Norwich bulletin., 1918-03-22
STORIES OF THE WAR
Keeping Fighting Men Supplied.

Keeping Fighting Men Supplied.
 Correspondence of The Associated Press):
 Less spectacular than the continued arrival of American troops and their occupation of a definite front sector, yet in it's way quite as important for their success, has been the steady development of the intricate system of keeping them in all the hundred and one supplies that they must have.
 Public attention of course has been mainly riveted on two things-the ar rival of the troops themselves, and the arrival of their supplies. Pace by pace with tic increasing training camps there has grown up a storage transportation and distribution sys- tenn that not only accurately and efficiently supplies the needs of all our soldiers, but that is continually being enlarged against future needs Nei- ther troops nor supplies can come too fast for it.
 The various functions of the sys- tenn bakery, refTigerating plant, warehouses for clothing, non perish able foods and similar supplies and the main distributing plant-are To- cated for convenience sake in three towns or cities situated respectively
 
 angle, and near enough to the train ing camps and front so that supplies can reach the farthest points in 24 | hours.
 | An kver- increasing force of men 1 is employed in the task of keeping sthe fighting man supplied with all he needss How well they succeed is att tested to by the splendid physical condition of the troops in camp and at the front.
 1 No link in the chain between "a Port in France" and the American front is, perhaps, more interesting than the bakeries. When the troops began to arrive last summer ii was announced that they would be the first soldiers in Europe to receive white bread. Europe read the an nouncement with astonishment tenn pered by envy, though America prob ably thought little of it.
 F'or time the troops, however. had to eat the dark French bread-unti bakeries could be established Then when a few field ovens had been sci up a>short distance behind the camp. Ing trailing line, the men began tc Il get their pure white bread. But the output required for the first arrivals was relatively small, and imposed bu
 
 or on transportation
 Not only has all that changed, btl the task of supplying the American troops with white bread has becon, a genuine industry-whfch is growfng all the time. The few bakers origi nally here have grown into companies the relatively small daily quantity O
 bread turned out in July has in. reased to scores of thousands 0 pounds-to give the exact nurnbe might be a key to the number O troops beAass fed--and entire! ship
 loads of flour are arriving week., ] and are being stored away in ware houses with capacity of millions O pounds, as reserve against the ar
 rival of still more troops. The site originally selected for tn
 baking SndrBtry was obviously Sc
 iected by, those who appreciated tha 1t soon would develop to large pro
 portions The American army frs LOOK possession of a huge baker 5 in central French city, forrnerl; operated by a German. it is interest ing to note, and having a capacit, for storing one million and a hal 1, pounds of flour in addition to a no inconsiderable daily output of brea, from it's coke ovens.
 For the moment this establishment
 was more than ample for the need
 Of the first troops, but those nakfn, the arrangements knew that the tim : would soon come when the cit bakery would be Inadequate. So the ! went outside of the city and lease rom the French tract of land con srstlng of several thousand acres upo which the conventional militar