Lowell May Gain Its Own Kitchen

The Lowell House Committee revealed yesterday a plan which would enable the University to install and operate an independent kitchen for the Lowell House Dining Hall, at a much lower cost than that of service from the Central Kitchen.

In a referendum held yesterday on the issue, Lowell House members voted approximately four to one against participation in the Central Kitchen arrangement and in favor of the proposed establishment of a private kitchen within the House.

The House Committee had earlier endorsed unanimously a motion which asked that the University "consider the possibility of abolition or drastic reformation of the Central Kitchen set-up in light of wide-spread dissatisfaction..." with the present situation.

Representatives of the committee are meeting with officials of the University in an effort to gain official advice and consent. "This will not be buried," Arthur D. Trottenberg '48, Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences for Business Affairs, reportedly told the students, assuring them that their proposals would be presented to President Pusey for further consideration.

The committee has also issued a report on the investigation it has conducted into the feasibility of withdrawal from the Central Kitchen. According to the report a national catering firm has tentatively estimated that the Lowell share of the Central Kitchen expenses is from $21,134 to over $31,000 a year more than it would cost to operate an adequate private kitchen.

From this amount, the report indicates, can be found the funds necessary for the initial installation of the kitchen. There would consequently be no necessity for an increase in board rates and perhaps even an eventual reduction, should the same plan be adopted in the other Houses.

The firm has further guaranteed that the quality of the food would be considerably better than that currently offered by the Central Kitchen and that the same number of students presently employed in the dining hall would be retained.

According to members of the committee, the figures the company offers are only approximations and that for a final estimate further study would be required. The company, they disclosed, is unwilling to conduct this research without the official permission of the University.

In addition to Lowell, there are four other Houses--Eliot, Kirkland, Leverett, and Winthrop--now served by the Central Kitchen. Adams, Dunster, and Quincy Houses have independent kitchens similar to that which has been proposed for Lowell. The food in those Houses is generally conceded to be better than that new offered by the Central Kitchen.