Evening star., 1895-03-11
MoNTEnEY,s MEN DISSATISFIED.

What They Say of Secretary Herberfs
Ration Order.
VALLEJO, Cal, March 1.-THE crew of
the Monterey are up in arms against the
recent order of the Secretary of the Navy
that the crew of that vessel subsist solely
on food procured by the department on
contract from the lowest bidder and issued
in the form of rations daily by the pay
master OF the ship. A similar order con-
cerning the Olympia will go into force on
the 18th instant.
For an indefinite time the contract and
ration system has been existent, but 1t
whether they ate only what the govern
ment provided or elaborately modified their
bill of fare when possible. Every enlisted
man in the navy is allowed 30 cents day
for ration money, and heretofore he has
had the privilege of letting the depart
ment keep this 30 cents and feed him three
times a day or drawing it out in the form
of 50 month and boarding on Shore or
furnishing the mess to suit the fancy
and purse. By this means Jack lived about
as well as his captain as regards the fresh
ness and quality of his meat, potatoes, tea,
coffee. vegetables, bread, not to speak of
canned and bottled goods.
Secretary Herberts recent order has tied
the men down to what they consider un-
necessarily narrow limits in their eating.
They VIII only be permitted to eat at GER
tain hours, only be allowed to partake of a
certain quantity of each article and the
bill of fare will be unchangeable. The
sailors say that paymasters and other Of
hcers now make a commission on the pur-
chase of the supplies. Quite a number
have deserted from the Olympia because
of this commissary change.
What is Said ut the Department..
The complaint that comes from Vallejo,
Cal, of undue restrictions upon the COM
mutation of rations of the sailors on the
Monterey and the Olympia was promptly
ascribed by the officials of the Navy De-
partment to Interested shopkeepers in the
town, who have profted largely by the
sailors trade. AS explained at the Navy
Department, the state of the case is as
follows:
1t has been customary to allow the COM
mander of a vessel to use his discretion as
10 the number OF rationS that might be
ccmmuted by each mess. This has led to
some trouble. In some cases the COM
manding ofncer was very severe in re-
stricting the number of Communications; in
others the privilege was extended without
restriction, so there was complaint among
the sailors of discrimination.
Again. it has been found that when a
ship was suddenly called. upon to put to
sea the messes were not properly supplied
with rations, owing to the number of COM
mutations. In one case tho entire marine
guard of a ship was rationless owing to
the defalcaton of the caterer, who had
gotten drunk and spent the mess money
placed in his care.
The department officials came to the con-
clusion that some uniform rule was neces-
sary to regulate the Communication of ra-
tions, and an order was issued limiting the
number which ought to be so commuted to
one in each four sailors. In an ordinary
mess of twenty men this would amount to
$3.50 per month a sum quite sufficient, in
the opinion of the department. to supple
meHt the regular naval ration with lux
urieS.
1t is contended at the Navy Department
that the present naval ration is the best in
the world, and that an American sailor
receives amost as much food in one meal
as a British sailor does in a whole day.