The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-02-09
SELLING SUPPLIES
TO THE ARMY
The Way 10 Get Business is to
Send Catalogues to
the Posts
THE METHOD OF PURCHASING
Our Army ls located in Some Three
Hundred Widely Scattered Military
Posts and All Are In the Market
Bills RSesiptsd before Payment.


Bills RSesipts5 before Payment
The two chief supply departments
OF the American army are the com.
missary and the quartermasters. The
former furnishes all food stUffs. toilet
articles and similar supplies.
The latter with few exceptions fur
nishes all other things needed in the
service, principally camp and garrison
equipaEe, ranging from railroads and
steamships to cooking utensils and
household articles
In short, says the Bookkeeper, the
quartermRster's department comes
nearer the goal OF a well managed de-
partment store than any other branch
of the service.
Our army is located in 800 or more
widely scattered military posts in the
United States. Alaska, Porto Rico,
Hawaii and the Philippines. At each
there is a commissary and a quarter
master oficer who are charged with
the supply OF the troops serving there
at.
These oficers may not buy the re-
quisite supplies for their respective
departments in the open market, ex-
cept in very rare instances. They
must obtain them through depot COM
missaries or depot quartermasters
situated in the principal market cen
tres OF the country upon written re-
qusition duly approved by intermedi-
ate commanders.
These acquisitions srate specifically
what is needed, and here is where
the catalogue comes into helpful use
to the officer or his subOrdinates.
From it he chooses the make, descrip-
ton. quality, etc, OF the particular
items he wants, ofttimes naming the
maker and giving the catalogue num-
Der from which the Information is
taken
Hence the purchasing agent at the
depot in the large city, going into
the market TO buy, calls for the iden.
teal article asked for. and as though
obeying the mandate of the modern
tA-. Ca L4pVA thNNNPeS ~ ohb1IlNALCs
Large depots continually carry ordi.
nary commodities in stock, such stock
often aggresating S1,000,0o0 in value.
The list usually ranges from road
rollers and other heavy hardware to
carpet tacks and washing soap.
The Government, it is said, is in
evitably the last institution to adopt
u, r1nrp copvapiaDcaa Dr pau iDvap-
lions. To-day, when vacuum pro-
cesses are cleaning the interiors of
our homes. the old unsanitary corn
broom still sweeps the barracks and
the officers quarters at the military
garrison.
1t is also quite true that in these
days Of extensive advertising the
army now and then INDUCES in few
conveniences OF the age. When the
bicycle held full sway as a pleasure
and business conveyance no quarter
master found it possible to get one
for oflcial use. Now they are regular
ly supplied upon requisition, as are
automobiles.
All firms doing a national business
should send their latest catalogues
each year to the quartermaster of
each military post as we'll as to the
quartermaster depots in the larger
cities. Most maps show the name
and location OF our garrisoned posts;
this falling. application should be
made to the War Department for a
list showing them.
When once you get the army in the
habit OF buying your products, as is
now the case with reference to Ger.
tain brands OF soap, washing powder,
lamp chimneys. stationery, inks, paste,
plumbing supplies, etc, II will go on
buying them to the exclusion of all
other makes for an indefinite period.
or until your quality degenerates or
is succeeded by more modern con-
triyRnces. Uncle Sam Is a customer
hard to lose once you have made good
to him; also the pay is sure yet some
times slow.
In this latter regard settlement of
bills should never be pressed, as it
usually requires weeks, II not months,
to get vouchers supporting payments
ready for the disbursement. Con
trary to good business sense, the
Government requires \ signed receipt
before making payment 1t frequent
ly occurs that q business house may
not receive its check for a long period
after signing = receipt certifying that
payment has been made in full. Com
paratiVsly little OF what the army
buys IL bought under annual con
tract Purchases are usually made at
frequent intervals on circular pro
posal. any one having the right to bid