COMMUNAL FEEDING.

Evening Star, Issue 25070, 11 January 1944, Page 2

COMMUNAL FEEDING.

Among the changes in the habits of the people of Great Britain brought about by the war is the development of communal feeding. This system was inaugurated in 1940 as an emergency measure to meet wholesale air raid destruction of the facilities for "eating in." It has apparently come to stay, and communal " eating out " is now an accepted and, to many, an acceptable social trend. In discussions on post-war planning it takes a prominent place. The restaurants in the communal feeding centres in wartime Britain, run on self-supporting, non-profitmaking lines, with an economy of fuel and light, elimination of wastage of food by cooking for large numbers, and reduction in staff wages through cafeteria service, have undoubtedly many advantages, one of the

chief of which is the low meal prices. In the cities in the provinces eenturiesold civic buildings are used for communal feeding. In the cathedral citv of Rochester, for instance, a venerable building, Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School, where David Garrick was a pupil in 1737, is a centre for such civic hospitality. More than 4.00 city workers and school children take their meal in the assembly hall of the school. What is reported here is an illustration of what is done throughout the country. Adults get their dinners for ninepenco and children under fourteen for fourpence. In the metropolis communal feeding is carried on by the London County Council under the " Londoners' meal service."

The Ministry of Food has a central pool from which it supplies fuel ranges, steam and roasting ovens, saucepans, washing-up machines, refrigerators, and other utensils, needed for equipping these centres. Communal feeding of children and young people receives close attention from the Ministry of Food. Some boroughs have special restaurants for unaccompanied children. Notwithstanding the strict rationing, the meals seem to be nourishing and adequate. In a broadcast the Minister of Food (Lord Woolton) said a typical menu for a school dinner was roast beef, potatoes, and cabbage, followed by chocolate pudding. The London Council of Social Service has issued a report on communal restaurants, and its'conclusion was that there is likely to be a continuation after the war of feeding communally. The Ministry of Food and the departments that co-operate with it have done wonderful work since the war started. It is clear that their activities will not cease when the war ends. Rather, they will be called on to extend the scope of the operations that are now being carried on so successfully.