Gallery- 33 -
of the food had never been taken, and the issues were irregular. As there is no central kitchen in camp other than the hospital kitchen, dry rations are issues once a week, fresh foods twice a week, bread three times a week and fresh milk daily.
After Mr. Hansum had spent a few days observing the system in operation, he went to work stacking the tins and other items in the warehouse in blocks so they could be counted readily, and when that was completed he spent a week-end taking an inventory with Mme. Laborde and Mr. Jungeling. When that was completed after three days, he made out records on Army Ledger Control Sheets obtained from the G 5 Warehouse in Kassel, and then made and posted cards on each bin containing supplies. He took charge himself of the next weekly issue of dry rations after eliminating the voluntary helpers and other dubious hangers-on who had formerly cluttered up that process, and after some weeks of trial and error, perfected a system which worked out smoothly and efficiently. The Latvians, as the largest group, were the first to receive rations and were notified when to appear. At the appointed time, two men designated by the Latvian Committee to receive the food as a permanent job, together with two helpers, called for and received the rations, signing receipts for them. The rations were then distributed to the block leaders, who then distributed them to the individuals or family heads of the barracks, the whole process taking two days at most. A half hour before the Latvians had finished at the central warehouse, the next nationality was notified, and the official food collector, who was usually the leader in the case of the small nationalities, appeared in time to make the issue of rations an uninterrupted procedure.
When Red Cross parcels formed the base of the DP diet, the job of drawing the parcels from the G 5 Warehouse, which for Junkers usually involved four truckloads once a month, opening the up, separating, checking and storing thirty-odd different items in easily
pilferable
