DANCE COMMITTEE PLAN GETS REBUFF

A House Masters' meeting called to decide the fate of the Inter-House Dance Committee last Wednesday night delayed adoption of the new plan after hearing that the new program meant loss of House autonomy, and left the final decision to a vote of the seven. House Committees.

Proposed by the Student Council as a move to check widespread losses by House dances, the Committee would offer advice on bands, report on Boston orchestra agents, select dates for dances, and countersign all contracts.

Central Control Opposed

Chief protest against the plan was the trend away from House independence toward more centralized control. This was the feeling voiced at the meeting by Roger B. Merriman '96, retiring Master of Eliot House, who saw in the plan "much that is good and much evil."

"The chief danger of the plan," Professor Merriman said last night, "is that it works against House autonomy."

For much the same reason, the Dunster House Committee had earlier announced that it opposed the plan. With the final decision relegated to individual Houses, and unanimous acceptance necessary before the program can be adopted, Dunster's objections last night loomed large in the path of the Council's project.

Control Distasteful

Charles B. Gates '43, chairman of the Dunster committee, summed up his House's stand when he approved of the proposed committee as an information and advisory service, but objected to its control over the House's individual decisions.

Admitting that advice on bands and agents, and more inter-House cooperation would be helpful, the Dunster chairman held that selection of a date should be the prerogative of the House Committee, and also took issue with the requirement of the central organization's signature on contracts.

The next step is to bring the problem before each House Committee, Thomas Matters '43, president of the Student Council, stated last night. Pointing out that one merit of the plan would be to make sure that someone interested in dances is always in charge for each House, he said that modifications may be necessary to insure acceptance by all Houses.