Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1917-12-07
nats.r@ E.yksX or
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PURCHASING / i|:3:DY
TO Buy Supplies for Our Troops
in France,
SUCCESS OF Plan ASSURED
Tackle Huge Task Of Accommodating
Supplies in Europe to Save Tonnage
for Other Products-Board Is Con.
sidering Plan Of Pooling All Sup.
plies.

The newest adjunct of the United
States purchasing board, which was
created several weeks ago on the in
1tiative Of General Pershing, is an aux
1liary civilian advisory council, com.
posed of five or six American business
men resident in France.
These men, whose names have not
yet been made public, have been asked
to lend their assistance to the board in
its gigantic work and to facilitate its
operation by advice on conditions and
prices in France, and by giving the
board the benefit Of their expert knowl-
edge whenever it may be needed.
The decision to create this auxiliary
council is only one Of the strides the
board has made in the few weeks Of
its existence.
Dawes at tho Head.
Its chief, Col. Charles G. Dawes Of
Chicago, former controller of the cur
rency and president of the Central
Trust Company of Illinois, has already
surrounded himself with nearly a doz-
zen expert quartermaster officers, who
respective branches Of service, and is
rapidly coordinating the work Of pur-
chasing supplies for the present as
well as prospective armies in France.
The success Of the original Pershing
idea has been assured because the
French from the outset co-operated to
their utmost in the plan. They have
vnI ~ 1cp
staff who are commissioned to help
him in every possible way.
The task with which the purchasing
board is confronted and on which it is
now working about sixteen hours day
is the accumulate l in Europe Of
all supplies Of every nature that may
be available. Thus tonnage will be
saved. for ships will not be loaded with
material already purchased when they
can bring other materials. Also, the
scheme seeks to prevent duplication in
buying.
, In accordance with this plan the en-
tente countries are being and will be
secured for every kind of war mate
rial that may be available, from food
Of all kinds to alrplane parts and from
iron piping to wooden blankets. 1t is
to assist in turning up all such sup
plies and in gauging correctly what
they should cost that the civilian aux
iliary council has been planned.
: May Pool Supplies.
Ehe purchasing board is considering
a plan of pooling all supplies that may
be procured. Thus all meat supplies
arriving from America for the Ameri.
can troops may be thrown in with
French supplies procured by the board,
and the two armies fed from the joint
stock. The board likewise has charge
of purchasing for the Red Cross and
the 7. NJ. G. A., both organizations hav.
ing representatives under Colonel
Dawes, who assist him, as do the quar-
termasters.
Il. Even the brief preliminary work Of
the board has revealed what General
Pershing realized when recommending
its establishment, namely, that vast
results could be obtained by buying
in Europe what can be bought, and by
devoting the tonnage that would have
been required in its transportation to
something else.
The board Is working with the CO.
operation of both the French and the
British army authorities. 1t expects
to be able to import, and probably will
itself transport, from England the coal
supplies that are needed during the
coming winter, though this will neces.
sarlly be in conjunction with the
French, since the latter control storage
.0uarterS