THEVASTNESS OF ARMY "SUPPLY"

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2416, 23 March 1915, Page 5

THEVASTNESS OF ARMY "SUPPLY"

A HUGE BUSINESS AND A COMPLICATED ONE An eye-witness present with General Headquarters in Franoe writes at interesting length on the vital question of Army eupply.

"A good deal Ids been said at different times," he says, "about the way, in which our troops are supplied. It is possible, however, that by some of those who are not conversant with military phraseology the term "supply" may be taken to be applicable only to the feeding of an Army. This is not the ca6c, for the provision of food is only one part of the problem of maintaining a force dji the field. "The furnishing of food of every kind for man and beast is the duty of. the Army Service Corps, the furnishing of every drug and appliance necessary for the treatment) of the 6ick and wounded is carried out by the Royal Army Medical Corps, assisted by the various voluntary organisations whioh started their effective work when war began, while the provision of stores for disabled animals falls to the Army Veterinary Department. The Royal Flying Corps purchases its own machines, as doe® the Mechanical Transport Branch oi the Army Service Corps. Broadly speaking, however, with these exceptions, the Ordnance Department supplies the Army with all the clothing, equipment, arms, ammunition, tools, applianoes, machinery, and expendible material that can be required, . from guns weighing many tons to tin-tacks. In a word, it is the Military Universal Provider. A Vast Work. "The vastnes&of the work of maintaining the Army—apart from feeding itmay be gauged from a few figures. In one month there were issued to th 9 troops;— 450 miles of telephone wire. . 670 telephones. 631,000 sandbags. 10,0001b. of dubbing for boots.. 38,000 bare of soap. 150,000 pairs of socks. 100,000 pairs of boots.

"In 10 days tbo number of fur waistcoats given out amounted to 118,160, while during He same period 315,075 flannel belts were distributed. The woight of tho average wcokly issue of vaaeline for the feet is live tons, and that of horseshoes 100 tons. The offioial "Vocabulary of Stores" corresponds to the price list of a large shop, and contains 50,000 separate items. The different patterns and varieties of the same article stocked is also 6omewhat surprising. For instance, there are several hundreds of 'kinds of spanners in use in the Service, spanner No. 203 being listed as required for "gland and valvei of cap securing inner chamber of air cylinder and filling valve, spindle intensitier, barbette, B.L. 9-2 in. Mark IV, also filling and emptying valve gland air cylinder, barbette B.L. 9-2 in. Marks V to V.B.' Even suck unusual demands have been made as those for bitter aloes—to put on head ropes to prevent horses biting them—and permanganate of potash for dyeing grey, horses brown. Two Main Problems. "Tho duties of the Department call be divided into those of supply and maintenance. , The first consists of estimating betimes what will be required, of framing scales of issue and checking demands for it, of ordering, procuring, and testing or making it, of providing the troops with it, and of accounting for it afterwards." After describing how stores are taken up from the base to the railhead and thence are distributed, the writer, proceeds :—

"To equip the Army is, of course, the main thing. But there is another side of the work which cannot be neglected, and 'that is the accounting for the 6tores expended. TMb entails a vast' amount of dull and arduous clerical labour at the various depots, advanced bases and bases, which loses none of its value because it is not 'in the" - limeljght.'

"Nevertheless, it is not altogether without relief. The 'Vocabulary of Stores' is a perennial source of amusement. The system of. nomenclature adopted, though the only one which lends itself to ready reference, is at firafc sight cumbrous, the actual name of an article invariably preceding any adjective or qualifying description. For instance, no ordnance officer would ever think of referring to a tell-tale clcck as such. He would call it 'Clock tell-tale portable 6 Stations, Mark II one.' There are indeed many stories current regarding the addiction of the Department to this inverted According to one, an official is supposed to have asked at a restaurant for a 'Choke—artirusalem—Je.' About a "Teapot." '•The demands and messages sometimes received by overworked and 1 harassed officers of this Department are puzzling in the extreme; and'the following telegram recently delivered to one such illustrates some of the difficulties of catering for an army, composed of different races:— "'4982: 24/11/14: O.G. 790. Mahommedan or Punjab lotah has a spout. With or. without handle. Hindu or Bombay lotah generally of bra-ss, but no spout or handle. Is carried- by lip. Hindus and Maliommedans here both agree that a Katorah never has a spout, but is a, sort of metal bowl. Confirm tha,t you want the spouted articles for which nearest substitute iy enamelled teapot. xxx.' "In reforenoe to complaints as to loss of property on ambulance trains somfe official suggested the provision of a safe and a lady purser. To this the reply was that the safe would be furnished if it was'thought'necessary, bat that the lady was not an ordnalica supply."