Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-10-10
FOOD FOR SOLDIERS
WARS HEAVIEST ITEM
Costs 30 Cents Day to Feed an
American Fighting Man;
10 Items ON Menu.

Washington. Get & Why docs it
cost the United States 40 much more to
make war than il costs any OF lts
co-bclligerents'
What is being done with the tens Of
billions being raised from Liberty Bonds
and taxation ene often hears these
questions
The answer is not difficult
II is, simply. that If costs an American
more to do anything than II costs anyone
else in the world That Is the best reason
why Americans should buy Liberty Bonds
The American army Is composed OF
workingmen The american working
man demands higher standard Of
everything thnn any other working
man in The world When he becomes
2 soldier hc carries TINT standard with
him and. comparatively gets It.
Napoleon said. and everybody eyer
since has repeated that an army travels
on IFS stomach 80 naturally the sub
stance of he American soldier comes
first in the long hil which rapidly run
ming 10 $50, 900 900 day
The regular ration list Of the American
army calls for forty-nlne different items
of food II includes many things which
arc luxuries % the soldiers of the foreign
armies. At that. II only costs 20 cents
a day to feed "a ,ldier The figure ls
low because the government has
the advantage of dealing IN billions
and tons where the individual deals IN
dollars and pounds Even so. the army
has felt the increased cost OF living be-
cause it cost only Isl cents day to
feed a soldier during the Spanish war.
Take into account the almost stagger-
ing sums the government has spent for
food alone since the war began s31 .0iW
600 worth of flour: sll 100000 worth
Of sugar: si3 .OOO. 600 worth OF bacon.
Sl2 600, OD0 worth Of beans. x9,O0o.p0
worth OF canned tomatoes. 5000, 600
worth OF rice Il sounds almost like
food bill for a nation.
Without any disparagement what
ever OF the rationing system OF the co
bcligerent it MAY be said that while
the food OF the British soldier compares
favorably with that Of his American
cousin. the French ration Is less accept
able 10 the American and thai of the
Italians would get very cold reception.
The equipment of the American soldier
is no less up 10 standard than hls food
Since the beginning Of the war the
government has spept SIG 900 600 Tor
shoes Only recently q contract was
let which Is intended 10 keep every sol
dIer with two pairs one for marching
and one for general wear. The prlce
in quantity of millions Was we'll over
S. II pair Old soldiers OF the regular
army can remember when the govern
ment issued "brogans far removed
in quality from the army shoe OF today
The American soldiers clothing 50
far has cost 4 round $500 900 900
For his blankets the goveTnsu' n has
spent sl50,000, 900 Everything else is
IN proportion for III every particular OF
his equipment the government has sup
Piled the soldier with the same relative
high standard he VAS accustomed to
at home in civll life The extra cost
ol maintaining an army on foreign soil
has entered into the huge bill because
il has been found that 1t costs si2321 u
equip and maintain a soldier Il year
abroad as against S327 IS at home. OF
this sum S25l S5 goes for food The
rat0ning expenses II home i 500 NJ
The high standard has been carried
to the soldiers pay For all practical
purposes If estimate the American solder
Is the highest paid fighting man IN the
world He actually gets more than the
averagc German officer u tin SIS a
month "a private receives from the gov
crnment Is added 4 sum Tor his dependents
depending upon their condition and
number Canada and the other British
colonies more nearly approximate the
pas u the American soldier than anY
othcr- oi the eo-bcligerents
Taking INTO consideration all these
ltcn7 1t = moi strange that America 5
war bill Is greatest