The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-06-29
ON. AUCTION HERE
Reclamation Division Stages
First Public Sale at Funston.
aptain Robinson Shames the
Regular Auctioneers.
SELLS ARTICLES OF FOOD
Prices Paid Higher Than al
COmmiSsary.
Civilians Main Buyers-More
Care in Addressing Q. M. Mail.


Veteran auctioneers and those OF
the new school who pride themselves
on their ability to realize what they
call the high dollar" were put to
shame at Camp Funston last week by
Capt. C. w. Robinson, head of the
reclamation division of the camp
ouartermaster detachment. On Thurs
day Captain Robinson staged a public
auction Of subsistence stores which he
had reclaimed from abandoned messes
of the camp. The crowd was not
large. but greater in numbers than
the reclamation division had been
led to expect However Captain Rob-
inson, who acted as auctloneer, got
more than the high dollar" for
everything he sold, according to mess
sergeants and others who attended the
sale.
1t was the first public auction held
at Camp Funston. But Captain Robln-
son didn't open the ceremonies Win
any speech about the scarcity or 1000,
the high quality of that handled by
Captain Windles subsistence division,
nor about the need for money In Lieu
tenant Burson's finance division. IN
other words, Captain Robinson dion't
follow the precedent of the old and
new schools of auctioneers: Instead.
one of the privates of his division
opened an ice box and brought out
part of a slab of issue bacon.
How much will you give me aor
asked. IT will send this piece as 1t Is
and not by the pound.
A woman in the audience, employ
ing bargain sale methods, orfereo u
cents Then the bids rose quickly, ana
Anally the piece of bacon was sold:
Tut it was not knocked down" until
Captain Robinson said in a fine voice:
"Once, is $1.75 your last bid? twice,
is s1.75 your last bid? Third and last,
is s175 all you will pay? Sold"
Cans of salmon which are sofa TO
messes of the camp by the camp quar-
termaster commissary at Is cents each
brought 10 cents a can. Flour, which
sells at the commissary at $3.50 per
hundredweight. sold at the auction
for 1910 per hundredweight, even tho
some of it had been moistened acci-
dentally. And sugar, which is quoted
at the commissary at $3.50 per hun
dredweight, brought $50 and more
sack Cheese, tomato sauces baking
powder, spices, favoring extract,
canned tomatoes, soap, vinegar ana
the dozens of other subsistence arti-
Giles offered were also sold in the same
manner at prices higher than those
prevailing at the commissary.
Why" said one mess sergeant, who
had come to buy some bargains, but
who was not knocked down" a thing
by Captain Robinson, Il believe the
commissary at Funston would mako
quarter of a million dollars IL 1t sold
its stock at those prices"
Any new soldier or the parents of
the young men in the army who Won
der how the men are rationed at Camp
Funston at 45.76 cents a day. as in
the past month, would have been en-
lightened by attending the reclama-
was not in as good condition as that
In the warehouses of the subsistence
division, but it sold at much higher
prices than those upon which the cost
of the rations at Funston are based.
Why? Because the government buys
enormous supplies at very low prices
compared with the quotations prevail
ing in the markets patronized by the
civilian population.
Practically everything was sold to
civilians, including the representative
of a wholesale grocery at Manhattan.
The mess sergeants who came to buy
would, of course, have been foolish to
pay higher prices than those quoted
by the subsistence division. Ard if
the mess sergeants found it necessary
to pay the prices Captain Robinson
obtained, the cost OF ratfoning SOL
der at Funston one day would jump
to about 81 instead of remaining
around 1915 cents.
Captain Robinson will soon hold an
other auction. it is rumored. This sale
will be staged under a tent in the re-
clamation yards on the eastern side
of Camp Funston, facing Army City.
where the auction of the past week
was held. Aspiring auctioneers seek
ing pointers will not be refused admis-
sion so long as they do not interfere
with bidders.
Mothers brothers and sweethearts
of the men of the camp quartermaster
detachment should heed carefully bull
ietin No. 20 issued by Lieut.. W. L.
Rucker. executive officer. This bull
letin calls attention to the delay and
difficulty experienced in the distribu-
ton of mail to the men in the various
barracks of the quartermaster detach-
ment. Lieutenant Rucker suggests
the following model for addressing
the men:
John Doe,
Q. NJ. C. Detachment,
Barracks 635,
Camp Funston, Kan.
"All men of the camp quartermaster
detachment" the bulletin concludes,
will comply with the above instruc-
tions and will not have their mall ad-
dressed in care of any warehouse or
aff t1,rt in, Of f,er oh