Evening star., 1925-08-20
D. c. GUARDSMEN
FORAGE FOR ''EATS"
Hunger Drives Training Camp
Men to Raid Fields.
Rations Still Short.
BY WILLIAM j. WHEATLEY,
Staff Cnrrnsnnndent OF Tho Star


staff Correspondent OF The Star.
VIRGINIA BEACH, August 90
Failure to take at its face value
Napoleon's statement that an army
travels on its stomach, resulting in
sending the District Guardemen into
the field on short rationS, coupled with,
exorbitant prices paid for food on con-
tracts made by the Virginia National
Guard, is causing general complaint
from the officers and men on the camp
here. Hungry troops appetites,
whetted by heavy marching and mule
hauling the pOnderouS engineering
equipment in the field, returning to
their messes to find them insufficient
to fill their gaping stomachs, has sent
them on fOraging expeditions in the
nearby fields for food.
Some of the officers. complaining
that they cannot get the food they
order, even though their men are will
ing to pay more, admit that they have
made no efforts TO prevent foraging.
They contend they are powerless to
prevent their short-rationed troops
from making the expeditions, which
have netted them enough to at least
take away the hungry feeling.
Alibis Abundant
Investigations developed a series of
elibis from the company commanders
and their subordinates on the one
hand and the supply department, un-
der Capt. T.. II. Grove, on the other.
Mess SergeantS, on whom fall the
duty of preparing the messes and find
ing the supplies, talk freely of the
shortage and the high prices, but Col.
John w. Oehmann, commanding the
camp, when apprised of the complaint
by The Stars correspondent. called
conference of the company command
ers and mess sergeants at regimental
headquarters early today. But none
of them attempted to tell him of the
conditions as they found them and as
reported 10 newSpa perS. Company
commanders were instructed to sub
NIT their menus and request for sup
plies several weeks before camp. Some
of them did, but the regimental supply
officer said they didn't, and when they
reported aboard the transport en- route
10 camp they We're handed stock
menus by the QuartermaSter and told
that they would have to draw on the
basis of these. They We're not given
price lists and could not figure their
rations, they say, on the allowance of
30 cents a day per man.
Refused Fresh Vegetables.
Capt William f Jorgensen. COM
manding Company c. 121st Engineers,
said that repeated efforts to get fresh
vegetables for the men have failed
and in some cases he was told that he
could not draw them because they
would make the men sick. In one in
stance the stock menu called for
grape juice as the drink for one night,
but when they attempted to draw
this, they were told that the price
was prohibitive. Capt. Jorgensen said
that in compliance with the order
from headquarters he made up his
bills of fare for half of the camp
period, but these were rejected. But
they have found that the men cannot
live on the allowance made and are
even willing TO go in their pockets for
the necessary increase. He said fur
ther that when requests were made
for supplies which would bring the
rations up to 50 cents per man, he
was told that he couldn't draw from
the commlSSary because IL exceeded
the allowance. Capt. Jorgensen said
these conditions prevailed in other
commands as he had been told by
officers.
The reason for the excess cost
comes back, it was pointed out, to the
method of making contracts for sup
plies for this camp, on the theory that
large supply contracts would net
to make contracts for supplies for the
troops of that State, Maryland and
the District of Columbia. 1t has not
worked out in practice. The National
Guard of the District of Columbia did
not ask for competitive Di:s in Wash
ington in order TO compare prices.
Contract Prices High.
That the contract prices in the
Virginia arrangement are exceedingly
high is evidenced by some of the eX-
periences Of the mess sergeants. In
one case, the mess sergeant of a
company ordered cantaloupes for his
mess. paying S. for them. Under the
commiSsary contract, the next day he
bought the same number of canta-
loupes and a buShel of tomatoes, pay
ing only SO for the entire lot Bread
is costing twice as much as is paid
for it in the CommisSary in Washing
ton, selling for more to the troops
here than some of the chain stores
sell it for in Washington over the
counter in single loaVeS. Coffee, of
poor grade, is costing cents more
a pound. Bacon is higher in price,
and other articles proportionately
Regimental officers have been draw
ing their supplies from the company
messeS in lettered order and MANY
times at each meal they have been on
short, poorly balanced rations, but no
investigation was made until the re-
suits of The Stars investigation was
presented to headquarters. The
quartermaSter complains that the
mess sergeants do not order their
food until the day they want it. but
on the other hand the mess men cite
concrete examples of where they have
ordered products two days in advance
and have not yet been supplied. In
the meantime the troops are insisting
that they get food thence the forag-
ing expedition.
Meat Ration Short.
There are innumerable instances of
companies calling for food from the
supply department and having their
articles checked off as not available
Quick changes in the menu leave the
troops with a hurriedly prepared meal
of canned goods. There is a general
complaint of the shortage of the
meat ration as we'll as the fresh
vegetable ration and this is a truck
farming area.
Col. Oehmann, however, has direct
ed the company commanders and
mess sergeants to make every effort
20 correct the condition and it is
the hope that the conditions will
Immediately show material improve
ment but the officers report that
unless they are able to get the sup
plies when they want them they are
powerless. They have reached the
point where they cannot figure
whether they are above or below the
allowance, because they. cannot figure
the unit costs of food as complete
price lists have not been furnished
them.
Heavy field engineering work took
up the time of the troops in the