Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 119, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 May 1918 — Page 2

AMERICAN SOLDIERS EMPTY FREIGHT CARS

Soldiers of the quartermaster’s corps transferring supplies from French freight cars to an American motortruck. _

INSPECT BRAKES ON AUTOMOBILES

Movement Backed by Prominent Manufacturers, Police and Insurance Men. CONGRESS MAY TAKE ACTION Sixty Per Cent or More of Accidents Due to Poor Condition of Steering Gear—Thorough Inspection Is Urged. Prominent automobile, police and insurance men throughout the United States are backing a national movement for the inspection of automobile brakes. The agitation for such a movement has grown out of the success in bringing about the proper suppression of glaring headlights, which, in the opinion of those high in the automobile world, Is the lesser evil of the two. The matter Is receiving nation-wide attention and tt is not Impossible that legislation may be instituted before this session of congress closes looking toward regular Inspection of brakes. Brakes Often to Blame. T. D. Pratt, executive secretary of the Motor Truck club of America, in a letter says: “Our experience has shown us that sixty per cent or more of the automobile accidents are caused by brakes or steering gears being in poor condition, and the large proportion of this percentage is due to poor brakes.” Although no compulsory legislation has been passed to date compelling such an inspection, it has had the indorsement of such officials as Arthur Woods, former police commissioner of New York city, and Francis M. Hugo, secretary of state, New York. The popularity of the movement, those who are interested in it say, must rgst upon the voluntary support of automobile owners. Frequent Inspections Urged. The plan of the brake inspection movement is to prevail on every motorist and truck owner to have his brakes inspected by his dealer at the opening of the season and at frequent intervals thereafter. It is called to his attention that the brake rods can usually be turned up two or three times before new brake lining is needed. A simple adjustment of the equalizers will frequently make the brakes safe instead of dangerous. As the movement grows, some official seal will be devised which will be placed on the car, showing the date’ of last inspection. The one proposed is a small seal disk bearing the words, “Brakes inspected 1918.”

DENTS IN AUTOMOBILE BODY

Motorist Often at Loss to Know Practical Method for Removing Scars on His Car. Automobile bodies often become dented, and the motorist is at a loss to devise a practical method for removing the dents. One method which has been found useful in such cases, and which the mechanic can also apply in removing dents from tanks, cans,

Removing Dents.

and Qther sheet-metal constructions, is shown in the sketch, writes Otto Kraft of Chicago in Popular Mechanics Magazine. A piece of rod, or a bar of solder, is soldered at the dent, as indicated. The dented area is tapped gently with p hammer, and a strong pull is exerted at the same time on the bar. Unless the metal is heavy, the dent can removed with very little difficulty.

PAINT UP THE OLD MACHINE

Production of Pleasure Cara Hat Been Decreased by War Demands of Government The enormous demands of the war have considerably lessened the output of pleasure automobiles in this country. A great majority of our auto manufacturers have taken oh contracts for furnishing the United States and allied governments with motortrucks and motors, consequently the production of pleasure cars has been decreased. Due to the fact that the number of automobile buyers is increasing each year there has resulted an excess demand for all makes of runabouts and touring cars. Practically every automobile manufacturer in this country has already sold out his 1918 output of pleasure cars, and as a result the prospective buyer of a machine is unable to obtain one in many cases. Many owners of automobiles buy a new one each year, exchanging the old car as a part payment on a new model. Due to the fact that the number of cars manufactured has been de-, creased these owners are unable to get the new car at a lucrative price; as a result they endeavor to make the old car last another season by having it repainted and in some cases rebuilt. Several years ago an automobile owner could not paint his own car and obtain very satisfactory results, due to the fact that all enamels were of such character that they had to be baked on, a process that could only be carried on at the factory of the maker; consequently an automobile owner would drive his car for many seasons without having it painted, and at the end of this time the machine would present a very unsightly appearance. Sometimes an automobile owner would buy a can of paint or auto enamel and paint the machine himself. The result was always far from satisfactory as the paint easily cracked and peeled off and the color obtained was not uniform. In order to remedy this condition, paint manufacturers experimented for several years upon an auto enamel that could be easily applied and today a motorist can go to an automobile supply house or paint store and buy an auto enamel in any shade he desires, that will exactly suit his requirements. This enamel can be put on the car in a short time and after application the machine will present a brand new appearance. Many car owners are now painting their machines twice a year, devoting a part of Saturday afternoon to the Job.

BODY DESIGNS ARE CHANGING

Rather Clumsy Assembly of Straight Lines Now Made Into Continuous Line Shape. In two years the average automobile body has changed from what now seems a rather clumsy assembly of straight lines into a continuous line shape. Automobile bodies today are not really streamline, for to be so they would need to have th£ largest section in front Instead of behind, but all body designers seem to be aiming at the torpedo as an ideal shape.

STONE BRUISES CAUSE HARM

Injury to Surface of Inner Tire Should Be Repaired by Putting on Fabric Patch. When the tire has hit a stone with considerable force, especially if the tire is not fully inflated, the inner surface of the tire will show Injury to the fabric when the rubber on the tread has no mark of the Injury. Such an injury should be repaired by putting a fabric patch over the injured place, and then. inserting an inner protector all around the casing.

HAVE BEARINGS JUST RIGHT

Just as Bad to Have Different Parts Too Tight as It Is to Have Them Fit Loose. It Is" just as bad to have parts fit too tight as it is to have them too loose. A bearing which is too tight will loosen rapidly and will* pound while so doing. It is bad practice to have the bearings taken up merely by refitting the movable parts. The whole bearing should be refitted, If •the part is to give really good wrv* ice.

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER. IND.

FEEDING THE NATION'S ARMY TASK OF GIGANTIC PROPORTIONS

Each Morning 4,000 Cattle Must Be Slaughtered to Supply Daily Ration of Fresh Beef—7,ooo Cars Required to Transport ? Month's Supply—Every Ounce Must Be Inspected Before It Is Sent to the Men.

Washington.—lt is the function of the subsistence division of the quarter corp, to f «Hi the Uotted State, army, furnishing three square meals daily to every one of the nearly 2,000, 000 men, whether in France, in tra - ing camps in this country, in the PhiHPpines, Hawaii or the Panama Canal Zone. . „ - Despite the enormous expansion or the American army during the past year, nothing has developed to mar the American soldier’s reputation of being the best-fed soldier in the world. Maj. Gen. George W. Goethals, acting quartermaster general, as head of the quartermaster corps, is responsible for the feeding of the army. The immediate responsibility, as stated above, rests with the subsistence division, which is presided over by Col. W. KGrove. The food supply of the army takes on proportions so gigantic that figures fail to give more than a hazy ideaof its Immensity. For example, 4,000 cattle must be slaughtered every morning to give the soldier his daily ration of fresh beef. Nearly 7,000 freight and refrigerator cars are required to bring the food for the present month’s supply into the camps and cantonments on this side of the Atlantic. , The soldier’s food must be all right at all times —and must be there at the appointed hour. The American fighting man in France may wait a week or a month for a new hat or any other article of equipment if he can make the old one serve, but he cannot wait a day or an unnecessary hour for his dinner if he is to be the gingery, up-and-at-’em, 100 per cent efficient soldier. Problem Long Ago Worked Out. The provision of food in such quantities and .with such promptness is not a feat that can be accomplished by sudden inspiration. It could be only the result of much thought and study. The army authorities gave the subsistence problem the requisite amount of thought and study long before the darker war clouds began to gather on the American horizon. At no time has there been serious criticism of the subsistence end of the quartermaster s department. Under Colonel Grove, or associated with him In the co-ordinated efforts of other branches of the quartermaster corps, are many well-known officers, some of them veterans of the army and some fresh from civil life, but all experts in commissary service. Back in 1898, when distinguished gentlemen on the floor of congress were apprehending that the American soldier was being pampered with a diet too elaborate, the ration for the army consisted of one and a quarter pounds of beef, eighteen ounces of bread and flour, two-thirds of an ounce of salt and one-third of a gill of vinegar. That was all, but It enabled the American soldier to dine far more extensively than did any of his foreign brothers in arms. Today the ration includes 17 food articles, each capable of extensive variation by substitution. The soldier eats them in Gargantuan quantities. Here are some of the things which Colonel Grove and his organization must provide each day In the year:

Beef, lbs. 2,000,000 Bacon, lbs. 585,000 Corned beef hash, 2-lb tins 36,400 Canned salmon, cans 41,600 Flour, 1b52,925,000 Hard bread, lbs••• 866,666 Beans, lbs 195,000 Corn meal, lbs 44,000 Potatoes, 1b52,000,000 Onions, lbs 650,000 Tomatoes, cans 163,000 Coffee, lbs 182,000 Bfckles, gallons • 7,800 Sugar, lbs 520,000 Salt, lbs 104.000 Soup, cans 28,000 Catsup, bottles 23,000 Many Subdivisions. In the Washington offices of the subsistence division there are some sixty officers and civilian experts, with the necessary clerical assistants. Under its chief the division Is divided Into operating subdivisions, dealing with sub-

ITALIAN BATTERY ON THE PIAVE

Th!, Italian naval battery near the mouth of the Piave is mounted on a •cow secured to the river bank, and camouflaged by reeds.

slstence for the forces In the United States, subsistence for the forces oversea, food Inspection, purchase, planning, field bakeries and the like. Branches of these subdivisions specialize' in beef, In milk, In flour, in canned goods and other required foods. The proportions of single purchases are almost staggering. The other day the division was casting about for a little matter of 57,000,000 cans of soup to supply the army for a stated period. And so it goes down through some 250 items of supply running from ham to shoe strings and from metal polish to macaroni. Formerly the work of the food purchase was distributed. Depot quartermasters in various sections Of the country bought supplies in conformity with the tonq of their localized market area. Soon, however, it became clear that this function must be centralized in Washington under the control of the divisional experts. As a result the division operates along lines of high efficiency. Its system of records shows constantly the state of supplies at home and abroad, enabling it to follow any commodity from the point of production to the port of embarkation, while the volume of purchase permits direct relation with the manufacturer and the elimination of the middleman. By the application of this central control principle there was saved to the government In the purchase of ration items needed for the month of April $161,750.59. \ This centralized control Is also a factor in expeditious action. Not long ago there came from General Pershing a requisition for 24,000,000 rations to be supplied “at once.” By the terms “ration,” it should be explained, is meant the complete food supply of one soldier for one day. Within twen-ty-four hours the division had located points of production capable of supplying this large demand, had placed the orders and was able to report the fulfillment of the requisition under way.

System of Purchasing. While the buying is thus controlled; the actual purchases are not made In Washington. The purchase depots at various points telegraph to the divisional officers price quotations on supplies, with recommendations as to their acceptance. The division’s experts study them in connection with their market reports and confidential lists of prices from the big food industries. Then from the divisional offices goes the telegraphed word to'the depots to purchase or decline. From the depots the food goes to the various camps and cantonments, where It Is Issued to the fighting organizations by .the quartermaster in charge. Each company, battery or troop, each separate detachment, operates Its own kitchen with its enlisted cooks working under a mess sergeant. Here the food Is prepared for breakfast, dinner and supper. The wholesomeness of every food article must be assured before It can be placed In the soldier’s possession. The army’s system of inspection is thorough and uncompromising. It begins at the source of supply and continues until the food is actually consumed. The records at Washington show the ■capabilities, character and standard bf every establishment purveying food to the army. The inspectors know fruits, vegetables, meat and other articles of purchase. The army specifications are clear and exact. They must be met. The Inspectors make sure they are met. And the receiving officers at the depots, assuring themselves that there has been no deterioration in shipment, thus make their contribution to that continual Inspection which ceases only when the food has ceased to exist. The bureau of markets of the department of agriculture, with representatives throughout the country whose duty it is to report on conditions in the perishable food markets, gives full help to the army Inspection. The bureau of chemistry of the same department also lends its powerful assistance, carefully examining and ana-

WANTS TO GO TO FRANCE

Miss Willie Duncan, a niece of Representative William D. Oliver of Alabama, hopes to get to France by becoming proficient as a radio operator. She has made rapid progress in her study. u

lyzing all the foods which come Into question. Samples are frequently drawn from shipments, the analysis made and 9 the result placed on file with the Inspection branch’s central office. Any discrepancy between the original sample and delivery brings prompt action. Military Bakery Companies. The fresh bread of the army comes from the military bakery companies, those unique Institutions which, with their portable ovens, trundle along, one with each division, turning out crisp, fresh bread by the thousands of loaves, regardless of location, weather conditions, or even German shell fire. Prior to the war the strength of a bakery company was one officer and 61 enlisted men. On account of the increase in the size of a division in our army it was necessary to draft new regulations increasing the strength of the bakery company to two officers and 101 enlisted men and increasing the equipment from 12 units to 15 units, or 15 ovens. On July 16 the bakery branch secured authority to proceed with the organization of these new bakery companies. ’ On. August 20, 30 of the new bakery companies had been organized, equipped and trained, and were on hand to produce bread for the National army and the National guard. A Sample Day's Ration*. Never at any time while the drafted men were assembling—and of course they reached their camps at all hours of the day and night—were the kitchens unprepared or unready to serve a hot meal. Not since America started to go to war has the commissariat of the army broken down. The soldier, with his issue ration varied and augmented through use of the cash saving which the government fallows him when he does not draw the fqjl value of his allotted food, lives as well as or better than the average civilian. Here is the sample day’s menu—not a special day’s menu, but representative of such meals as are regularly provided : Breakfast —Oatmeal and milk, fried Hver and bacon, onions and gravy, fried potatoes, coffee, bread. Dinner —Vegetable soup, roast beef and gravy, mashed potatoes, stewed tomatoes, peach cobbler, bread. Supper—Beef, baked potatoes, rice pudding, tea, bread.

Starts Swimming Eighteen Miles—ls in Hospital

Seattle, Wash. —When Jack Watts, twenty-four, a salloi* on one of Uncle Sam’s torpedoboats, dove off a pier here and started-to swim to the training ship Philadelphia, 18 miles away, he started something he couldn’t finish. When fished out of the bay he expressed his pleasure at having been saved the long journey. Jack took into his system considerable quantities of salt water along with other liquids he had been imbibing and they didn’t mix well. He was talftn to the city hospital for bailing purposes.

GOTHAM BOYS BEHAVE BETTER

War Has Tempering Influence on Youngsters, Says Settlement Worker. New York. —The boys of New York have been getting bettor gradually for the last ten years. The annual report of the Union settlement, which devotes its efforts to South Harlem,' where the boys ate representative of the entire c*ty, is authority for this statement. Gaylord S. White, secretary of the settlement, has several theories. “Thousands of boys have been so- : bered by the departure of older broth- 1 era for war service,” said Mr. White, i “and the work of the Junior police in the tenement districts has quieted an-* other large detachment of potential* mischief-makers. Things that were considered smart and amusing have lost their value in the boys’ eyes with the burden of war reflected all abutt them.”

HOME TOWN HELPS

GOOD IDEA THAT IS SPREADING Few Places Now in the Country That Do Not Recognize Need of Beautification. Time was not so very long ago when the thought of dvlc beauty and the recognition of the Importance of city beautification belonged to a few people only. When the first of the larger cities of Texas set about the process of making beauty where only ugliness had been before, many taxpayers objected on the ground that It was not wise to expend public money for such purposes. But that larger city persisted. A landscape architect was employed. A comprehensive plan for future development was drawn up. Appropriations looking far into the- future were planned. An educational campaign to teach th& people the need for beauty was gotten under way. Today that city is far to the front as an example of what may be accomplished in a few years of labor intelligently applied. Other cities followed. One by one the centers of population fell into line. Directly the smaller cities began to lay plans for that day when they, too, shall be large cities. Only recently the city of Denison, urged on by pub-lic-spirited citizens, employed a wellpaid expert to make a survey and lay down a comprehensive plan of artistic development. And within the next few months practically every Texas city will have proved that even in the stress of war Texas people recognize the value of beauty and the importance of the artistic in the everyday life of the people.—Houston Post.

WHERE CENSOR IS NEEDED

Successful Outcome of Allotment Development Depends Largely on Intelligent Forethought The. successful outcome of an allotment development as an asset to a city depends largely upon the type of neighborhood established by the real 4 tor In selling his property. It is true, however, that some properties are assured .of ultimate individuality before development on account of their natural location. The average allotment, however, is dependent on the method of sale of separate lots and the restrictions imposed upon them, which have an important bearing on the ultimate upbuilding. But the character of a neighborhood is far from assured because of imposed restrictions as to price of house to be erected, as is shown in numerous cases about Cleveland. Perhaps the most apparent reason for a development not proving what was originally intended are, first, that the building operations (to set the pace, so to speak) were not carried on by the developer to show what was expected, and, second, the censoring of building plans.—Cleveland Leader.

Kind of House In Demand.

The last matter influencing cost Is “marketability." To be saleable a house must measure up to and down to a standard. Mahogany and quartered oak wainscoting, plate glass windows and other similar embellishments do not increase the selling value to any great extent. ?y the time you are ready to sell the style In these things will have changed, and they are then more likely to decrease than increase the value. Be measurably conventional, and comfortably normal in your ideas. The best houses are not the most expensive or the most peculiar. • They are almost always the expression of a “type,” and follow the main features of their type, departing from the normal only in minor ways. This is the kind of house that is always in demand.

Your War Garden.

Don’t rob yourself of flowers even in war times, There is no better antidote for the war horror, and there is no reason why the vegetable garden should not be bordered with such plants as gladioli, dahlias, sunflowers and various other annuals. Indeed, some of the vegetables themselves have beautiful blossoms. The scarlet runner bean and the sugar pea, for example, have beautiful flowers and both are excellent vegetables Oldtime gardens are often bordered with narsley, and most of the herbs when in little beds are delightful to look upon.

Site of Ancient City Discovered.

News has been received at Madrid, Snaln of the discovery in Brazil of the site of the Incan city known to early Spanish and Portuguese explorers as El Dorado, and hitherto regarded as legendary. The ruins are located in the Manoa region, near the Bolivian frontier. In the midst of a dense forest. An archaeological expedition, • Including Brazilian Spanish and Portuguese scientists, will make a detailed study of the district.

Force of Habit.

“These crowded street cars are spoiling my oratorical style.” “How can that be?” "Every time I put my arm into the air to make a gesture I paw around aa if I were reaching for a strap.”