The sun., 1919-08-22
THOUSANDS BUY
ARMY FO0DHERE
Shelves Swept Clear i'm All
Parts of City as 100000
Cans Are Sold.
TO-DAY'S SUPPLY RUSHED
More Sales DepOts Will Be
0pencd-LOng Lines of
Purchasers Wait Turns.


sergeant yesterday with considerable
success and as a result to-day a large
percentage of the population of this
city Is trying to gain a few laps on
the cost Of living with the aid Of army
rations.
When the fifty-eight chow lines
stretching from as many schoolhouses
in the five boroughs closed down late
yesterday afternoon it was estimated
that upward OF 1000, 900 cans of army
grub had made their way to New York
households and that the sum taken in
by the city's volunteer force of X. P.s
was something in the neighborhood of
$50, 500.
Every place in town where the folks
clamored for those peas that the boys
over there usually referred to as "shrap-
nel." for the eternal army beans. bacon
and other things common to the field
kitchen was completely cleaned out when
the days rush ended and 100 trucks
were busily engaged in stocking up for
to-days continuation of the business
More Markets to Open.
The Rev Jonathan C. Day, Commits
sioner of Public Markets, who has charge
of this work, also made known last night
that he is having many more school
houses fitted out to handle surplus army
foods and that ten of these may be in
operation to-day in addition to those
that were working yesterday. He said
that distribution was the only handicap
that he was up against, for the trucking
of the stun from the army supply houses
in Brooklyn and Port Newark to remote
parts of the city takes considerable time.
Commissioner Day also made known
the fact that he Is hoping for the CO.
operation of the Butchers Associat ton
III placing before the public about 3,o00,-
600 pounds of roasting fowl and 2. .000, 600
pounds Of mutton which are in cold
storage. These cannot be disposed of
through the school houses because Of
lack of refrgerating facilities.
Everything from limousines to infants
per ambulators was pressed into service
yesterday to get the stuff home from the
school houses, and in the lines that
waited at these places children's toy eX-
press wagons and even soap box carts
were not an uncommon sight.
Sop
Policemen who were on hand at all
points of distribution for the purpose Of
preserving order put TO rout several re-
tail grocers. who sought to purchase the
canned stuff with view to reselling 1t
later at good margin of profit. One
such merchant tried to purchase four
cases OF goods at Public School No. Z.
at York and Jay streets. Brooklyn, and
had pretty nearly succeeded when Pa
trClman Thomas J. Reid of the Poplar
street station recognized him and elected
him from the line.
The only serious hitch in the days Oro-
gramme came in certain centres where
Jews predominate. Several thousand
people of this faith discovered after wait
ing for considerable length of time
that the schoolhouses in their districts
had naught to offer them but bacon and
other products forbidden by their re-
liglcn.
Such was the case in many East Side
schools. and much wrangling resulted
but other foods were hurried 10 the scene
as fast as the trucks could operate, and
tho bacon and other forbidden sub
stances were finally sold to Italians.
Women from the Community Councils
and members of the police reserves, who
, superintended the distributiop at many
points, stated they would refund money
for any cans OF goods that might be
found TO have spoiled, and 1t was sug-
Pested that buyers either examine the
cans at the schools or Immediately upon
returning to their homes.
There were a number of touring cars
outside Of Public School No. 1876 at
l4ith street and Amsterdam avenue,
which is In the Washington Heights
district, and these carried away large
quantities of the army chow. In other
parts of the city automobile owners put
their cars at the service of the crowds
and helped many people to cart the sup
plies to their homes.
In crowded tenement districts the dis
tr;butiop went at a slow rate, which was
due to the crowds that stretched for
more than a block from the door of the
buildings in many cases, and to the
shortage of volunteer help at those
places