The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-06-12
CENTS
!. DAILY T0FEED
DOUGHBOY
Lower Figure Than Pre-War
Days Is Result Of Economy
In Buying Food.
BY GEORGE e. DURNO,
international News Service.

-
Three good, square meals. week
in and week out, at a total cost Of
q cents a day-that is the fare OF
the doughboys in Uncle Sans army.
While the American housewife
has been struggling .tearfully to.
make her weekly budget produce
an adequate breakfast, dinner and
supper, the Quartermaster Corps
has succeeded in bringing the army
ration allowance down to q figure
actually lower than pre-war days,
1t was learned today.
While the housewife has been
paying from 40 to 100 per cent for
her meats. bread and vegetables
than she did in 1913, the army IL
able to set a whole days table for
only exactly 3.6 cents more than
was the cost in 1913.
The 1929 ration allowance just
perfected is the lowest in eight
years. Cost per ration OF feeding
cents, is as follows: 1918, 23.4: 1914,
"a: 1915, 25; 1915, 2S; 1917, SO; 1918,
1872; 1919, 49.S; 1920. Sd; 1921, ~;
1922, 32.s, and 1928. 81.
In addition to making the inner.
ent thrift Of the American house.
wife appear futile, the United
States ration allowance compares
most favorably with that Of other
nations. Taking into consideration
the fluctuation and instability Of
foreign currency and exchange, O
fair estimate of the cost of feeding
each man in the Allied armies il a4
follows: ITALY, so cents; Great
Brita IS cents: France, SO cents.
and Japan, with its rice diet, from
90 to Al cents, dependent upon the
location of the troops.
The Quartermaster Corps IL able
to feed the doughboys at 8 cents
meal for three reasons: It buys
only at the height OF the season, II
buys only where the production Is
greatest, and 1t discounts all bills.
The last reason, perhaps, is one Of
the most important, because. In
addition to getting the usual dis
count for cash, the unusual
spectacle Of a Federal agency
settling its bills within ten days
after the first of the month 50 un-
nerves the seller that he gives an
additional discount.
While % cents wouldn't buy the
average = Mr.. Citizen mucn more
than two sandwiches and q
cup of coffee, the soldier gets his
in courses, almost literally from
sample of the daily army.camp
menu, picked at random:
Breakfast: Corn flakes and milk,
stewed potatoes, fried bologna, bur.
tered toast or bread, and coffee.
Dinner: Roast beef and sage
dressing, boiled potatoes, brown
gravy, creamed carrots, bread, cof-
fee, and bread pudding with lemon
sauce.
Supper: Beef stew with veg
etables, fried potatoes. bread, COT.
fee. and stewed peaches.
No menu is repeated within
week, and. unlike clearinghouse
style, the menu doesn't even rotate
on a weekly basis.
Figured out by experts on cal
bogies of the present-day, enlight-
ened world, the soldier fare Is caleu
lated to include 20 ounces of fresh
beef, Is ounces of flour, .08 ounce
OF baking powder, "a ounces Of
beans, 20 ounces Of potatoes, 1.23
ounces Of prunes, 1.12 ounces OF
coffee, 3.2 ounces of sugar, 0.6
ounce of milk, 0.64 ounce Of salt,
0.04 ounce Of pepper, 0.014 ounce
Of cannarnon, 0.64 ounce of la:ri,
0.5 ounce of butter, 0.014 ounce of
flavoring extract, 0.64 gill. Of
vinegar, and 0.32 gill of syrup.
Each Of the foregoing COM
modities are merely basic. The
table does not mean that the soldier
gets the same day in and day out.
There are substitutes for every
item. Mutton. bacon, fish and nash
alternate with the beef. Any fresh
vegetable is privileged to supplant
the potatee. The time-honored and
historic prune battles against jam
and dried apples and peaches on
the menu card, and so on down the
list.