ADDRESS ON COMMUNITY KITCHEN.

White Ribbon, Volume 25, Issue 290, 18 August 1919, Page 3

ADDRESS ON COMMUNITY KITCHEN.

(tiiven by Mrs Dag at .1 meeting of Hie l nited Women Voters.) Just one \eai ago to day, Fclmi.uy 25th, K)i«\ Lord Rhondda, as Food Controller of F.nglaiid, authorised the local authorities to establish and m.nut.un National kiti liens. Alter a year’s successful operation, Lord Rhondda has this 10 say of the experiment ; “The National Kitchen movement, instituted as a war measure, i-> now liecoming a part of oui social or gam sat ion, and results already achieved arc manifestly in favour of the well-being of the people. Lord Rhondda’s statement of the advantages of National Kite liens «* 1 ('ommunity Kitchens is as follows; 1. Economy of f< m»<l and fuel. 2. The' supply of nutritious and well-cooked food at reasonable prices. The substitution of skilfully pro pared and propci ly-cookcd wholesome meals for makeshift meals. 4. And because* of the domestic scr vice' problem, .1 big Lector in the consideration of ( (immunity Kitchens, economy <d labour by the collet live preparation of food. These advantages alone are sufiriont reasons for the establishment <d Community Kitchens in I oronto, where so large ;* proportion of the population live in rooms, with no cooking conveniences, in bachelor quarters, or work in places where no lunch is obtainable and going out to dinner is a weariness of the flesh, . tier the* day s woik. It has been asserted that “to banish the kitchen is to break up the house. ’ ’ That is manifestly a “snap’ judg nient, and reveals lack of sufficient consideration of the pros and cons of the question. It also reveals the* standard of life for women, accepted In the persons who use* this argument against the institution of a progressive measure, which will not only not breakup the home, but will literally and figuratively putify, lighten, and relieve its whole atmosphere. Why should a more or less untidy kitchen, a weary woman, and since all women acr not good cooks, an oft-times badly-cooked meal, constitute a home? Why should the meals have to be pr**

pared in the house to preseive tin* home atmosphere? Wouldn't the* time he less weaiisomcly and more accept ably spent in attending to Cue claim\ service of the food which would with Community kitchen serxiic l»e brought to th«- home, ho, .ind delicious, in <on taineis used foi that pur|ro-e? Would the fact that there would he no dishes to wash destroy any one's appetite? Community kitchens an* already m. institution in England and the I nit»*d States. A young lady reporter whose home is in the city in the Cnited Stabs where the first American Cooked Food Service Station was started, wrote ail article on it, giving in detail n method of operation. New stations have been opened in many plates since, and are all operating successfully. There are many plans of working oi ; the Community Kitchen idea to make it appeal to all classes, hut it is impossible to enumerate them here anil now. ‘‘Woman’s (Vrtturv."