The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-06-23

the ice receipts for one year are more
than 100000.
Uncle Sans Bakery.
But suppose We fly from the poles
to tho tropics We can do SO by
walking from the cold storage plant
to the bakery and laundry. which are
not far away. The bakery is one of
the largest on earth, and everything
there is done upon a big scale. The
| dough Is kneaded by machinery in a
big iron trough. 1t comes out I'm
| loaves, being cut by a dough divider
which makes seventytwo loaves every
minute One batch OF dough will
make 1850 loaves. The ovens are
great chambers walled with porcelain.
] pound loaves at a time Altogether
! they can make $4,000 loaves in one
d-y. and from 10000 to $4,000 loaves
are now being consumed every
twenty-four hours. The employees vf
the bakery are both white and coll
ored. with a white man at the head.
Uncle Sans laundry is another big
feature of this mercantile establish
| ment 1t consists of several large
| halls VIII CHI are filled with Jamaica
negresses. washing and ironing. The
clothes are passed through FIVE wa
| tiers from cold to hot. while the ma
chinery SCOUTS out the dirt. Tho
wrtnsinG is done by centrifugal force
in machines like those used for sugar
making. and the ironing has the aid
of electricity. The latter work is per-
formed by negro girls who receive
from to 10 cents an hour. Each has
an electric iron fastened to a tube
over her head, and she uses an IRON
Ing board covered with white cotton
which is SO supported that It is level
with her waist. As to the white
shirts. they pass through pressing
machines. and the collars have special
machines OF their own. About 4.O00,-
600 pieces are washed and ironed here
every year. and the annual income OF
the institution is almost 100000
Nevertheless the prices are low.
Linen coats cost IL cents each; COL
lars. a cent and a half: drawers, 5
cents; and cuffs. cents per pair The
charge for washing a silk shirt ia 10
cents: for dress shirt. 10 cents;
suit OF pajamas. 10 cents; and for
union suit, only cents. The family
laundry work 8 also cheap. A bed
spread costs 10 cents: blanket 90
cents; and napkin. ! cent. You can
have sheet washed and ironed for 2
cents. and a towel for cent. Con-
nected with the establishment is
pressing department.. where mems
coats. trousers and vests and ladies'
skirts and waists are cleaned and
shaped at fixed prices
Uncle Snm's Retnil Stores
what we have seen so far might be
called Uncle Sans wholcsac mercan-
tile establishment 1t Is the ware
mouse and the factory and the central
station from which all the goods are
d'Stfihuted. The work of selling the
merchandise is done largely In retail
stores. and for this purpose the gov
eminent has twenty-five branches
one at each canal centre. They cover
the principal settlement along the
Canal Zone, and are found also M
Porto Bello and Toro Point In those
stores goods are sold in exchange for
coupons. which can be procured bv
employees from their timekeencrs nv
from the officers of the government
ana Panama Railway on invoices You
can buy nothing in the stores excent
with coupons. twenty-dollar gold
piece would not buy a paper of pins
no: ten-dollar bill a lead pencil. The
system Is all arranged on the coupon
basis, and one must carry his counop
DOCK to the store and let the clerk
take out the checks which represent
the amount of his purchase These
checRs range in denomination from
81 to l cent. so that anything can be |
exactly paid for. The business is |
done after rigid accounting system |
cash registers are employed and the !
salesman makes out a sales slip for |
each purchase
Tho goods are taken to the stores
on the cars from Cristobal. and there
is special refrigerator train every
morning which has eleven cars filed
with meats. ice and perishable goods,
and ten other cars loaded with other
goods. This train starts Mt 1870 every
morning. and 1t is the one train which
Is always on time
In addition to the goods sold In the
stores. there Is a big mail order bust |
ness. Messengers go around every
day to the homes of the employees and
take their orders. receiving coupons |
therefor. These are sent into the CEN
trail Offices, and the goods are brought
hack the next day. All the bread is
delivered at the houses. and 1t is so