The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-12-13
How Good Food And Good Clothing
Go To Make Our Sea Fighters
The Good Men They Are

The following article. by James H.
Collins, is issued by the Committee
on Public information:
A British naval officer who has
been doing teamwork with the Amer
lean destroyers in the submarine zone
said the other day: There are just
three points upon which l would
want to criticize Uncle Sans sailors:
First, they are too well fed, second,
they are too well clothed; third, they
are too well paid"
After nearly three years of war,
during which Europe knew not the
familiar American tourist of peace
times, with his fat pocketbook and
characteristic spending disposition, a
new kind of tourist has arrived in the
American sailor and soldier, whose
general scheme, diet, clothes and pay
are so liberal, compared with that of
the allied fighting men. that our sail
ors and soldiers are regarded with the
same interest as was the spending
American civilian.
BEST Fed in World"
THE best fed body of men in the
world" our navy has been pro-
nounced, and the figures just com.
piled for the navy ration this year
show that the high standard has been
maintained, despite the rise in the
cost of food articles, with very little
extra expense to Uncle Sam.
War has added some complications
to the task of feeding the navy, for
the number of men has suddenly in
creased from about $4,000 to more
than 100000, and hundreds of small
patrol boats and submarine chasers
have been manned by our sailors on
duty in coast defense districts and
elsewhere. Uncle Sam has been able
to maintain his navy diet economic
ally by large purchases for the in
creased forces. But there have been
difficulties with the small crews Of pa
troll boats because inadequate galley
and messing facilities have not fav-
cred the economical issuing and cook
ing of rations possible on major ships,
and an unusually large allowance for
subsistence has to be made on this
type of navy craft.
Cost Second Consideration
Uncle Sam feeds his sailors, not
exactly regardless of cost, but with
always the secondary consideration.
AS Admiral MCGOWAN, Paymaster
General of the Navy puts it, Cost is
byproduct." What the sailor eats
is governed by the Revised Statutes,
which specify the quantities of the
various food staples which may be
issued to each man in the naval ser.
wee, and good nouiishment and palat-
ability comes first. with cost figured
out at the end of the year after the
men have been fed.
The navy ration for 1917 cost
$O.44O5 as against $O.3764S for 1915.
The mystic decimals indicate an in
crease in the average cost of the ra /
ton of about 20 per cent over the
preceding year. Statistics compiled
by the Department of Labor show
that there was an increase of 40 per
cent in the wholesale prices Of the
principal items of food .tat the
Eavv ration increased in coe. 0 the
same extent, the outlay wcuid have
been slightly over 81 "nn a day more, I
or $1,5Oo,00 more on me year, which
may be regarded as money saved.
The navy ration is as much a mat
ter OF pride to the officials who have
it in charge as are the craftsmanship
records to officers of the fleet.
The Paymaster Generals Bureau is |
not considered fighting force, but
If anybody attacks the navy ration |
~-------@~ z----------