The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-05-17
ARMY SUBSISTENCE
REPORT SHOW BOYS
\ GAINED IN WEIGHT

each, the average American soldier III
the end of the fighting in 1918 weighed
twelve pounds more than he did when
the selective service act or his OWL
volltion brought him into the army
Thus the success won by the army's
subsistence branch in the great wal
Is epitomlzed in chapters OF the official
war material" history made public
today by the war department.
The food problem of an army OF j..
200 900 Americans Is visualiZed in the
history by considering the force rs n
single man and the entire war period
as one dinner hour. Articles comprised
in the army ration assumed these tre-
mendous totals:
Roast beef 500 600 000 pounds; bacon
150,0OO,0O0 pounds; flour( bread l,00O,'
100000 pounds; butter 1850, 900; oleo'
margarine II 900, 900; baked beans,
l50,OOO0O0 pounds; potatoes 4S7 900, 900
pounds; onions 40,00O,O00 pounds; corn
beans and peas l50,000,000 cans; toma-
toes 100, 600, 900 cans; prunes. peaches
and apples Qor deserU 107 ,000, 900 cans:
sugar $50, 900, 600 pounds; coffee $4,000.
600 pounds; evaporated milk 200, 900, 900
cans.
The bill for this meal" amounted to
s7270O0, 600 to December l. 1913, the
per capita cost having risen from i
cents in 1897 to AS in 1918.
At the time of the aimistce. Ameri
can soldiers in France were consuming
!. 100000 pounds of food daily. Nov
!ng this stupendcus quantity over the
S,OOO.mllc line of communication was
II.
This and necessity for conserving car
go space led directly in the later months
to the shipment Of dehydrateG vcgeta-
bles TO the American eXpeditionary
forces.
The problems were solved only by
the assistance of the American food
industry" the report says. and while
instances We're found of food spccifi-
cations being violated, these declared
to have been very few and in NEST in
stances not intentional.
Soldiers Emergency Ration
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 a brand-com-
DOuUli vi SiOuilu NOchtu NItdA, NtiNi
cake weighing 3 ounces; three 1.ounce
cakes of chocolate; three-fourth ounces
fine salt and l dram black pepper
a 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 invention
of portable roasters capable Of handling
several tons a day.
Noting that tobacco had established
its claim to a recognized place in the
soldiers life," the report says prob
ably 80 percent of the American eX
peditionary force used the weed, in
,.one form or another. Monthly ship
lments averaged 10000 900 cigars and
425, ,0000 900 cigarettes.
The soldiers sweet tooth was salts
fled by monthly shipment of 500, 600 |
pounds of candy during the early part |
of the war but this increased, in No |
vember, 191S,- to 1880 pounds, and |
in the following month the War Depart
ment made candy a part of the regula- |
ton ISSUE l 1-2 pounds being issued .
to each man every month. a close com
panion in popularity was chewing gum,
more than 100000 packages a month
being consumed.
More than half of the Fifth Liberty
loan would be required to pay for the
clothing and uniform equipage of the
American army. One chapter of the
report gives a short history of the
events which led the government final
and to commander the output of prac.
tically every factory.
Interesting statictics are given of
economics effected by change in de-
sign. For instance elimination of lac
ings and eyelets in trousers saved $751;
O00, 600 and redesigning of the coat cut
the cost of these garments $1,000, 600
Expert cutting reduced the consump-
ton of cloth 23-1O0 of a yard and saved
1900 900 yards on the total order. Cot
ton textiles produced for the army
would furnish a strip feet wide and
Of sufficient length to wrap IS layers
around the equator.
Innovations resulting from shortages
I'm material included the substitution
of American dyes for the German pro
duct and the use of vegetable ivory"
ii button making.
The activities of the quartermaster
corps afterwards taken over largely
by the bureau of purchase, storage
md supply, included also the furnish ,
ing of hats. boots, shoes, fuel, OIL +,
paints, tools, harness and harness =,
equipment and even music. Prominent =
volunteered for the work of
selecting a balanced ration" of jazz :
md more restrained orchestrations for :
he army bands.
To give the American aviator the
surest fuel possible, the department :
ook every drop of "257 degree fighting @
laptha" and confined its use to the :
service planes actually on the front.
Conservation of shipping space re-
ulted in the revolutionizing of pack :,
ng methods. Clothing was compressed -
nto bales, shoes shipped in bags and a
rucks We're dissembled and Grated. The
Sew York Baling Plant according to :,
he report, saved the government S55,-
a. Ia,