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Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2986, 25 January 1917, Page 5

The constant expenditure of fuel, ammunition, and other stores of a super-Dreadnought necessitates a vast organisation of supply ships. When a ship returns from-a spell-at sea, the first thing done is to fill up the oiltanks or tho coal-bunkers, as the case may be, so that if there is a sudden call to action'she may he able to proceed again to sea at once. A superDreadnought is reputed to have storage capacity for 3500 tons of coal and 1000 tons of oil; and although'oil can bo taken on board easily enough' by means of pipes and pumps, 250 tons in hour is a very good rate for the entire crow to maintain when "coaling ship." Ammunition is, of course, no less important than fuel; and every ship has to be kept sttored Tyith shot and shell of all sizos, ranging from the Morris tube ammunition used for practice in ■ harbour ■ to the great 19501b. projectiles of tho 15in. guns, with their -100 lb. charges of cordite. There is tho problem of food—no light one when thero was perhaps 200,000 healthy seamen to bo looked after. Of course,' wo do not know the actual number of men in the Grand Fleet and its attendant flotillas;'. but if we tako it to be 200,000 (out of a total naval personnel of 350,000), its daily food requirements iu the ordinary way would be as follow:— 200,0001b. of bread, 100,0001b. of fresh meat, 200,0001b. of fresh vegetables, 3125 gallons of rum, 50,0001b. of sugar, 62501b. of tea (or 25,0001b. of coffee), 02501b. of chocolate, 93751b. of condensed milk, 12,5001b. of jam or pickles, with condiments as required. Owing to tho high cost of beef, and the limited allowance for feeding prisoners in the Marysvillc County Gaol, U.S.A., Sheriff Piddle has cub' meat out from tho bill of fare. Tho chain gang has gono on strike, and 1 nightly the prisou is one grand debating