The San Francisco call., 1897-10-02
Will give GOOD
WAIST MEASURE
State Money Available to
Clothe the National
Guardsmen.
Uniform Board Ready to Re-
ceive Proposals for Blouses,
Hats and Trousers.
The Tailor to Supply Nine Sizes,
Men of Abdominal Amplitude
in a Special Glass.

The uniform board will soon buy three
thousand blouses and three thousand
pairs of trousers for the soldiers of the
National Guard of California. There may
be some people in this vaunted era of
universal intelligence who do not know
what the uniform board consists Of To
enlighten all who want light on this
topic The CALL can announce that the
uniform board consists of John h. Dick
irson, rigadier-general, n. G. c., retired /;
James F. Smith, colonel First Infantry,
n. G. c., and Horace G. Platt, lieutenant
colonel, retired.
Last winter the Legislature in its gener-
osity appropriated $50, ,480 10 buy new
clothing for the soldiers of the State, and
since then the guardsmen have been Won
dering what kind of clothes would be pro-
cured with the money. The assurance
comes now that the State is going TO get
the worth of the money APPROPRIATED and
If the blouses and trousers do not hit ore
man they VIII hi another
In this new zeal for uniforms the expe-
rience OF a former board is recalled Some
wears ago when the State had money TO
spend to equip the Guard with clothing
the officer in charge of the cash disburse-
ment entertained the happy though. that
individual measure mentS by the contract
ing tailor would insure a perfect fit for
every man in the service. The practical
results of the beautiful test were grievous
and Disappointing. True enough every
so dier that was measured by the tailor
got a fit, but when the unlIorms were
ready for delivery many of the measured
soldiers bad severed their connection"
with the Guard, and the clothes did not
fit the men who had in the meantime
been recruited to fill up the ranks.
When big fellow went out and a little
fellow took his place tue blouse and trous-
ers could not readily be adjusted to the
change. When the uniform was donned
without alteration the old guards me n
guyed the loosely fitted new recruit with
all kinds of choice guys. When little
man retired and a staiwart stepped In to
add sinew and luster to the service there
was more grief for the captain. As the
new fellow coaid not get into the suit the
commanding officer was in a dilemma.
He had TO let the new recruit go or skirm-
isl around N some other company Tor a
suit OF clothes TO fit the man. 1t followed
that the new recruit was discharged on
account OF his girth and man to mt the
hold-oV4r uniform recruited from the
ranks of civil lie.
To prevent a recu rrence of these dis
agreeable features of the military service
in an era of peace ana prosperity, the
uniform board mas decided to follow the
regulations of the United States army
and procure uniforms of SIX standard
sizes. Still it was obvious TO mem bers OF
the board that blind obedience to the
| Government rule would not remove all
the dangers OF a misht. 1t was noted ,
perhaps more in SORROW than despair,
that some of the soldiers in the service OF
the State were smaller than the SIN maIlest
men entitled TO serve in the army of the
UnI,ed States, and so to insure recogni-
ton of small services the board was con-
strained 10 introduce one more size.