The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-09-28
ARMY DECLARATIONS
Great Economies Effected Through Remaking of
 Soldiers Outfits.

The conservation and reclamation division of the Quartermaster Corps believes firmly in practicing what it breaches. Figures for June show that minimizing waste in the clothing and equipment of soldiers in camps and cantonments In the United States is resulting in tremendous saving. Hugh Frayne, a member of the War Indus tries Board, is authority for the state iment that during June and July IT, 900 soldiers were completely outitted with shoes, hats, and clothing from material which other soldiers had dis carded, although to the casual ob- server the equipment would easily be mistaken for new.
 Garments no longer in wearable condition are not thrown In the dis card, but after cleaning are made to do service, in whole or part. First the articles are thoroughly disinfected and cleaned. Those that can be re- paired are given needed attention; if this Is not practicable, portions of the articles are used for repairing other garments. What cannot be used in patching become rags; the rags are graded and sold. Shirts, sweaters, 1egings, brooches, hats, overcoats, coats, blankets cots, and tents, all come in for salvage treatment Dur ing June 55,240 flannel shirts were re- paired and, through repairs, were rem dered almost as serviceable as new garments; despite this work, on July l, 135,004 more shirts were on hand awaiting similar attention. In un- dergarments the number was even greater. Many of the socks may be alarmed, and at the end of June there were 218,494 pairs awaiting the needle.
 Hats and hat cords are most suc- cessfully renovated; at an average ex- ,pense of but 30 or 35 cents hat cost ing practically s2 is put into condi' ton for months of wear. In Jun' 284,111 pairs of shoes were repaired and at the close of the month 469,O7; pairs were still on hand to be cared for.
 The articles reclaimed are returned as far as possible, to the origina wearer; otherwise they go to the fnel in training, for it is the plan of thu Quartermaster Department to outfi the soldiers going into foreign ser vice with new articles. The salvagint of garments is carried on overseas a stations near the front.
 But the work of saving does not en, with articles of clothing. Everythin possible is looked after to prevent loss In June, what is technically known a waste to the amount of 4,837, ,46 pounds was collected in camps an cantonments. This included old meta rubber, cotton and woolen rags rop' paper bags, leather, burlap, glasi lumber, horse and mule hair, bone! barrels, boxes, bottles, and many othe miscellaneous items. All this is care fully sorted and what is not of imme diate service in the camps or for cam purposes is sold.
 There is probably no branch ( work of the British army in Franc more efficiently managed than that ( salvage. Motor wagons, or lorrie bearing the legend Waste Not, War Not" Gather Up the Nails" ( something equally suggestive, al everywhere to be seen, carrying the message of economy to all. Through out the war zone are enormous dunn where all sorts of things salvage from the battlefield are sorted ar stored for further use.
 This lesson~of the war zone
 reaching home. Not long since thel was formed in London the Nation Waste Products of Great Britain, company organized not for profit b1 to encourage thrift and prevent was of all kinds. In this country the N; tional Salvage Committee of Il American Civic Federation, is unde taking work along similar lines.