Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-01-02
CURIOUS COMPLAINT
ABOUT SOLDIERS FOOD
officer Writes to Lament Number of
Pounds He Had Gained
In Trenches.
HE FEELS ALMOST TOO WELL
List Showing What Each British Sol.
der Gets Every Twenty-Four
iIours-AIlowance Is Result OF
Careful Study by Scientists.
by HERBERT TEMPLE.


LONDON. January IA curious
complaint about soldiers food in tho
field has Just been received. An officer
writes homo to lament the number Of
pounds he has added to his weight In
the trenches. saying he feeds almost
too we'll without sufficient exercise.
Napoleon. who said. IAN army fights
on its stomach" would be astonished
at the enormous demands upon the en-.
DURANGO of the men In this war for
he was never able to give his mon the
strengthening food we'll regulated
armies receive nowadays.
call attention. for instance, to tho
battle OF 1-ule Duryea's The Turks lost
because they had been starving for
four days. The Bulgarians Ind their.
stomachs full. The Turks were will
Ing. but could not night. ana on their
retreat many died of sheer starvation.
The Belsians. and. In many cases, the
Germans In Belgium. have been weak
ened by lack Of food. although the
German. system In general Is excellent.
But the British soldier has gotten his
meals with great regularity Hero LIS
list showing what each British pri--
vate receives every twenty-four hours:
one and quarter pound OF fresh meat
or one pound preserved meat one
pound and quarter bread. four ounces
bacon. three ounces cheese. four ounces
Jam. three ounces sugar. half-pound
or fresh vegetables or two ounces dried
vegetables. nve-eighths ounce OF tea,
coffee or cocoa: two ounces OF tobnc-
co. or atty cigarettes per week
This allowance is the result OF care
ful study on the part OF the scientists.
They have found that 1000 calories or
enerSy-making units are required to
keep man alive If he is lying in bed
without mental or physical exercise
day $500 calorics n day are necessary.
The British soldier receives 5000 ca
tories so he has 500 to spare.
In former British wars there has been
enormous corruption and chaos. and
the soldiers have often gone hungry
Luckily. for two years before the war
broke out the director of supplies and
his stan had been studying every de-
tall of the new method so that when
the great call came the whole scheme
was complete and perfect, both as re-
CARDS supplies and transports
The contractor middleman the
source OF much corruption. In the old
days. has been removed and the War
Office deals directly with manufacture
crs.
Government Board. tens OF thousands
OF health officers all over the world In
spect the facto es and analyzc the food
TO prevent adulteration. impurity or
BAD quality.
Another clever device is the method
or delivery. The manufacturer must
send his stores to the railways with
out knowing their destination II this
were not so. he might be able to land
inferior goods In ships for the Con.
tinent. knowing well that the boxes
would be opened up too far away for
1 inspection or complaint. Under the
new system. these supplies must go to
the government food depots at Liver.
pool or Leads, where they come under
the eyes OF health officers and
analysts.
The army had large reserves OF food
, when war broke out, but in ten DAYS
these had been doubled, a stupendous
plan was pu; into operation. and II
worked wonderfully. In France and
Belgium one sees the army service
corps and Passes their conveys on the
roads. lntcrlninally. the motor trucks
hurry from the bases to the lighting
lines with Tommy's daily meals, with
fresh bread baked on the railways, and
often even with fresh fruit from the
| South.