Evening star., 1945-05-31
Commissaries'
MeatSupp|yLaid
To Distribution
Army Spokesman Says
Many Families Still
Do Not Hold Cards

The five Army commissaries in the
Washington area have meat for sale
at times when civilian butcher blocks
are bare because the Army has "a
more effective distribution system, n
spokesman for the Military Dis
trlct OF Washington said today.
The statement was made at q
press conference called at the Penta-
gon to clarity" commissary opera
tlons after recent criticism.
Denying the Army had more than
Its fair share of meat under Govern
ment allocations the officer said
Army requirements for the year
stood at "A per cent of the 12OO0,-
O00,000-pound estimated potential
supply for the Nation.
IA Per Cent to Army.
only IA per cent of this repre-
sents requirements for the Army
itself" he said, adding that the re-
naming 10 per cent went to feed
Navy men assigned to Army messes
overseas, prisoners of war, Allied
troops with United States forces and
SA'AAAoAi SlilplOyCS OFGISedS.
Taking up criticism that all serv-
Ice personnel and their dependents
do not hold cards permitting them
TO make purchases at the commits
sarles, the officer explained that
about $500 families at present do
not have cards but that they will
be issued when applications are
made.
Approximately $1,000 duty per-
sonnel not assigned to posts. camps
and stations are stationed in the
military district, he said. and
about $4,000 now hold commissary
cards. About 800 dependents of
men stationed here who later went
overseas also are entitled to use
con1missaries, he said.
Duty Personnel Eligible.
The spokesman explained that
only duty personnel who are sta
toned in Washington are entitled
TO apply for commissary cards.
He said that some criticism had
come from the families of men who
had entered the service from Wash
lngton and who, under the rules.
would not be entitled to buy.
Explaining that 100000 TO 100000
residents left this area to enter the
services, he said. the Army can't
be expected to feed dependents of
all those persons" Therefore. he
added, the field had to be narrowed
down to duty personnel stationed
here and to dependents of men sta
toned here before going overseas.
The Army spokesman also said
that while "a few hundred" Navy
and Marine Corps men at present
have cards. they are persons who
held them before the war. At pres
ent the Navy has no commissary
system for this area,
Army Studying Situation.
AS for extending the commissary
privilege to naval personnel. the
officer said the military district is
waiting to see whether the Army
people can be taken care of first"
The new commissary at the Quar-
termaster Depot at Cameron, Va,
was established in an effort to meet |
District area requirements, he said. |
At present the commissaries at
the Army Medical Center and the
Army War College have reached
capacity, he explained.
Gard Holders Tabulated.
A trough approximation" of the |
number of card holders at each of
the commissaries was given by the
spokesman as follows: Army Medi-
cal Center, 1880 Fort Myer, 5000; |
Cameron Quartermaster Depot,
3.450; Army War College, 1000: |
Boiling Field, 1900.
The spokesman pointed out that
all card holders making meat pur-
chases must surrender red points |
like civilians. Under the inventory
setup, the stores are allowed to pur-
chase pound and a half of meat
per person served by the commissary,
but, he added, this amount cannot
always be supplied.
Under recent ruling, he ex-
planned, detached coupons are not
accepted. This ruling was issued
to correct the possibility of fault"
in making sales, he said,