The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-06-30
GOVERNMENT CLOTHING STORES.
United States Soldiers Supplied At Co.'S
Prices with Good Goods.


The 's.gest clothing. boot and shos
store IN his 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 branch
store where supplies are dealt out. 1t Is
different from ordinary stores. in that the
United States treasury furnishes the
money hat 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 SOL
der in he regular army has an allowance
Tor clothing which varies from $l7ss5 to
t2SS ~ for his five years term This is
y from $35.71 to $500 year If the
sosiers had to go around and buy their
owlclothing at ordinary rates they would
not 1--we new coat more than once every
other,ear, and they would have TO sleep
in Neutrality-suspicious. to keep warm.
30 thtCnited States has gone into the
busincssNpf supplying their ordinary
Things toNldiers at the bottom price at
which the(ontracts for them can be
made lheNis no rent, nor salesmen's
salaries nor Insurance. nor profit TO be
paid by the goVw'mert IS a result the
prices at which eothing is sold to the
soldiers are so lAg that many working
men who are paiA four times as much
wages as the soldiersase not clad as well.
The blue coats cost Ss3s. They are made
of good material. well Nnh and are better
fitting than the uniform q the average
policeman. for which Ne pays several
times what the soldier pay. His caps
cost forty nine cents His yocIings cost
nine cents a pair, and they are better than
the Bowcry stores sell for quarter, while
the forty.ninc cent caps are as good as
any man could want. For lis blue
trousers the soldier pays 81. They are
so cheap that lie can buy half dozen
pairs with his months pay, which is more
Than many young men who look down On
soldiers can do.
The :wo bits Of extravaganza are IN
danncl shirts and the blankets. The shirts
cost thirty eight cents more than the
trousers, but they are as good shirts as
can be bought at any price. and they do
not shrink into woody ball when they
are washed The blankets are sold for
$i2S. 1t is easy enough to 20 to almost
any dry goods shop and buy cheaper
blankets are wool and weigh six pounds.
One pair Of them is enough in cold
weather, and they are warmer than
several pairs OF cheap blankets. The
United States consider the health Of their
soldiers, and though they economic on
the caps and trousers. they supply the
best woolen shirts and blankets.
There are various kinds of shoes that
sell from &l.7G TO $30i Then there are
heavy stockings that sell for more than
he nine cents that summer stockings
bring There are underclothes for sale
that are OF such a good quality that the
officers often wear them in preference to
ne Undertaking that they can buy in
the usual way.
The United States go further, and sup
Wy all the necessities Of the soldiers at
cost prices, and their cost rates are FIRE
0uently lower than those at which pr
vate storekeeper could buy, as the United
States buy in large quantities and are
allre pay 1t also tends to increase man
nfacturers outside trade if he gets large
garment contracts, and big manufact
urer with large stock ON hand can
afford TO sell to the United States at cost
If he sold at the same rate TO private
sellers they might cut retail rates. while
the United State, cell 10 nobody Uul
soldiers.
When Il recruit is sworn in the sergeant
takes him into the clothing room and fits
him up with full outfit. The cost Of ii
is taken from his pay, though at the rates
at which the government sells it does nos
. AXE him long to pay mp. No one may
buy clothing in this way from the govern
mcnt except soldiers and it is crime 70,
any clothing TO be given or sold to any
one else. If the government were to sell
10 everybody at the same rate the bust
ness Of the furnishing goods stores in the
uoighbOrhood of recruiting stations wouli
be ruined. New lorl; Sun.