RUM FOR TROOPS.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2314, 23 November 1914, Page 7

RUM FOR TROOPS.

150,000 GALLONS FOR THE FRONT.

("Daily; Chronicle," London, October 6, 1914.)

With timely forethought for the welfare of the British soldier- during a prospective winter campaign, the War Office is sending to the front a consignment of 150,00U gallons of. rum. 'Bio bottling of this quantity, which in ordinary circumstances would probably represent an exciso duty of something like £60,000, is being undertaken by the Port of Loudon Authority, and the Rum Quay at the West India Docks offers a scone of exceptional activity even for a department which is accustomed to deal with thousands of puncheons in the course of a year. The huge vats at the West India Docks, which have ,an aggregate capacity of 58,500 gallons, are .of course available for the blending of this Army rum. All of it is genuine sugar-cane product, icquiring no addition of spirit, since it is already much over-proof. Some of it was imported in 1911, and some in succeeding years, but the age is not necessarily indicated by the date of importation. JQmerging from the vats.. 4.5-per cent, under-proof, the rum is measured by the gallon and passed through funnels into stoneware jars of the customary typo, and each of one gallkm capacity. The jars are then, corked and sealed with t!>.o soar of the Port Authority.

Easy Distribution. The next stage is the packing of the rum. For convenient handling it is placed in.wooden oases, which accommodate a couple of jars.. The case is kept to a size which can easily be lifted by one man, so as to give' as little trouble as possible in distributing, the rum among widely-scattered troops. Each case bears an intimation that 'it forms part oi the Army supplies. About 3000 jars of rum are sent away each day. The destination is Newhaven, via Willow Walk Railway Station. From the Sussex port the consignments go to the most convenient Continental port, thereafter to be forwarded to tho base of operations. Large supplies of jars, of which a total of 150.000 will of course bo required, arrive daily at the West India Docks.

With the active co-operation of the Customs, the work of bottling proceeds until 6 p.m. instead of 4 p.m., as is usual in the case of bonded warehouses. In this way, and with the employment of a large staff of men, this big War Office order is in process of careful execution.

This is a complete refutation of the Prohibitionists' wicked allegations, and we. trust that no more will be heard of the moderate use of alcoholic stimulants impairing the morale and efficiency of the bravest and best soldiers in the world.—Published by arrangement. [We have read tho article quoted above in ihe_ columns of the London "Daily Chronicle," and can state that it has been accurately reproduced here. —Editor, Dominion.'']