Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-28
REPLIES TO MILES
Comments of Heads of Army
Bureaus.
GEN. WESTON DISSENTS
OPPOSED TO FEEDING FROM BEEF
ON THE HOOP.
Chief of Ordnance and Chief of En-
gineers Also Discuss Criticism in
the Published Report.
GEN. WESTON DISSENTS

Many interesting statements are made by
the chiefs of the various staff departments
of the army In reply to the remarks in re-
gard to the operations of those departments
In the Philippines made by Lieut.. Gen.
Miles as a result of his tour of inspection
in the archipelago.
Gen. Weston. commissary of subsistence,
defends the present system of subsistence
In the Philippines. and says that Gen.
Miles plan for supplying beef on the hoof
Is neither feasible nor economical. NO
complaints have been received against the
use of frozen beef and the letters on the
subject have been uniformly commendatory.
Owing to the depletion of the stock in Aus
tralia by drought the department has con-
tracted for supply of frozen beef from
the Argentine Republic at 3-5 cents a
pound. Gen. Weston says the American
plan of using frozen beef was adopted by
the British army In South Africa, land"
he says. 1T is gratifying to know that
there were many good officers In command
in the Philippines, from Merritt to Davis.
and not one of them ever complained of the
meat furnished the army there by the sub
Sistence department.
After stating that native beef is out Of
the question as food supply for the army
in the Philippines. Gen. Weston argues
against the plan Of providing beef on the
moor In the Following words:
Gen. Weston's Objections.
IF outside cattle were to be brought in
they could not. in the first place. well stand
a long and killing voyage of thousands Of
miles. The losses en- route would be very
great. and the consequent change of CHI
mate. food and general conditions would
change the character of the meat. even If
the cattle escaped the diseases so prevalent
In the tropics after their arrival. The cat
tie which did survive the journey would in
all probability be swept away by disease
for if the native acclimated cattle and carl
bou were almost annihilated foreign cattle
would stand no chance whatever. Any re-
naming would have to have forage, which
is difficult and expensive to provide; corrals
would have to be built, inspectors, herders
and butchers would have to be employed
and slaughter houses erected Cattle
steamers would have to be engaged to bring
them over sea. and the cattle would have
to be shipped to various parts Of the islands
to reach the different distributing points.
To do this boats of light draught would in
addition be necessary In order to go in
close to shore and to run up rivers to un-
load the cattle. No such boats are avail
able; but If they were additional losses
would result from storms and typhoons
while making these interisland deliveries
So that in the end the expense would be
simply enormous. without single COM
pensating feature. In this day the new
methods and equipment. the great meat
concerns capitalized for hundreds of mil
lions can altogether Guido meager and
limited individual effort in point of thor
oughness, economy and dispatch. Where
frozen meat is furnished the cattle are in
spected by expert inspectors before they
are slaughtered. and the meat also after
ward. This insures healthy meat and the
exclusion of diseased cattle. The cattle
are slaughtered by expert butchers and the
meat cared for by experts while in storage.
while the meat is easily transported and
easily cared for