Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-09

the main storehouse at Ponce could not is
sue the complete ration, fresh vegetables
not included. These spoiled so rapidly that
ii was deemed best to commute the ration
of them for several weeks. and give the
troops the money value 10 buy other ar
ticles. Coarse salt was issued in lieu of
fine on one or two occasions.
"COmmiSSary stores had been so unSyS-
tematically unloaded and stored at Ponce
that it was hard to tell what articles We're
on hand in the island in sufficient quantity
to provide for the wants of the soldiers.
Il further beg to call your attention to
the receipts filed with my July and August
returns in your office from the cOmmissary
officer of each artillery, cavalry and infan-
try command which left Port Tampa for
Porto Rico up to August 16, with sixty
days rations These receipts will show
that complete rations We're furnished to
every vessel with the exception of small
portion of the fresh vegetables, that it was
well known could not keep sixty days.
y further state that about 10 am, Octo-
Der 10, on taking leave of General Henry,
commanding United States troops at Ponce,
he requested me, among other things. TO
say to the Secretary of War on my arrival
in Washington that the rations furnished
to the troops in Porto Rico were abundant
in quantity and excellent in quality
willing to Testify.
The commissary general has received a
letter from F. B. Thurber of New York.
president of the American Export Associ-
alton volunteering to appear before the
war investigating commission or any other
body of the War Department to testify to
the high character of American export
meats, especially the canned and corned
beef, of which his several firms. he says,
have sold hundreds of thousands of cases
in the past thirty years to this government,
and to tropical and arctic expeditions. He
saws a serious injury has been done our eX-
port trade, unjustly discrediting our own
meats. He also suggests the names of Gen.
John p. Hawkins, eX-commissary OF sub
sistence and Gen A. w. Greedy as wit
nesses whose practical experience should
be valuable to the commission.
Agricultural Department Inquiry.
The allegations against American canned
| beef during the past three weeks, both in
this country and abroad have greatly in
terested the Agricultural Department.
With the determination that no injustice
shall be done the packers, who have built
up an enormous trade against the strongest
| opposition, and at the same time to give
| the consumers any information of deleteri-
Gus matter that might be found in the
| meat, Secretary Wilson has obtained a
| statement from the director of experiment
stations which says:
THE high nutritive value of American
canned meats has been established repeat
eddy by thorough and impartial tests con-
| Quoted by scientific experts. Some years
ago DR.. w. o. Atwater. professor of chem
| istry at Wesleyan University, Middletown
| Conn, began an extended investigation of
the nutritive value of foods. Later this
| work was continued by the Department OF
Agriculture with funds appropriated by
Congress for the purpose, the investigation
being assigned to the office of experiment
| stations and Prof Atwater's services Sc
cured as special agent in charge. These in
vestigations are still in progress and large
amount of Information has been secured
and the results published in the form of
bulletins Educational, philanthropic and
other institutions throughout the country
have co-operated in this work.
Nutrition in Canned Meats.
In a communication to the department
Prof. Atwater says 1t is unfortunate that
the public at large have SO little apprecia-
| ton Of the nutritive value of canned meats.
| They are really cooked meats. Invested of
| the inedible portions, bone, gristle, etc,
which are found in fresh meats In the
| cooking and canning. which is of the nature
of boiling rather Than Roasting, later is
expelled, but the amount of nutritive ma