Evening star., 1923-06-20

to cut the cost of food one-half sine
the armistice, what reduction has tn
individual civilian enjoyed? Certain
| ~ the cost of food has not gone down
| appreciably, outside the Army, ey-
pecially in Washington.
X
An officer in the Quartermaster
| Corps informs the writer that the
Army sells its most excellent bread
to officers Cor enlisted men. if the
latter want any al 3 cents a nound
loaf, and he adds: And the Army does
not sell from charity standpoint That
is all 1t costs to produce H. plus 10 per
cent for handling" Yet the same office
reported that the bakery near his home
| charged 10 cents loaf
x
The Army is not paying its bakers
| union wages. but regular pay OF the
| army"-sfs a day. Neither does the
Army have oyerhead expenses-rents
! taxes and interest and wear and tear
on machinery-to compute.
! But eliminating all labor cost and
! the 10 per cent which the Army adds
loaf of bread appears to he about
2 /? cents for the ingredients. To
that add union wages amounting To
about % per cent. or half cent 4
overhead. appears TO be about 3
! cents for what now retails at from
/ 9 TO 10 cents. one large firm is sell
| ing high-quality bread at retail for
must come between the Scent cost
J of ingredients with union labor. and
! the retail price of cents. Perhaps
| the profit OF some is of the velvet
kind" suggests the officer.
! The officer explains that there IS
| less response in Washington TO the
! fluctuations Of prices elsewhere thar
! in other cities, because most buyer
! in Washington are neither very poor
nor very rich but are living on gov
ernment salaries, which do not huc-
tuate. Therefore the market charges
| such buyers "all the traffic will bear.
J and as their own salaries run along
| evenly they do not know that market
! prices hurt" This explanation comes
/ from an officer very close to the
prices paid in the subsistence depart
ment of the Quartermaster Corps H
| knows.
| 1t has been stated by experts that
it costs more to feed a child properly
than to feed an active working man.
| not because the child eats more. but
because a childs proper food should
| include milk rather than the heating
! ingredients of an adults ration.
] Dietitians have much TO teach the
average mother in demonstrating that
! the child cannot thrive on the same
diet as suits the grOwnup.
Washington parents of children In
school have been receiving cards from
the teachers from time to time during
1.-THE last year. The cards tell their
tfo Ia rft lf,,p L,
physical condition of the undernour-
ished child who has been receiving
milk, and sometimes crackers. from
the school. 'White-all right" Blue
The feeding has been done under
supervision of the chief medical
officer. Dr. Joseph Murphy. and n"
less than 1854 children Of the elr-
mentary schools have protited by II.
| There has been a great revival Of
interest in the prehistoric man within
the last few years. Probably the
America is DIR. Ales -Hrdiicka of the
Smithsonian Institution. DR. Hrd-
licka is planning TO head a travelling
school of explorers in anthropology-
all graduate students-on a tour Of
this this sun sumner. M This is known as the the
American School of Prehistoric
Studies in Europe, established by
several universities acting in mu-
/ tual cooperation with the American
lAnthropological Society.
| - 4
1t is not clear to the practical lay
man-perhaps not even to the in
ventor of the electric light and other
modern instruments of civilization
just what good it is to become ac-
quainted with the seciai-ideals of Mr..
Pithecanthrepus Erectas, but some-
how. 1t appeals to ones imagination
He lived In Java In the early days Of
the Plefstocene eFa--before MIR.
| Bryan ran the first time. He was lost
| for several years, but was rentro
duced into good society by one Du-
bois, In 1894. Some say he was pre-
human ape man--the oldest inhabi-
tant." He could give pointers to the
weather bureau about the changing
| climate. Ice was cheaper then than
| II is now. Possibly Mr.. Hrdicka
Twill invite Mr.. Pith to come to Wash.
ington. IL immigration laws permit.
and explain the high cost of ice:
- tceeyf.shs, asas, by F.EK. Collins. J. cz--