BATTERY MESSING. 
265 
system a proper trial, and it will be found tliat tbe soldier lias just tlie 
same views and appetite as every other working man under the sun 
who values his evening meal after the day's work is done, as much, or 
nearly as much as his dinner. If there is nothing provided for the 
men of course they wont stay, but if a comfortable meal is put down 
before them they will eat it fast enough. 
Tea should be after evening stables, before gives too short an inter¬ 
val after dinner and too long an evening without food. The idea that 
a soldier's meals should be eked out by visits to the coffee bar should 
not be carried to excess, he should be properly fed in the barrack-room. 
Unit— The sub-division is the most expensive, as the smaller the 
unit the greater the proportionate waste. One big battery mess has 
the'disadvantage that individual sub-divisions seem sometimes to think 
their interests may be neglected. 
A system of section messes seems to work well. 
Dripping Dan .—Any battery which works the dripping pan can 
easily provide dripping enough for its own cooking; this is all pure 
gain, for not only was the fat wasted, but its partial removal makes 
the stews and other dishes more palatable. 
Slock Pot .—The complaint is made sometimes that the men don't 
care for soup. I believe this partly arises from its being made badly, 
partly also from the old prejudice in favour of spending all the money 
on the dinner; if this is done, of course the men have one good meal 
at the expense of the others, and don't want soup or anything else 
additional at dinner. 
They will often like it in the evenings; in one battery I hear of giv¬ 
ing it on the men's return to barracks, quite late, on the evening of 
the weekly half-holiday; different circumstances will suggest various 
plans. At all events, the stock pot, like the dripping pan is, to a great 
extent, a distinct gain. 
Supplies for breakfast and tea. —Owing, to long continued evil old cus¬ 
tom, unless great attention is paid, it is hard to get the supplies for 
breakfast and tea really spent on these meals, and not just put down 
on paper and the whole thing left to chance; bread should be cut fresh 
for every meal, butter issued separately for breakfast and tea, and both 
these meals must be personally inspected if it is really intended to 
establish them properly. 
Cooks .—The system of prizes for cooks does not seem much of a suc¬ 
cess, the difficulty of judging makes it rather a farce; but that the 
battery cooks should be paid extra there can be no manner of doubt. 
The feeling of the Regiment has begun to change wonderfully in the 
last few years; Officers Commanding Batteries are now generally 
anxious to make any improvement; let me say to all such, whose 
batteries have not yet taken up the new principles, that they will be 
sure to meet with much opposition. The cooks. Nos. 1 and all N.-C. 
officers who have anything to do with the matter are almost all against 
reform. Any real improvement means more trouble to them. The 
old soldiers are against it because they don't know better, having never 
seen anything but the old vicious system. 
" As the old cock crows so does the young," and the last joined 
