The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1899-12-09
DEFENDS ARMY RA7lONS
Deputy SurgfonGsneral Smart Is
sues a Statement.
Opposed to Any Change Being Made
Because of the Service In the Trop-
fcs-Bncon Necessary. But Soldiers
Not Forced to Eat It-HOw the
Men Can Draw What They Want.

Lieut.. Col. Charles Smart. Deputy Sur
geon General of the Army, has issued a
statement in answer to the renewed criti-
cisms Of the army rations. 1t has teen
claimed that the army ration used in this
country is not suitable for use by the
troops in the Philippines, Cuba, and Porto
Rico. There has been more or less a pubic
demand for a change of the army ration,
especially for the use of the soldiers in the
tropics. Colonel Smart claims there is
great difference between the army ration
and the army diet He says:
There Is In the Army Of the United
States" he says "a considerable differ
ence between the ration of the soldier
and the diet of the soldier. The critics OF
the army ration do not understand this
The ration is the allowance for subsistence
OF one person for one day. The diet is
what is actually prepared in the kitchen
for consumption by the soldier day by
day. The ration is prescribed by law and
consists of tine meat, the bread, the vege-
table, the fruit. the coffee and sugar the
seasoning. and the soap and candle COM
ponents.
The meat component does not consist OF
fat pork or bacon, as those who know
Eothing Of the domestic economy of army
kitchens appear to believe. On the contra
ry there is some variety in the meat COM
ponent. In consists of % ounces of fresh
beef, or 20 ounces of mutton when the cost
does not exceed that OF beef: IL ounces OF
pork or Il ounces of bacon, 222 ounces OF
salt beef. or IA ounces of dried fish; IS
ounces of picked fish, or 20 ounces of
canned salmon. or Is ounces of fresh fish.
ha of &
ounces of -four. with baking powder when
the men have to bake their own bread, l.
ounces of soft bread. 16 ounces of hard
bread. or 20 ounces Of cormeal. The vege-
table components consists of 2-5 ounces
of beans, 2-5 ounces of pease. 3-5 ounces
of rice. or l 3-5 ounces of hominy and 1e
ounces of potatoes. or II 4-5 ounces of pota-
toes and 1-5 ounces of onions or IL 1-5
ounces of potatoes and 4-5 ounces OF
canned tomatoes. or 40 ounces Of other
fresh vegetables. not canned. when they
can be obtainsd in the vicinity or trans
ported in a wholesome condition from dis
tance.
THE fruit component consists OF 2
ounces OF dried fruit such as prunes.
peaches, or apples, The other components
consist Of coffee green. or coffee roasted
or tea green, or black and sugar or mo-
lasses or cane syrup: vinegar, salt and
black pepper. and to these are added
the soap and candle components. The
slightest knowledge Of practical cook
cry will enable any one who reads what l
have just written to form an idea of wha,
may be called the hexibility of the army
ration. The soldier in the tropics is not
called upon To eat his Il ounces OF
bapn or go hungry. That or is not to be
foShd in the regulation statement OF the
Nh
there are more than half dozen other i'm
portant ''ors' in ii. And there is variety al
so in all the other constituents. except the
soap and candle components
IF the scientist will calculate the ele-
mentary constitution of any one Of the va
rious diets which may be formed from the
flexibility OF the army ration. he will find
that there is a sufficiencey of nitrogen and
carbon in each to support the system of
the soldier under the heaviest strain of
work and exposure. If the proximate
principles be calculated ii will be found
that many variations may be made in the
relative proportions of proteids. hydrocar
bons. and carbohydrates
Granted then that the ration suffces
TO sustain the system in the cold of Mon
tana blizzard will anyone suggest its in
sufficiency for nutritive purposes where
there is little call for physiologic fuel to
keep up the animal heat? No: but says
the critic. for whose information | am
writing there is too much OF the hydrocar-
bOns too much bacon in the ration to make
it a suitable ration for tropical climates.
Too much bacon, Too much candle,
There is a candle component in the ra-
tion but the soldier. is not called upon to
eat it. Nor is he required TO eat the bacon
if he does not desire to do so.
This leads me to refer to the elasticity
been referred to; but its elasticity also is
may verify eat his candles if he does not
require them for other purposes. He may
leave the candles in the hands of the Sub
sistence Department and if their value will
pay for can of peaches. or a pound of rice
or so much of any other of long list of
articles kept for sale by the subsistence
officers, he can eat his candle component
in the form of peaches or rice or any of the
other purchasable things. So with the
bacon.
He is no more required to eat that be-
cause it is part of the ration than he is re-
quired to eat the candles. but he may
transform it into some other article of fo1d
which he likes better or which is better
for him under the climatic cond tions
which affect him at the time.
80 indeed, with all the other oompo-
lit HtS OF lNe GdtlOH, Only tne
fresh vegetables fresh bread, baking pow
der, and dried fruit Even the fresh beef
component may be reduced in quantity
and the money value of the quantity not
issued for use may be drawn in other ar
ticles of sale.
There is even a greater elasticity than
this to the ration, for the money credit for
components not drawn and used may be
applied to the purchase of articles from
outside sources. articles not kept for sale
by the Subsistence Department. Thus
probably in every company and post mess
hall in the United States on Thursday, No
vember so, 1899. there was turkey, with
cranberry sauce on the table, representing
so much bacon sand other articles of the
hands of the Subsistence Department and
placed as a cash credit for the payment of
turkeys and cranberry sauce of any other
purchase to- vary the diet Of the soldier.
If at any of the posts they did not have
turkey and cranberry sauce on that day
it was because these things were impos-
sible there, but they no doubt had an ex-
cellent dinner all the same.
THE United States Army ration is the
most liberal ration in the world. 1t is
the best ration for the far northwest of
this continent, whence come the subzero
cold waves to sweep over the country from
the upper strata of the atmosphere. and
it is the best for the tropics when intelii-
gently utilized. a.
ic the Ilroduct of tho eynprienra NJ