The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-23
BUYING ARMY SUPPLIES
New York Leads All Other Cities
as a Market.
Philippine Soldiers Drawing on the
Metropolis for Rafions and Cloth
inE-IDlprOvement Over the Post
Trader system Two ships Vow
Loading With CargoeS for the East

NEW YORK, July 22.-One of the results
of the Spanish war was to make this city
4 great centre for supplying the soldiers of
the United States in Cuba. Porto Rico. and
the Philippines with all their needs. The
despatch of American troops to China will
increase this local business.
Before the army went to foreign countries
each OF the quartermaster depots-there
are fourteen or more in the United States
supplied the nearest posts. Now New
York buys twice as large a quantity OF
stores as all the other depots combined.
San Francisco is the nearest port to the
East, but no supplies are manufactured
there and the expense of shipping them
overland from this city is greater than the
cost Of their transportation all the way by
sea. The reason Chicago cannot compete
with New York in this is that the prices
for the goods the army needs are much
greater in the West than here. There is no
place like New York. the quartermas ;ers
say. for buying supplies. And the United
States, by purchasing great Quantities,
always keeping the four depots and ground
floor of the Army Building in this city full
| 10 the ceilings, gets those prices at the
| place where prices begin.
The Philippine soldiers are now drawing
| on this city for their ratiOns and clothes,
! and the general utilities that are sorely
| needed once a month-just after the pay
| master comes into camp. These provisions
/ for an army run up a quartermaster's
| clerk said yesterday, from needle 10
| haystack." They also take in things that
| are not quite so domestic. like Hotchkiss
mountain guns and the latest brand OF
/ shell.
! Col Amos S. Kimball. Assistant Quar-
/ termaster General, United States Army,
| from his office. in the Army Building, in
/ Whitehall Street, with the help OF the
! ComBissary Department, feeds and clothes
! these PARKWAY soldiers. And he is the one
| who makes it possible for the American
Tommy Atkins to spend his months
pay On the quid pro quo plan.
/ When the post traders bought from the
| Government the privilege of trading with
the troops, peanuts and lemonade. ginger
cookies and beer with a strange label and
taste that nothing but thirty-day
thirst could pardon cost much more than
| a better quality OF the same article at
home. Now the quartermaster depots in
the United States send out to the depot
commits sary OF Manila all the general sup
( pIies he makes a requisition for. and fix
/ the charges for them at the selling price
/ in the United States plus the cost OF
| transportation. Besides. II soldiers
family or some Of his friends make up
Z box Tor MN anu uellFtI IL a. tLc "a --S
Building in this city, il VIII be taken 10
the Philippines or TO China free.
Colonel Kimball was a chief quarter
| master in the civil war, but his duties then
did not include sending soldiers dinner
/ two-thirGs OF the way around the world
and more, as they do now His are always
busy days and If a person can enter MS
Office and not find two people and many
taIeuhoue calls ahead of him he has STUN
I,,cLr 10 pOiOnal looks after
all the movements of ships and transport
tation Of troops, horses, clothing. ana tor-
age. and several thousand more tems.
Three or four ships, each with tonnage
of from 500 to 1000 tons, saE every
month. They all go by the Suez Canal and
take from forty-fve to fifty days Tor the
trip. II the officials should send the sup
Mics to San Francisco and then over the
Paclhc TO the Philippines and China. the
time would be two weeks to the Coast
and A month from the Golden Gate to their
destination. but slight saving in days,
and. as has bseu said before, great IN
crease in expense.
Two ships are now being loaded in
Brooklyn with stores for troops in the
East These steamers belong to private
| firms for all the transports to be spared
are on the Pacific The steamers loading
in the East River are the Glenartney, OF
Barber & Co, and the IndFapura. Of the
United states and China-Japan Line. They
will sail on August % with 5000 tons OF
hay and 800 tons OF other supplies
At least everything that is kept in 4
general store in an Arizona mining camp
and more things besides, are on the mani
fest of the ordinary army ship bound for
Manila. An army chaplain has asked for a
box of lantern slides and that is on board.
Then there are collins and blacksmiths
. tools veterinary supplies. reading matter,
, sterilizers. filters. restraining apparatus
, for the insane. toothbrushes and combs,
| shoastrings and razors, corn beef hash,
oysters. pipes. yeast cakes. cheese. towels
pencils. candies. haad basins. boFax, soup
. olives shoe backing, and hair oil.