. Ii the soldiers had to go around
and buy their own clothing at ordi-
nary rates they would not have new
coat more than once every other year.
and they would have to sleep in their
undertakes to keep warm.
So the United States have gene into
the business of supplying their ordinary
things To soldiers at the bottom price
az which the contracts for them can he
made. There is no rent nor sales
mems salaries, nor insurance. nor
profit To be paid by the government.
A. a result, the prices at which cloth
ing is sold TO the soldiers are so low
that many workingmen who are paid
four times as much wages y the sol
aiers are not clad a. well. The blue
coats cost 81 s.. They are made sos
good material, well cut and are better
hitting than the uniform OF the average
policeman, for which he pays several
times what the soldier pays. His caps
cost 20 cents. His stockings cost Q
cents q pair, and they are better than
those that the Bowery stores sell for
p cents, while the t9-cent caps are a.
gooi as any man could want. For
his blue trousers the soldier pays 50.
They are 50 cheap that he can buy
half dozen pairs with his months
pay, which Is more than many Young
men who look down on soldiers can do.
The tive hits Of extravaganza are the
flannel shirts and blankets. The
shirts cost thirty-eighl eents more than
the trousers, bat they are as good
shirts as can be bought at any price.
and they do not shrink into a woody
ball when they are washed. The
blankets are sold for 81 -. Ii i easy
enough to so 10 almost any dry goods
shop and buy cheaper blankets than
the soldiers have, bus these blankets
are wool and weigh six pounds. One
pair Of them Is enough in cold weather.
aud they are warmer than several pairs
Of cheap blankets The nised State
CONSIDERS the health Of ther soldiers.
and though they economic on the
caps and trousers. they suppiy the hest
wooden shirt and HAN kets
There are various kinds q shoes that
SCI from s. - 20 81 o.. Then there
are the heavy stockings that sell for
more than the niac cents thai SUMMER
Sioe kings hring. There are under
clothes far sale that are OF such ceaoi
quality that the officers often wear
therl IN preference to the unsleryloth-
ing they can uysy III the usual wav.
The United States so further. and
supply al tae necessities % TIE sol
osess AZ cost prizes and their cost
rates are frequently lower than those
81 whifh s private Stsrekcepe cos,i4
bay. - the nitei States key in large
quantities and are sure pay. II also
tends % iacseSse manufacturer
o0f HE trade i he gets large garnIekf
contrasts, AMI . eig Manufacturer.