FEEDING THE TROOPS.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15536, 11 March 1916, Page 12

FEEDING THE TROOPS.

\VORK OF THE ARMY • SERVICE CORPS. NEW SCHEME IN CANTERBURY. • : A;i ainiy travels on its stomach"' is a Napoleonic maxim which is no less applicable to a battalion holding its annual encampment than to the mighty forces warily watching each other on the bat tie fields of Europe. The machine responsible for the feeding of the inner man is that sometimes unjustly despised, much abused, but extremely useful branch of the Service, tiie A.S.C. Without the assistance of the Army Service Corp.-. the big guns ami the littio guns would soon be hungrily crying for their food: more so would the men who serve them.

In connexion with the annual Territorial encampments being he.d tins rear, the policy has been adopted lor the lirst -time in the Canterbury miiitaiy district of providing the men under canvas with their supplies in the „aino manner as it is done on the Hold under active service conditions. The Army Service Corps, under the direction of .Sergeant-Majop Glover, of the Permanent Staff, Jias established Us main depot at the King Edward Barracks, and from here it is supplying, and will continue to supply, all the camps Held this year in the province of Canterbury. For the camps which have already" begun in Nelson and on the West Co'ast depots have been established in. those districts by the A.S.C. At present the A.S.C. is supplying the .following camps:'—lst (Canterbury) Regiment at Cashmere: No. 3 Field Ambulance at 'Brighton Racecourse; H Battery X.Z.F.A. at Happy Valley, Nelson; So. 8 Company N.Z.G.A. at Westport; 13th. (North Canterbury and Wostland) Regiment, at Fern Flat Farm RccJ'ton. Next week it will supply the E Battery X.Z.F.A. earn]) at Rimgiora: 2nd (South Canterbury) Regiment at Ealing, and No. b' Mounted Field Ambulance at lledcliffs. All supplier; arrive at the A.S.C. depot from the contractors, and the depot iii turn supplies the camps and also the transport. In the caso of the FT Battery camp, the provisions will lie sent by "road; in the case of the Ealing camp, waggons and horses will bo sent South by a. soecial train leaving here on Sunday night, and all supplies will be transported regularly from Christ-church.

In previous years, when a regiment went into camp, it received an allowance of two shillings per man per diem for rations. Any surplus went into the regimental funds. Under the now scheme, it is claimed that the men receive a more liberal supply of provisions, and at tho same tnu o the Dc--fence Department is saving money. The following is the daily scale of rations r)er man: —Bread lib, tea Joa, onions 2oz, salt ioz, flour loz,- cheese 207. potatoes lib, milk i pint, meat ljlb, coffeo *'oz. jam ilb, pepper l-32nd oz, butter Jib, sugar ilb, oatmeal 2oz, (condensed milk I tin if issued in lieu of fresh milk). It will be seen that the diet is liberal, and those members of the Defence Force who have so far experienced it join in declaring that it is ample, if not more, than sufficient, for all requirements.

The A.S.C. however, does not supply plum puddings. Lest public indignation bo expressed on this point, it might be necessary to hastily explain that in addition to* the rations received from the A.S.C. a regiment in camp is nllowed to spend twopence per day por man. "With, 000 men in. camp this means £o per day or £40 for the. duration of the camp. Out of this amount a regiment, is allowed"to purehaEo plum puddings-or any other culinary dainty it pleases. The regiment, howevei, does not handle the money; it orders the extras, and the A.S.C. pays tho bill.

It is estimated that, under the hew scheme, the Defeneo Department rs saving sixpence per day per man, which moans on the year's encdrnpmerrts probably a gain of £2000 per annum. Hero is an illustration of the saving. In connexion with the West Coast camp, thrco tons of straw were sent from her c to Creymouth bv the A.S.C, and after £1 7s Gd freight had been paid, the Defence Department still effected a saving of £0 los on the bill of previous years.