The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1941-06-24

army contractors got smart. The
cost of the army ration Was cut
10 thirteen cents = day. and out
OF that came the embalmed beef
scandal. Ptomaine poisoning and
other digestive disorders took
about IS heavy = toll as the
hattie field. The quartermaster
deals Of that period still smell.
With the dry bones OF the
Spanish war food scandals still
rafting in administration closets.
the more than four million men
Of the first world war army got
a better deal as far as the al
lowance for the ration was con-
cerned. The cost fluctuated
from 81 to as cents a day for
each man. That they did not al
ways get II was due to poor
management and lack OF facili-
ties for distribution.
Veterans Of the American Ex-
peditionary Force are still won
dering what happened to all the
sugar and flour that was saved
for the army by putting civilians
on a reduced ration. And don't
say spaghetti" to those menu
bers of the Coast Artillery units
who came home from France on
an Italian ship. On board nearly
three weeks and ate spaghetti
three times a day.
But the army ration up to
1941 is water that has passed
over the wheel, and what mat
tiers is the ration for the four
million men Of the new army.
It's going to be the best fed
army in the world. or should be.
the way things figure out. In
the first place the ration allow
ance for each man per day is As
cents. For the 10000 men. the
estimated number to be at Camp
Murray. Fort Lewis and Nc
Chord field. that figures up to a
food bill of $4,000 a day. For
the entire army is figures up to
about $4,000 day. Thinking of
that will help answer the ques-
ton Of what is going to happen
to your war tax money.
Each man In the army will be
provided with about five pounds
of food per day. 1t includes meat,
mostly beef; bacon, fresh and
canned vegetables, bread, cereal,
fresh and canned fruit, sugar,
butter. For beverages there are
generous portions Of fruit juices,
tea, coffee and milk.
Not only will we have the best
fed army in the world as far as
quantity is concerned but the
ration has been figured scientific
cally to give the men the right
proportion of the foods that sat-
isfy the appetite and keep them
in the best physical condition.
In making the ration the army
officials were advised by Edith
Barber, head of the American
Dietetic association and one of
the dollar : a year specialists.
Thirty specialists watch the
market centers of the world and
advise quartermaster corps on
purchases. Its about the tight
est set-up Of the kind in the
world.
Menus are figured out days in
advance. Good cooks and the
finest equipment-includine mo-
bile kitchen units to prepare the
food on the march and in the
field.
On top Of all this. glory be.
the drudgery of kitchen police
as the veterans of 1918 and
the Spanish war remember IL.
has about been eliminated. Pota-
to peeiing in most OF the can
tonments being done by . ma
chine which prepares a sack of
potatoes In about five minutes.
The boys who are IN the army
now for what begins to look like
an indefinitely long stretch may
never be rich but they will eat
well; and If an army travels on
its stomach, the U. S. A. 1871
model should be able TO 60 a long
way.