jrrt@hogpd.UUCP (R.MITCHELL) (08/08/84)
Besides, the bean counters of the world probably DO want to
keep track of every glass of OJ. Ask someone who has worked on
a government contract. Anyone out there served on a Navy ship?
Do they charge by the meal? {Dani Eder}
I spent 4+ years in the Navy, on submarines, so I'm qualified to answer
your question. Enlisted personnel never are charged for meals. Officers
are somewhat more complicated. They get Basic Allowance for
Subsistence (BAS) as part of their pay (BAS being well under
$100/month). When out at sea, this BAS is not paid, but all the
officer's meals are free. When the ship is in port, the officer is
paid BAS but then pays a set amount for each meal s/he eats.
The preceding applies only to personnel attached to a ship. Shore
personnel get BAS (if officer; don't know about enlisted), but must
shell out money at the messes for each meal eaten there.
Bringing all this to the Trek universe, if Starfleet is like the
current Navy, those cassettes are most likely for inventory control,
etc., rather than charging an individual's meal account. But then,
we've already seen numerous discrepancies between the US Navy and
Starfleet, so my guess is merely that, a guess.
Rob Mitchell
{allegra,ihnp4}!hogpd!jrrt