The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1917-09-21
49 FOOD ITEMS ON
LIST FOR SOLDIERS
Uncle Sam Has Great Task in
Buying Supplies for Million
Men for Year.
FROM BEEF TO SHOE STRINGS
Quartermaster General Must Purchase
Equipment and Look After Its
Transportation, Storage and
Delivery.

Supplies for million men--a years
needs Of everything from beef to shoe
strings, and from cots to candy--is a
measure of the task which Quarter
master General Sharpe's Office has in
providing for Americas new armies.
Nearly 100000 tons of fresh beef
1891, ,638,240 pounds) is one item, and
besides that there is canned corned
and canned roast beef, totaling nearly
100000 pounds more, without in.
Guiding the canned corned beef hash,
also among the items.
All told, 348 different items of sup
plies appear In the quartermaster gen.
erals list of rations for issue and sale
Of clothing and of equipage. The fig
ures given here are on the basis Of
supplying soldiers located In the Unit
ed States, so give no help In computing
additional needs Of this country result
ing from military participation in the
war.
Food In Great Quantities.
Regular rations of Uncle Sans SOL
diers call for q list Of 40 items. In
1t are more than 29,600,000 pounds of
coffee, four kinds Of tea, and over 25,-
600 tons Of granulated sugar; over
$4,000 gallons of cucumber pickles; |;
over 100000 cans Of black pepper and
cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg,
totaling $4,000 cans; over 480, 100000
pounds Of potatoes; over 65,2OO,OOO
pounds Of onions; over 300,000,0OO
pounds of flour, besides hard bread |;
nearly 100000 gallons of cane sirup;
lemon and vanilla favoring extracts;
over 100000 pounds Of lard, and over
7800, 900 pounds of butter; canned and
dried fish, canned vegetables, eyap-
GRATED apples and peaches, etc.
The variety Of fare possible In
regular ratlons is increased by list of
items for sale to soldiers at cost. The
sale list totals 1856 items, largely food
stuffs, but including also shaving mugs,
pencils, pins, pens, shoe polish, letter
paper (22,320 quires), 48,860 pipes, 22,-
800 razors, toilet articles (among which
are 148,800 cans of talcum powder and
3,72O bottles of toilet water), 11,180
spools of thread, etc.
The foodstuffs in the sale list in
clude canned mushrooms, a variety Of
canned fruits, vegetables, fish and
meats, pickles, maple sirup, ginger ale,
sauces, sausage, 305,000 plnts of ef-
fervescent water, etc.
Regular articles of clothing are 20 in
number. These are figured on initial
requirements and upkeep for the first
nine months. Here are few of the
items: Belts, 100000; coats, cotton,
100000; coats, woolen, 1,270,0O0; ;
service hats, 1,825,000; shoe laces,
100000; overcoats, 1,675,000.
EQuipage include 90 articles. Among
them are 180,5O0 axes, 3,4500 900 blank
cts, $4,000 bugles, 100000 cots, LAO
250 tents of seven kinds, over 100000
gross Of buttons, 100000 yards of
cotton cloth, etc.
Estimating quantities needed is only
q step in the task of supplying an
army. Things must be bought-Quality
tested. contracts made, prices deter
mined, delivery-and then come the
problems of transportations, storage
and distribution.
This shows part Of the countryS
great war work, on which thousands of