HOW MANY DABS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 239, 18 November 1940, Page 7

HOW MANY DABS

DIGGER'S TOOTHPASTE How long does a tube of toothpaste last a man on active service, and how quickly does he get through a tin of boot polish. These are questions which have been the subject of research by the Australian Comforts Fund, through its Commissioner in Britain (Mr Youdale) in an endeavour to establish a basis of distribution of comforts. It was found that one tube of toothpaste (sixpenny size) provided GO half-inch dabs, and at the rate of one cleaning per day, would last a soldier for eight weeks and a half. A free issue of toothpaste once every two months would therefore be ample for normal soldier comfort. When it was pointed out that a man might like to clean his teeth twice a day, the honorary general secretary of the Australian Gonlforts Fund (Mr McKerihan) said that, from his experience in the army in the last war some men did not clean their teeth at all and would be ready to swap a tube of toothpaste for a tin of boot polish. Up to the present, the basis of distribution has been one .tube of toothpaste every 17 weeks. This, Mr Youdale reports, "is ample for the man who cleans his teeth frequently but would need to be supplemented for the man who has greater regard for dental hygiene." " An issue of a tin of boot polish every two months is also recom-« mended.