The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-07-22
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
BURE AU
FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Director.
Washington. D. C
UNCLE, SAM ECoNoM les.
Washington. D. C

omy, and an impressive demonstra-
ton of how little savings may be made
to count.
Thru the reclamation division Of the
quartermaster's corps it is saving mil
lions of dollars by gathering old shoes
and clothing. dead horses, manure,
broken machinery. and a variety OF
other things that in all former wars
have been thrown away.
The chief job of this division is 10
see that no part of the clothing and
equipment issued to our soldiers is
wasted or lost. That the division has
made good is shown by the fact that
reduced the issues of new clothing
from 40 to so per cent, thereby effect
ing saving of many hundreds of
thousands of dollars for the govern
ment- But, more than that, it has
achieved an invaluable conservation of
wool, leather, metal. chamical prod
ucts and foodstuffs-all SO badly need
e by the nation just now.
The reclamation division is at once
junk shop, an old clothes repair es-
adjustment, and a wholesale estab-
Itshment- Its business is to pick up
thread here, q button there, ana a
bit of cloth somewhere else and con-
vert them into a thoroly seryiceable
whole. On the side it operates farms.
steam laundries, fertilizer plants and
II
dead animals, and completes with CITY
markets for the trade of commissary
officers.
1t is altogether probable that when
the recruits Of the new draft reach
thelr <cantonments they will be given
uniforms which--tho bearing all the.
earmarks of newness-will have seen
extended service in many places. Per-
haps one pair of breeches will be a
veteran of the Mexican fuss of 1916,
and another will have known the soft
sands of Philippine beaches.
Troops destined for service over
seas are. given completely new equip
ment. What to do with the old cloth
ing was the problem which the gov
eminent placed in the hands of the
reclamation division. A reclamation
company was organized in each of the
camps to take care of the clothing
returned by the company Quartermas-
ter sergeants. Uniforms in reasonably
good condition were sterilized, mended
and pressed and in some cases, almost
Immediately reissued. other uniforms
badly torn, after sterilization were
packed and shipped to the division
factories to be pieced together. Half
a dozen of these factories are located
at Jeffersonville, Englewood, Hobo
ken, New York, Philadelphia and
Fort Sam Houston.
The reclamation of shoes Is another
| important pork. Weekly inspections
| of shoes are 7ered and all footgear
showing si-Es of strenuous wear are
collected for repair. In most cases
| the shoes are returned to their original
wearers, but the shoes turned in by
| troops about to go abroad are being
| repaired and refined, and doubtless
will be reissued.
1t is safe to estimate that year or
this work will have saved for the
government many millions of dollars.
i Oh
sold to jobbers IN lots for trifling
sums. New shoes were issued freely.
Such methods are now manifeStly i'm
possible. With leather at its present
price new shoes are costing the gov
eminent from six to seven dollars
pair.
Hats are another expensive item.
Yhe grade of felt used in the regula-
ton hat has almost doubled in price.
| The reclamation division has offset
this disadvantage considerably by
stitching new crowns to brims still
serviceable and new brims to hats
whose crowns are still good. In the
case of hats so badly worn as to
make this impossible, the felt is put
to other uses.
The scope of the reclamation di-
vision has extended gradually. Good
sized gardens have been planted in
all Of the camps and cultivated by
| detachments from the reclamation
| companies. This affords the soldiers
a supply of fresh vegetables in sum-
mer and of reasonably fresh vegeta-
| bles in winter. The produce Of the
gardens is sold to commissary offic- RS
| at the various camps at 10 per cent
under the ma ket price. The sales are
made by the camp quartermaster, who
returns so per cent to tine treasury and
reserves the rest for the use Of his de-
partment.
Manure is collected and sold by the
reclamation companies to various
contractors. The contracts are made
at so much per animal avoiding
adroitly possible dissatisfaction. The
loading OF the manure at the remount
stations and its transportation is up
to the contractor. Dead animals are
| removed from the stables. corrals and
veterinary hospitals by the reclama-
ton division and sold.
Mess .sergeants have been given
| careful instructions regarding the dis
posal of their garbage. Food refuse
or various sorts are placed in Diff
ferent receptacles. These are col
lected and put to use in many ways.
The bones are ground and sold as
| FERTILIZER, meat garbage is saved and
its oils and fats extracted. The ma
tlonal supply of glycerine, SO essential
TO the manufacture of munitions, is
considerably increased in this way.
Another aspect of the reclamation
10 opportunity 1Or VOca-
tlonai training offered to its members.
AS the personnel of a reclamation
company can be made up only of men
unfit for servioe with line regiments
1t is impossible to get skilled workers
in all of the lines embraced in the &C.
Invites. 1t has therefore become
necessary to train apprentices in the
| various crafts. A great many soldiers
will graduate from the reclamation
companies as perfectly competent tail
ors. hatters, la1nderers, farriers, farm
ers and, possibly, even chemists.
Names in the News
A salient Is a position projecting
5 from the general line occupied by the
main body of troops. Its chief disad-
vantage is that it is open to flank rs
well as frontal attacks. The word il
derived from tie Latin "salire," mean
! ing to leap" or Spring forth