Memorial Hall has opened this fall under the new management of Mr. Wilkey, who has been for several years the steward of the Union. It is a significant fact that Mr. Wilkey expects to furnish at Memorial, meals of the same quality and quantity as were served at the Union last year. We are assured that this will be permanently possible if a sufficient number of men eat at the Hall to allow it to be run on an economical footing. The plant is large enough to feed 1300 men, and the fixed charges such as the cost of fuel, service, light and printing are very nearly the same whether 1300 or only 800 are served. The running expenses on the contrary, which are principally the cost of raw food can be made to vary directly with the number of boarders. The result is that if only 800 eat at Memorial, the per capita cost of feeding them is greater than for a greater number.
All this is realized by Mr. Wilkey, and his aim is therefore to do all in his power to make the Memorial table so attractive that before long the membership will far exceed that of last year. For the present, therefore, the very best food that is possible to serve to 1300, will be served irrespective of the number that actually appear. The regular daily menu is more complete than last year and many items on the extra order list are included. It is expected that the increased regular menu will furnish enough for a satisfying meal and that the demand for extra orders will therefore fall off. Consequently fewer will be offered. The price has been reduced from $5.50 a week to $5.25 and although a membership fee of $5 is charged, a man boarding at Memorial for more than 20 weeks--half the College year--will pay less this year than last. A trial week is allowed before the payment of this fee, and transients, of course, are exempt. The same allowances for week-end absences will be made as heretofore.
A more liberal policy could hardly be asked. By the foundation of club tables, and by increasing the number of members at each, as the improved food and service gives satisfaction, members of the University can meet the co-operative advances of the Memorial Hall management. The new plan will mean a cash loss to Memorial Hall, and indirectly to the University's finances, at the beginning, but if successful in the end, the permanent gain of re-establishing Memorial as the representative College Commons will far outweigh the temporary loss.
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