Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-23

to know. Your government couldn't do :.
even IL told you the way IL was done
Why not?" asked the German minister
In surprise.
haven't got the stuff" 1t takes many mil
lions year to feed the little regular army
but men eat well.
The supplies for The entire army are pur-
chased by the different chief commissary
officers OF the different military depart
ments. The post commissary officers re-
ceive their supplies from the chief COM
missary Of the department In which they
happen to be stationed
Purchasing Food Supplies.
Every three months the chief commissary
purchases such staples as flour. beans.
sugar. coffee. etc. Fresh meat, beef and
mutton and fresh vegetables are supplied
by the local dealers near the different posts
and these contracts are let each six months
Supplies are only purchased after ten days
advertising for bids During these ten DAYS
the different contractors who wish to make
bids submit sealed bids and samples OF the
supplies that to be furnished. During
the ten days these bids are carefully filed
away in the chief commissary's desk and
the samples placed in a case in his office
where no one can disturb them in any
way. In this may be found many
things that the civilian never expects to
see on the table OF the regular soldier. Here
Will be found cans OF peaches, pears. peas
corn, tomatoes, oysters, lobster, chicken.
beans. and many other edibles; glass Jars
of olives and nice little cans of sardnes
samples of coffee in little blue boxes, prints
of butter and bottles of olive oil.
At last the day comes to inspect and
purchase supplies enough to last the poor.
starved soldier man for the next three
months
A large table is moved over in front OF the
sample case. Here the chief commissary
sits with the bids before him. and as he
calls the list each mans sample is handed
down from the case by one OF his clerks.
who opens 1t and places 1t before the COM
missary. II II happens to be can OF peas.
the chief commissary takes up a spoon and
digs down into the center of the can, turn
ing up the peas and looking over them care
fully. Then a spoonful is tasted. After the
quality of the peas has been decided upon
the amount of the bid Is noted. IL there
are any other peas submitted they are also
| opened and tested and price noted. Nearly
always there are four or five or more
samples and bids submitted for canned
goods. OF course. each has to be opened
and tested and the bids compared. The
contract always goes TO the man who has
the best article at the lowest price.
The next sample to be handed the chief
contmissary may be can OF salmon. or II
may be jar of olives. or a print of butter.
Whatever il is. it is carefully examined
and put aside. And yet IL only one man
submits a sample OF a certain staple. and
1t does not come up TO the standard that
the chief commissary thinks II should. he
rejects the bid and advertises again.
once him reject 1880 pounds of butter
that had come all the way from Omaha
and let the contract to a man who put up
much finer article at price very little in
advance of that asked for the inferior arti-
Gle.
Awarding Contracts.
All coffee and tea submitted are carefully
examined by the chief commissary. The
fact that tea Is allowed to enter the
country without first being examined by the
tea inspector of the customs department
makes no difference In the examination OF
the teas submitted TO the commissary 1t
is the same with coffee, although / suppose
the coffee is more often rejected than Is
tea.
After everything has been inspected and
the bids all noted comes the awarding of
contracts. However, there is never d month
when the commissary does not have to pur-
chase supplies. The reason for this is that
the supplies have given out at some post. or
that the men have saved up a large com
pany fund and are buying extras" So In
this way, instead of supplies being pur-
chased once every three months, there IL
great purchase every three months and d
little one every month. But il all ends in
the American soldier being the best fed
soldier in the world. partly because his
commissary officers understand their duty
and are honest enough to perform IL, and
partly because. as General Weston said. We
have 1.-THE stuff"