The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1919-05-20


the 3,000-mile line of communication
was the principal obstacle to be ov-
come. This and necessity for conserv-
Ing cargo space led directly in the
later months to the shipment of dehy-
drafted vegetables to the American
ExpeditiOnary Force.
"The problems were solved only by
the assistance of the American food
industry" the report says, and while
instances were found of food speci-
ficatiOns being violated these are de-
clared to have been very few and in
most instances not intentional.
The emergency ration of the Ameri-
can soldier, designed to be used only
in cases of extremity. was perfected
during the war to consist of 3 cakes
of beef. prepared with bread.com-
pound of ground cooked wheat, each
cake weighing 3 ounces; three LOUNGE
cakes of chocolate; three.fourth Ounc-
es fine salt and dram black pepper
special ration was designed for
the use of invalid soldiers, including
potted chicken, dried eggs, puddings,
etc.
Importance attached to the supply of
fresh coffee for the men Is evidenced
by the decision to ship the bean in
the green form and have it roasted
near the front. This led to the inven-
tion Of portable roasters capable of
handling several tons a day.
Noting that tobacco has establish
ed It's claim to recognized place in
the soldiers life," the report says pro-
badly 90 percent. of the American Ex.
peditionary force used the weed in
one form or another, Monthly ship
ments averaged 2O,O0D,O0O cigars ana
425,000,000 cigarettes.
The soldiers sweet tooth was salts.
fed by monthly shipment of 3OO,-
900 pounds OF candy during the early
part of the war but this increased, in
November, 1918, to l,373,300 pounds,
and in the following month the War
Department made candy part of the
regulation issue, ~ pounds being Is.
sued to each man every month. A
close companion in popularity was
chewing gum, more than 100000
packages month being consumed.
More than half of the Fifth Liberty
Loan would be required to pay for the
clothing and uniform equipment of the
American army. One chapter of the
report gives short history of the
event is which led the government fin
ally to take over the domestic wool
clip and to commander the output
OF practically every factory,
Interesting statistics are given of
economies effected by changes in de-
sign. For instance elimination of lac.
ings and cycles in trousers saved SIT.
100000 and redesigning of the coat cut
the cost of these garments $5,000,0O0.
Expert cutting reduced the consump.
'ioH VI Sioth So-luu VI u yuTu anu SHNtu
1890, 900 yards on the total order. Cot
ton textiles produced for the army
would furnish strip feet wide and
OF sufficient length to wrap Is layers
around the equator
Innovations resulting from short
age In material included the substi-
tuition OF American dyes for the Ger.
man product and the use of vegeta-
BILE ivory" In button making.
The activities of the quartermaster
corps afterwards taken over largely
by the Bureau of Purchase, Storage
and SupplyD included also the furnish.
Ing OF hats. shoes, boots, fuel, oil,
paints, tools! harness\ and harness
equipment and even music. Promi.
nent composers volunteered for the
work OF selecting balanced ration"
OF jazz and more restrained orchestra