Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-13

]
ton is that the articles named contain
just the proper nutritivc clements and The
quantities given are what the normal sol
der should eat. In some organizations the
troops eat many more potatoes than they
draw; these are purchased with the COM
pany fund.
In addition to the savings made from
the regular ration the issue is improved in
various ways by the troops. The general
source of most of the Improvement comes
from the company, troop or battery fund.
All issues are made on the basis OF the
company, troop or battery through the
Commissary of the post to troops in garrl-
son and the brigade commissary through
the rcgimental cOmmissary to troops in the
field. The company therefore becomes the
unit, and If the ration Is improved it must
be improved by the unit to which 1t goes.
The largest income to the company fund
formerly came from the post exchange or
canteen. Since the abolition OF the sale
Of beer and light wines in the canteen this
fund has not been so large.
At Fort Myer, where the troops have re-
Gently changed station. the returns to the
organizations at the post were very small
during the last three months. The com
pany commander Is the custodian of the
fund, ag he Is also responsible for the issue
of ratiOns TO his men and for their proper
preparation. 1t is his business to 50 ad-
minister this fund that 1t will go as far
as possible. In addition to the post ex-
change the company derives an income
from various other sources. At posts where
there IS plenty of ground many of the
companies have vegetable gardens. pig
pens and some posts keep cows The pigs
are usually fattened the leaVingS from
the kitchens, and their feed costs nothing
beyond the original purchase price. They
are fattened and sold, or are killed and the
meat turned over to the mess. If cows are
kept, as they often are, milk is supplied
to the officers al the post and to the mess
and a nice sum is derived from that, and
there are numerous other ways in which
an organization might make money, all Of
which goes to swell the COmpany'S bank
account and the captains responsibility.
1t depends largely on the kind of CON-
pany commander whether or not the COM
pany IS well fed II the officer in command
is wide awake and knows his business thor
oughly, the company will prosper and live
on the fat OF the land. There are some
officers who have an idea that large
company fund IS a nice thing 10 show Vlsi-
tors, and others hold that as the money be-
longs really to the men it should be spent
for their benefit. There IS q feeling of pros
perlty and security IN q large fund and
such a feeling frequently accompanies a
satisfied appetite also. The latter view is
taken by majority of the officers and con-
scquentiy few complaints to food ara
heard from the men in the regular army
when the regular ration is obtain. Bile.
In these days of foreign service with jour
MES OF thousands of miles between stations
it is sometimes impossible FOR the company
commander to obtain all the food supplies
he desires from the commissary and con-
seQuently he endeavOr to keep the fuuG of
his command about $500 and $500 ahead so
that when his turn comes for foreign service
he can buy the things lie needs and his
company will not suffer on shipboard