Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-07-17
sPRUcED Up FOR OVERSEAS
Hungry and in-ciad Soldiers Well Fed
and Made splck-and-span for
the Voyage to Battle
Front In Francs.


food. The camp is more than a rest
resort for travellers. When It wal
established less than a year ago in
coming troops were warned that they
must not rely on getting any Of their
overseas outfit here. This is so CON
pletely changed under Major Fawcett's
administration that there Is nothing
an organization can possibly need
which this camp win not supply nearly
as fast as the men al be marched
up to his warehouses to take the sup
plies away.
Major Fawcett has a ten-foot square
office in an implanted shack. He sits
at a little desk with two clerks, n be-
hind him and the other at his side. A
telephone receiver is strapped over his
head all the time. The officers reQuir-
ing supplies for the present and flu
ture who come into this camp make
mistakes, big and little, but not n
Of them has over got anything worse
than an amused or an astonished grin
from the camp quartermaster. at is
easier and quicker to give a man what
you know he wants." the major says,
'than to waste your time. his, and the
governments, by quarreling with him
because he has not put his needs In
proper shape"
Makes II Easy for Them.
Army regulations require particular
printed formulas for acquisitions. pre-
pared with scrupulous attention to
small details. Major Fawcett has
taught his men to accept any scrubbed
memorandum on the back Of an envel-
ope or a bit Of wrapping paper, tell the
applicant for supplies to come back
In half an hour. and, then, when he re-
turns. hand to him a perfectly arranged
form Of requisition, stating all his
needs with military exactness, and at
the same time directing him to a store
house where his supply is already
waiting.
The interior traffic Of the camp has
increased until 100 big motortrucks
are tearing through the streets from
dawn until dark, and half Of them
work far into the night. The more the
camp speeds up the more troops Major
Fawcett invites the war department to
send through the camp. The ideal OF
seeing to 1t that no man crosses the
seas for service with clothing and
equipment which is not new, or as good
as new, has Just about been reached.
Troops are detrained from the interior
In dusty, faded clothing, patched and
pulled out Of shape, and go onto their
ships in an incredibly short time dress
ed up like q show window display.
His n~eutenants in charge of money
disbursements, subsistence. construc-
tion, transportation, and reclamation
are at his door with brand-new com
plications every few minutes. Bewil-
dered supply officers. who have come
to the camp without the slightest idea
of what is expected Of them (and who
would have resigned before coming had
they known) appear at his door look
ing scared; they listen for q few min
utes to the general run Of his tele-
phone conversation, forget their scare.
answer his questions with q prompt
ness and q deflniteness which seem to
surprise the men themselves, and go
out with their heads up. smiling conf
IDENTIFY, and accomplish changes ana
reittings and substitutions such as
they had never dreamed of.
Work Well Divided.
The work under Major Fawcett sub
divided itself naturally 90 that no dis
proportionate burden falls on any one
department, with n exception. For
accounting purposes 1t is absolutely
necessary that n man should have
charge Of what, In quartermaster Ian
guage, is called property" He must
sign every invoice and assume respon-
sibIlity for IL financially. This Job