The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-06-23
HOW SOLDIERS ARE CLOTHED.
Uncle sam Furnishes Ready-Made Gar
ments for His Defenders.

Uncle sam Furnishes Ready-Made Gar
ments for His Defenders
When Uncle Sam issues clothing to
his soldiers the gallant old gentleman
Is more particular about the color and
cloth than the fit. The matter of APP
pearances is left to the boys In blue
themselves. The goods in blank or i'm
suits are issued by numbers. n then
the soldier must wrestle with the neat
ness or slouchiness or his outward
seeming. But American soldiers are
noted for neat uniforms. incidentally
1t may be remarked that this is by no
means due to care or skill on the mart
OF government tailors or quartermas-
ter officers. 1t is solely due to the fact
that "A company tailor mar and re-
fits the garment after issue.
Now that war is on and a large body
of volunteers is in the field the ques-
ton of how the men got their uniforms
Is pertinent. investigation i'm this line
viii show that the government does a
large business in the ready-made cloth
inc line. The government settles all
the preliminary questions such as the
quality, color, style, etc. of the gar
ments. The matter of fit is fixed by
certain rules. which work sometimes
and more often do not work at all.
The government has large clothing
shops in Brooklyn and Philadelphia.
The former supplies the navy and un-
less the demands are too heavy the
army supply comes from the other
shop. These two manufacturing points
are To the various quartermasters what
the big clothing factories are to the re-
tan shops. The garments are made in
thu various sizes that are most i'm de-
mand AID are forwarded to army posts
or other army stations on regular
acquisitions. There the uniforms are
/ pi(an ont m rannfGsfFpnS fr,,n ,,,,
handing officers. and record is kept of
the final disposition of each
In statistics as To measurements
give the cutters "A good idea of what is
required. n the stocks are usually so
arranged that no customer need go to
IN" opposition house. The men who
have the matter in charge are anxious
to Mt their subjects. but IL Is prob
able that no long talks as to the quail
ity OF the stock and the %neatness of the
fl are delivered i'm the place where the
uniforms are issued.
Although the demand has become alb
normal since the volunteer army has
been forming, the government has Civ
en- only a few contracts for uniforms.
The first contract given by the war de-
partment was for sewing "A large lot
OF uniforms. The material was cut and
made up in bundles. together with all
necessary trimmings, and sent TO con-
tractors. who gave IL out To be put to-
! gether. The second contract was for
garments complete.
A large manufactures of clothing said
that the sizes In clothing are so well
assorted in the stocks sent To the army
headquarters that a soldier finds what
n wants as readily as the man who
goes 10 the average ready-made cloth
ing store.
Shoes for the soldiers of the United
I EFa#g@ ra.N nrn n1aa FaNnfakAA In -
sorted sizes to the quartermss;er's de-
partment. and men have little trouole
In finding shoes TO nj them out of the
assortment which comes from the shops
where contracts for army shoes are
filed.