The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1918-05-31
fielding THE NATIONS ARMY
TASK OF GIGANTIC PROPORTIONS
ea'n Morning 1000 Cattle Must Be sauubtarsd . c,..
"aSn o. Fresh Beef-7Ooo Cars Required 10 Transno,
"O''''S Suppy-EVery Ounce Must Be inspected
Before Is Sent to the Men.

the subsistence division of the quarter !
master corps to feed the United States /
army, furnishing three square meals |
daily to every one of the nearly 1000 !
OOO men, whether In France, In train |
Ing camps in Ihis country, in the Philip |
pines, Hawaii or the Panama Canal
Zone.
Despite the enormous expansion Of
the American army during the past
year, nothing has developed to mar the
American soldiers reputation Of being
the best-fed so!,iler in the world.
Maj. Gen. George W. Cocktails, act
Ing quartermaster general, as head of
the quartermaster corps, is responsible
for the feeding of the army. The i'm
mediate responsibility, as stated above,
rests with the subsistence division,
which is presided over by Col. w. R.
Grove.
The food supply of the army takes
en- proportions so gigantic that figures
fail to give more than a hazy idea Of
Its immensely. For example, 1000
cattle must be slaughtered every morn
ing to give the soldier his daily ration
of fresh beef.
Nearly 1000 freight and refrigerator
cars are required to bring tire food for
the present months supply into the
camps and environments on this side Of
the Atlantic.
The soldiers food must Re all right
at all times-and must be there at the
| appointed hour. The American fight
ing man in France may wait a week or
month for new hat or any other ar
| ticle of equipment if he can make the
| old one serve, but he cannot wait q
| day or an unnecessary hour for his
| dinner if he is TO be the gingery, up
and-at-'em, 100 per cent efficient sol
| der.
Problem Long Ago Worked Out.
The provision of food in such guam,
titles and with such promptness is not
a feat that can be accomplished by sud
den inspiration. 1t could be only the
result of much thought and study. The
army authorities gave the subsistence
| problem the requisite amount Of
thought and study long before th'
darker war clouds began to gather OF
the American horizon. At no time has
there been serious criticism of tn,
subsistence end of the quartermaster'
department
Under Colonel Grove, or associates
with him in the co-ordinated efforts o
other branches of the quartermaste
corps, are many well-known officers
some of them veterans of the army anC
some fresh from civil life, but all ex
perts in commlssary service.
Back in 1898, when distinguished
gentlemen on the floor of congress
were apprehending that the American
soldier was being pampered with
diet too elaborate, the ration for tn
army consisted of one and a quartz
pounds of beef, eighteen ounces o
bread and flour, two-thirds of an ounc
of salt and one-third of a gill of vine
gar. That was all, but it enabled tn
American soldier to dine far more eN
tensively than did any of his fOreig
brothers in arms. Today the ration in
cludes II food articles, each capable o
extensive variation by substitution
The soldier eats them in Gargantua
quantities. Here are some of the thing
which Colonel Grove and his organiza
ton must provide each day in tn
year: