Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1919-02-07

! throughout the United States. The
| few following items will serve to sug-
gest the thousands of other supply
items. and include only supplies in
this country:
100000 cans of tomatoes.
100000 cans of corn.
100000 cans of pork and beans
26,O00,O00 yards of duck.
100000 cotton coats.
100000 wooden coats.
100000 leggings.
100000 pair OF shoes.
100000 miscellaneous hats
100000 pair OF mittens.
100000 bed sacks.
36,0O0,000 pair of summer and
winter underwear.
100000 pair of summer under
shirts.
$4,000 automobile trucks.
100000 pounds of horseshoes.
100000 toothbrushes.
100000 shovels.
The intention of the War Depart
ment contemplates an army of 2,000,-
900 men until July l, 1919, and 500.
600 thereafter. After setting aside
supplies necessary for the number
named, there remains a vast store of
goods" all of which would deteri-
crate in time; much of which would
in few months or years become
worthless. To salvage this property
was the question confronting the
War Department. To answer 1t 1.
surplus stock board was created. This
board has, with remarkable rapidly,
worked out selling plan which will
DO ready to become operative soon
after the inventory of the 1900 sup
ply depots is concluded, or about
January Is, 1919.
Were these stocks comparatively
small they might be Immediately
closed out to the highest bidders, at
price far below their cost to the
government, to be retailed through
out the country at about one-half the
cost of production. and 40 special
disturbance result. This method
while the easiest and quickest, if ap-
piled to supplies running into bill
lions, would result in chaotic condi-
tions to the manufacturer, and like
wise to the rate of wages paid en-
ployes. The condition may be fairly
compared to an abnormal accumul2-
ton of snow lasting late into spring.
II it can spread it's melting over days,
little or no damage need result: but
if it goes off in a rapid thaw of few
hours, floods and foundations are
bound to occur.
The surplus stock boards intends
to prevent the flood by controlling
the melting process. To accomplish
this, the board has requested the
various industries interested each to
select from its number few men OF
largest experience and ability, to con
fer with the board. 1t is planned to
follow so far as possible the recon-
mendations of these committees as to
the amount of goods which the coun-
try can absorb from time to time
without breaking the market" The
committee on shoes, for instance,
will name date on which two or
three million pairs of shoes can be
released. Then some more at a later
date, and so on until exhausted. 1t
might seem that under this plan the
shoe committee by soldering on its
| job would never reach date which
the shoe factories really thought was
a convenient time; but the supply
board, if neglected too long, always
has the alternative to offer all its
| shoes at one time and at a price
which would sell the governments
shoes. No one anticipates any such
contingency; quite the contrary. for
the manufacturing committees which
have already had their hearing have
pledged their hearty. patriotic sup
port
Take, for instance, the sulDbnr in
terests. The government finds itself
in possession of 60, 900 tons of sul-
phur-some sulphur-whieh II ha.
now no use for The sulphur trade
has solved its problem by Offering to
sell one ton of the governments sui
phur for every ton it sells of its own
IN this way the market is not dis
'uroed at all; production drops back
10 ABOUT peace-time basis; and the
price received results in a eompara-
lively small loss to the government
Even in the case of partly worn ar
ticles' the industry which manufac-
lures that line is naturally Interested