The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-11-01
AMERICAN SOLDIERS FOOD
An Interesting Report by the Com
m,ssaTy General

Comparisons Of the Rations Furnish
ed 60 the Armies Of Various COuu-
tricS-RcPIics to Newspaper Criti-
Ci~m of subsistence Department.
How the American Army f. fed. what
IL cats and how much. and comparison
between this country and others as pro-
yiGtTs. are the subjects of "a lengthy re-
port uf Brigadi,- General j. r. Weston.
| Cammissary General OF the Army. made
public today The various portions Of the
world iu which the United States Army
| has operated i'm the past year. including
/ Cuba. Porto Rico. Alaska. the Philippines
and China. are considered The report
says.
During the period covered 10y this re-
/ port the command 10 be supplied extend
ed from the Great Wall of China on the
north TO the island of Bornso on the
south and the island Of Guam on the
/ east There were $50 stations IN this
archipelago. besides the troops in China
| and the prisoners in Guam.
! In addition 10 the $500 troops and 1900
/ officers in this division. the Subsistence
| Department supplied the delicacies for the
| sick. rations for 1000 prisoners of war,
/ 100 marines, many OF the stores for the
navy. ratious for lG05 civilian employees
and sales stores for the army. navy. and
marine officers. Philippine Commission
and attaches. and Americans employed
/ by the army and 10y the Government i'm its
treasury pOStofiiCe interior. and educa-
. uoIal departments, metropolitan police,
uauE, police and scouts, transports, etc.
/ In other words. nearly 10000 persons. Oc-
cupyiuE a country almost destitute Of
meat and vegetables, and other food sup
plies suitable for Americans, were sup
. ID .
miles distant
Reports of army officers in China were,
without exception, most favorable to the
l excellent service of the Subsistence De
paTtmeut.
An English writer. comparing the
troops of the allied armies. said. The
American commisSary is undoubtedly far
the best of all. and the American soldiers
are best fed, both IN peace time and i'm
the field.
'.The Japs had rice. bread. and dried
fish and tea, which they supplemented
10y the use of tn, sheep and cattle the
country produced. They also had Ameri-
can canned meats, but they were not
used with impunity- to be more
of the nature of special or emergency
article OF their diet.
The British white troops had a ration
similar TO ours ia quality and quantity,
+ but not SO varied or flexible. They used
tea instead Of coffee. The British Indian
troops had about three-fourths pound at
IA or flour, about one pound rice. one
gill ghec or vegetable oil. salt. and once
week "a pound of fresh meat, bone and
all
THE Sikhs only used mutton or goat.
/ but the Muhammedans ate everything
except pork
The Russians had little besides a black
I bread and soup. They Were given one
fourth pound cans Of some kind Of meat
preparation "a intervals. much in the
same manner as the Japs used American
meats. They had the finest cooking ar
ranScment, though, of any Upon
/ springless carriage was mounted an iron
furnace under SemiSpherIcal boiler, Wa
ter-lac kctCd- he boiler was ItteL with
a tight-rtting cover, and the whole was
very strongly and COmpactly built Into
this they put all the materials for soup
or stew that they possessed, and nothing
came amiss. screwed down the cover. Tit
the fire, and away went this perambuldt-
lHE soup lureeL with ITS company when
they made camp. all they mad 20 DO was
stack arms and then march past the
soup machine the cook opening faucet,
and each man received his ration Of hot
weII-c0oked. a lex soup. The assistant
cook in the meantime. was choppius up
a loaf Of black bread with am AK. and each
man got a liberal chunk THIS bread did
not Improve upon acquaintance II seem
ed 10 have been made Of equal parts OF
bran, sand. Sawdust. and was sour be
sides This was an ideal and an ecouom-
iCal way 10 prepare soldiers food. but
soup, three times day. Is too much ~ a
steady diet for the American 20 adopt.
I The Russians thrived on this. for they
looked hearty and strong
Altogether. the American force was
better fed. botF in quantity and quality
OF the ration Litter clothed, and for the
winter especially SO. and had the best
transportation. newspaper correspondents
To the contrary Notwithstanding
The expenditure of the Subsistence De-
UartmeEt I'm connection with the relief
expedition TO China We're as follows
BY the chief commissary United States
forces In China. $4,000, hy the chief com
misary Division Ofrhe Philippines Man
la S5lH.5s8.5i- by cOmmiSSaries In the
United states, &s3.,5l---s; total $5frlit-
Col @ A Woodruff, chief commissary
OF the division OF the Philippines. saws.
1T is with regret that this office feels
called upon To- notice certain attacks by
the press upon the Subsistence Depart
m-nt. as the result Of an investigation in
Stitutcd by this office. Had these reports
confined themselves 70 the facts. as as
not Dee necessary 90 advert To this subject
now. but IN, result was temporarily 90
make a national scandal. 10 involve the
names or innocent persons. AID HalIgu
the Subsistence Department To IS with
the purpose of showing the absolute in
justice OF these attacks that these re-
marks are made. a summary " these
reports f. as follows:
THAT. in tho administration cf IN, Sub
sisteucc Department. vast frauds. iuEDly-
ing thousands upon thousands Of dollars.
had been committed against he Govern
meut-
That the chief commissary received
from contractor the free use Of a house
and its furnishings.
THAT champagne had been Illegally
purchased by ID. Subsistence Department.
.TakiE" these allegations s,riatim.
This office was well aware that the
conditions here were such as 10 peruI'E
and throw the greatest temptation ID the
way Of poorly paid non-comuIsH0ned
officers and inexperienced volunteer Off
GERS whom IT was necessary t. charge
With the care and distribution of stores.