The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-01-20
Feeding Of Five Million Men
One Of Great Tasks Of
Modern War.
MEAT IS IMPORTANT
Entente Allies Require IS, 900
Tons Per Month to
Supply Forces.

LondOn.-The country likes to be
told things about the army, the cir
cumstances Of Its brothers. sons.
fathers and husbands, and now, in
these days OF the "Waacs." of its
womenfolls at the front also. Largely
1t Is the particular interest OF the in
divtdual In his own particular friends
and relatives. his own local regiment
and 50 forth. II Is equally interested
in the domestic problems OF these in
divtduais in the mass. though it does
not envisage mass problems so read
lily as individual problems. II SOL
der writes home ''grousing" more or
less mildly about the food. his friends
do not readily realize what that prob
lew means to the authorities who
have to deal with it in connection with
millions of men.
A Huge Proposition.
When one stops to think about It,
however, the feeding OF we'll over five
million men, distributed over a con-
siderable area OIL the surface Of the
globe Is no light undertaking. Take
the supplying Of the army with meat.
In the past. an advancing army was
followed wherever 1t went by herds
OF cattle. which were herded along
from place to place and used when
necessary. Obviously that Is not a
very practicable method for many
reasons when nations go to war. 1t
may be assumed, therefore. that some
Of the more general aspects OF the
methods by which this problem is
surmounted today may be OF interest
when 1t Is remembered that, in terms
of the individual, the larger problem
involves the lesser problem OF the
satisfactory feeding OF the individual
soldier. Moreover 1t is a problem. the
successful solution of which contains
within itself. an essential element OF
victory.
Daily Allowances.
The troops in the trenches are al
lowed one pound of meat per day per
man. Each soldier at the front, in
addition, must carry one pound OF
meat in his kit. The army at home
receives three quarters of a pound
per day per man. These quantities
are supplied by the department re-
sponsible, to the equivalent Of a whole
nation. and this achievement has
meant a revolution in army methods
in this respect. The South African
war supplied a few hints for the com
ing Armageddon. Frozen meat was
then used for the first time by the
British army in the field. In recent
years frozen meat has been increas
ingiy used for civilian consumption In
Britain. Indeed 40 per cent of tht
meat used In the United Kingdom be
fore the war was frozen meat imported
from abroad, and the authorities had
therefore, at their disposal consider.
able trade experience In the importa
ton Of this food. Immediately the
war began. the board of trade opened
mp negotiations with the firms import
Ing meat from the argentine for 6
supply Of $4,000 tons per month. Or
the other side, the River Plate mea'
companies practically cover the Who'll,
OF the export meat trade of Soutf
America, and with them running con.
tracts have been in operation for j.;
long time. The importing work wa!
eventually placed on wider basi.
by the formation of n committee O
the board of trade to import not onl,
for the use OF the British army. bu
also for the French and Italian gov,
ernments and Of the British civiliar
population.
5000 Tons Per Month.
To carry the immense quantities re
quired the government eventually hat
to requisition the whole of the insu
lated space OF the shipping devoted L