§ Colonel CARNEGIEasked the Undersecretary of State for War whether soldiers serving at home are not permitted to purchase dripping made from their own rations for the purpose of sending home to their families; whether all such dripping is sold to contractors; and, if so, whether this Order will be reconsidered owing to the shortage of both butter and margarine in the country?
§ Mr. MACPHERSONIt is not desirable to allow soldiers to purchase dripping for dispatch to their families. All surplus Army fats are sold to manufacturers for extraction of glycerine for propellant explosives and the manufacture of soap. Every encouragement is given to commanding officers to issue dripping in lieu of margarine for the feeding of troops, but the supply of edible dripping tends to diminish substantially as a consequence of the reduction in the meat ration, and the substitution of fish, sausages, and rabbits in the messing.