Those who jumped to such a conclusion were not aware of the restrictions which their own representatives, the men in Congress, had thrown about the sale of government property. Just as the law forbade (with certain exceptions and qualifications already noted in this volume) the government executives to buy supplies except from the best bidder in a competition for the business, so it forbade them to sell supplies except to the best bidder. The buyers therefore had to compete with each other for the surplus stocks, either in auction sales or by sealed bids submitted after goods had been duly described and advertised. And since the Government had its own sales expenses to consider and therefore could not hold auctions to dispose of single cans of tomatoes or advertise for bids for individual hams, the ultimate consumer, unless he were prepared to purchase by the carload, was as much out of it as if the supplies were stored on the moon. Not until July 29, 1919, did Congress come to the relief of the ultimate consumer by passing an act authorizing the War Department to sell food, clothing, and household supplies at retail. Within ten days the Surplus Property Division (of the Division of Purchase, Storage, and Traffic, which had charge of all food, clothing, and general supplies) inaugurated a plan of direct selling by parcel post. Price lists and order blanks were sent to the 58,000 post offices of the United States, and the postmasters were instructed to receive orders and cash and send consolidated requisitions and payments to the Surplus Property Division. This plan was not a success, thanks principally to the postmasters’ unfamiliarity with such work; and a few weeks later it was abandoned altogether in favor of the army retail stores. Through these stores the masses of consumers at last came into direct touch with the surplus war supplies. The store system was established on September 25, 1919. At the stores a consumer might buy food and other supplies over the counter in such quantities as he chose; or, if he lived too far away to visit the store, he might order from it goods to be delivered by parcel post, postage prepaid and goods insured at government expense. At first the Army established twenty-five stores, and these did so well that additional stores and branches were added, until by the late winter of 1919–1920 there were seventy-seven places where consumers might go and buy, at reduced prices, the goods which their tax payments and bond purchases had enabled the Government to procure. The stores were operated under the supervision of the fourteen zone supply officers.