Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-12-19 | Page 20 | Hospital to Spend Huge Sum for Food

HOSPITAL TO SPEMM RICE SUMJOR FOOD $30,000 a Month in Pur. chases of Supplies in Salt Lake Market. Figures Show Enormous Cost of Keeping Up the Yankee Army. Approximately $:10,000 nionth will b distributed in Sail .Lake" for food aloiia for the feeding of patients and other per. sonncl of a 1000-bcd unit of the army general hospital at Fort Douglas, accord-ing accord-ing to an estmiato based upon army allowances al-lowances for such a hospital. This gives some idea of what thVnnv general hospital at tho local posN" mca u to Salt Lake in a financial n'J when It is in full operation. As the hvs pltal grows to larger proportions, which J present plans call tor it lo do, this expenditure ex-penditure locally of money for food will increase proportionately, the maximum amount depending upon tho maximum number of patients sent here for recoil- , struction work'. The hospi lal has merely been starts and before it is completed the govern, men I will have spent about ?i.OO,000 in construction work and il. will be spend, ing many thousands more each nionth In the maintenance and operation of the in-slilution. in-slilution. The exact figures, or an approximate ap-proximate amount for the niaintenam-s and operation is not availablo at this time, however. Some Huge Figures. Tn connection with the cost of fcedlnj a big army and the quantities of food required re-quired to keep encl an army moving, some interesting figures hav just beorl given out by the treasury department and copies of them have been received at Vort Douglas. The figures and amounts of food are based, on t Tie annual supply for an army of ,',000,000 men and it 'indicates 'indi-cates tho enormous task 'which the government gov-ernment has had upon its hands since it has been maintaining an army of this aiza to fight the Hun. The amount of beef alone consumed by such an army in one year totals -ITS, 51s,-O0t 51s,-O0t pounds, and it costs the government ?10fl,627,7.0. This, of course, is the largesi item of food as to cost, but tha second as to quantity, potatoes outclia-lancing outclia-lancing beef In quantity. Of potatoes it requires 7S2.925.000 pounds and they coei $11, 01-1,357. 50. It is apparent from this that beef and potatoes are Important items in the feeding of a big army, or a small either, for that matter. Onions and Jams. Bacon also plays an important part and of this food it requires 4SJ80.00U pounds a year at a cost of $1 S,5S7,S-1 1. THb homely onion !s used to the extent ofVS-035,000 ofVS-035,000 pounds and it costs ;i,439,26S. 'ii soldier is an inveterate jam eater and o-this o-this sweet food It requires 7.665,000 cans at a cost of ?2,07l,S49.5u. Coffee is an1' old standby of the soldier and ft requires re-quires 61,;i20,000 pounds of this material at a cost of 9,263,452. It takes 27,375,000 pounds of eaJt and this costs $175,200. Of lard substitute there is required 31,755,000 pounds at a cost of $6,970,222.50. Butter is used ta the extent of 15,30,000 pounds and cV $6,516,783. jf The reason for saving bread and flour is apparent when it is known that it required re-quired 915.000,000 pounds of this food for the army and it is furnished at a cost of $50,325,000. The homely bean, the "rib sticker" of the army ration, Is used to the amount of 50.000,000 pounds and co?t $5,000,000. It takes in addition to tin-dried tin-dried beans, 4,000,000 cans of pork and beans to feed such air army and this costs $17,600,000.