The Washington times., 1901-11-02
SUPPLYING FOOD FOR TROOPS.
General weston's Report on the
Commissary Deparfment.

The report of Gen John F. Weston,
Commissary General of Subsistence, shows
that the total expenditures for the sub
sistence Of the army during the fiscal
year were Sl5.622, ,22S. The receipts from
the sales of subsistence stores during the
same period were So go, ,234. An interesting
feature of the report is a statement from
Colonel Woodruff, chief commissary of
the army in the Philippines, in which
he says:
During the first three months of the
period covered by this report stores here
had, for various causes, become greatly
reduced, but, owing to the giand response
made by the Commissary General to every
call from this Office and the energetic
action of the purchasing commissaries in
San Fracisco and New York, this was
speedily corrected, and this division was
soon supplied as no other army Of its
size has ever been supplied in the world S
history.
During the period covered by this re-
port the command to be supplied extended
from Sse Great Wall of China on the
north to the Island of Borneo on the
south and the Island of Guam the
east. There were 4S0 stations in this arch
lpelago, besides the troops in China and
the prisoners in Guam. In addition to
the $1,000 troops and 5000 officers in this
division, the Subsistence Department sup
piled the delicacies for the sick, rations
for loco prisoners of war 1850 marines
many of the stores for the navy rations
for 1000 civilian employees, and sales
stores for the army, navy and marine Off
GERS, Philippine Commission and attaches.
and Americans employed by the army and
by the government in its Treasury, POST
Office, Interior, and educational dEpart-
ments, metropolitan police, native police,
ana scouts, transports, etc. In other
words, nearly 100000 persons, occupying
country almost destitute Of meat and
vegetables and other food supplies suita-
pie tor americans, were supplied largely
from single base. 1000 miles distant.
AFTER the stores reached Manila they
mad TO be landed in cascos and then dis
tributed by wagon and caraboa carts
along almost bottomless roads, by pack
mules and coolies over mountain trails,
oIten through hostile country, and some
OF the posts supplied were most distant
In point of time from Manila than is The
capital of our country.
During the period covered by the re-
port, 5o,vOO men have been returned to the
United States, and about Is, 900 have ar
rived in the Philippines, and not a sin
gle serious complaint has been received
concerning the food supply. There have
been received at the Manila depot 1I6 554-
$50 pounds of ration articles, and G., ,4i4s96
pounds OF sale stores. There have been
shipped from this depo. Ill. III 500 pounds
OF ration articles and 57;o2,6u pounds of
sale stores. There has been some deter
foration of stores due to poor storage and
climatic conditions"
Colonel Woodruff refers to the charges
tiie SouOsiSleiict anu
takes occasion to say that such charges
were greatly exaggerated. He reviews
what has already been published concern
ing the losses by dishonest officers and
commissary sergeants. together with the
trials and conviction. He denies any il
legal purchases of champagne, and says
the purchases that were made were neces-
sary for sick and debilitated troops. who
purchased II at 50 cents a pint.
General Westons report deals txten-
sively with the Chinese campaign, and
quotes from officers who were in that ex
pedition to show that the troops were
well supplied.