FEEDING THE MEN.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 273, 11 August 1908, Page 9

FEEDING THE MEN.

WHAT THE SUPPLY SHIPS CARRY. Auckland, August 10. " Wo carry 2100 tons of provisions for the men 011 tho Fleet," said 0110 of tho officers of the supply ship Culgoa to a "Herald" representative, "and tho other supply ship the Glacier is more heavily stocked than wo are, being 8000 tons to our 6000. Tho Glaejor is with tho Fleet now. Wo carry practically all tho Fleet requires in the way of eatables: Ono of our holds is pretty well full of flour, and . tho other of meat. There aro 535,0001b. of flour, '620,0001b.' of fresh moats, 300,0001b. of fresh - vegetables, and there aro timietl vegetables, meats, fruits, condensed milk, and other smaller items, in addition to 100,0001b. of sugar. Together we can provision the Fleet for about five months, and some 200 or 275 tons of fresh meats will bo loaded, at Brisbane.

" More as an experiment than anything pise," continued the officer, "we are carrying quite a .stock of dehydrated vegetables— that is, vegetables from which the water has been taken. This proves a great saving of space, and moreover the vegetables do not spoil for all that. They arc just as good as the real articlo. Tho test wo mado of dehydrated vegetables between San Francisco and New Zealand has proved most successful. Then ivo have eggs, and milk prepared in a similar way, and reduced to a powder. This experiment also has proved very successful. We carry our own butter, canned and kept at a temperature of about 45 degrees. Engineering stores are ojso, kept 011 board. Sometimes the battleships take these stores direct from us, hut "usually' tho goods are put straight on to the repair ships with the Fleet."

In addition to the .provisions brought on tho storo ships, a considerable quantity of provisions will bo bought in Auckland.-