The Monroe journal., 1919-10-24
An Idea That saved SIS. 900. 900.

from The Literary Digest.)
Eighty-fye millions was saved in
one YEAR By the Qlartermester' De
paItment OF the United States Army
BY baling clothes 10 he sent abroad,
instead OF packing them in boxes.
The clothes were compressed by ma
chinery into as small a bulk as pos
sible. just as cotton is when il is
baled. The saving was in lumber,
nails. and strapping for boxes and
in the release OF shipping-space. a
bale taking up only about one-ifth
the space OF the corresponding box,
Michael Connors. writing in Popular
Science Monthly New York. 0cto-
herl. suggests that this saving OF
money is not restricted TO army ship
ments. and that goods OF many kinds
might be more economically trans
ported in the form of bales. ii man
uiacturers and dealers would only
apply this lesson TO their own bust
ness. Writes Mr.. Commons:
III YOU ale 4 manufacturer or an
exporter OF clothing. il will mean
dollars and cents TO YOU TO learn how
The Quartermaster-G Generals Depart
A.nt shipped uniforms and shoes 10
France in way thu saved the Gov
eminent eighty-fiye million dollars in
a little more than year.
Few OF MS realize how desperate
was our need for ships al a time
when German submarines We're sink
ing six hundred thousand tons a
month. Give us ships. ships, and
more ships. was the demand OF those
who had TO equip and feed our Army
IA France.
In the autumn and winter of 1917
1918 il became apparent that If the
war was 10 last very much longer
there would not be shipping space
enough TO carry the equipment and
supplies required by the forces that
we intended TO send overseas. Now
methods of shipping equipment had
TO be invented and the man who in
vented them was Major David I.
Abercrombie. foNew York.
Clothing is usually shipped In
Coden packing cases. But during
the war wood became scarce, Major
Abercromble estimated that 12,162,-
500 feet of board timber. 2425 tons
OF nails. and 40i tons of strappng
would be needed. The lumber re-
quired would have denuded 1852
acres of timber land-lumher that
could not be grown again for thirty
years.
I'VE won't use packins-cases,
decided Major Abercombie.
But what will they do?' they
asked him.
Bale everything was the an
swer.
And that is how it came about
hat the Government saved eighty
i've millions dollars.
Major Abercrombie experimental
and found that clothing could be
squeezed so that. roughly. twenty Gu
bic of material could be made TO oc-
PUPPY four cubic feet of space. Con-
slider that ship tonnage is charged for
On cubic feet basis. and that during
he war the rate was eight dollars per
cubic foot, and YOU can see at once
hat By COMPRISING twenty cubic feet
D lOul ChDit Itti Il SdN lux bl lllltl.-
;iA dollars was at once effected. Then
that during the war l,S7l,-
900 bales were shipped, that the net
say ing on each bale ranged from nifty
10 sixty dollars. and you can see that
the Government saved eighty-hve
million dollars. Major Abercrombie's
project also released $4,000 cubic |
feet of shipping space,
Major Abercrombie discover that
proper baling depends on the proper
folding of a uniform. Baling should |
crease a uniform along the right
ines.
ITO carry out Major Abercrombie's /
process. the garment is carefully /
'olded 10 form. A given number
IF folded garments are then packed /
n a brick container, corded together I
10 that the bricks cannot fall apart.
The folded uniforms in their brick
are then placed in power
,aler.
Waterproof paper is used as lin
ng for each bale"