THE DAILY DINNER

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 153, 24 March 1920, Page 4

THE DAILY DINNER

A DUNEDIN PROJECT. •Vt a representative meeting of Dnncdin citizens last weok it was decuW to form a company to be known asl the Dnnodin Cooked Food Delivery Companv, the purpose'of which will be to establish a daily delivery of cooked ford, to fill tlie gap caused by the scarcity of domestic labour. The meeting was the outcome of a discuss on among ir.emh*vs df the Women's Cir.rons League. It was ev'ained at the meeting that th» idee ■-»' ■•" help the mothers upon whose slk"'. ers rested at the present time so crus'iinir a burden. I here would be no consumption of food 011 the premises and no intention of cnlerng into competition with restaurants, nor were eak ■< 'and scones to l>n baked. The be-. ginning would be humble, but the scheme contained infinite possibilities, it was proposal to establish one large central kitchen cnpable of -serving, .fifty families where food would be prepared, an 1 from which it would be distributed. Tli" food f«r the midday meal would be delivered in containers lined with L'la«s wlre.h would hold the heat for fou;- to six hours. The dinner would simnly he lifhd from the containers holding the plates and placed on the, table. There would be no washing of plates—thev would go back to the kiVben to-' be sterilised. The economy would work out firstly in the paving of coal. At present there would be 50 homes cngn'jed in the- proi-rss of preparing 50' dinners. SO mothers employed, and 50 black-loaded ranees, etc. Their scl-emc meant the establishment of ono large kitchen. ' ' Professor Malcolm said he regarded the scheme as n step in the evolution' of our communal life. The present 'srarcity of domestic help had fallen on . those 'who most needed as's-stoneo—the families who in the'past had kept one servant. Life had become very hard for the nursing mothers and expectant mothers, and it was the duty of. the community to help. ' Ear-reaching 'results to tiie race may follow the present difficulties, and these would lik.% affect both health mid populat'oir. It was an experiment which would not break up borne life. Overwork' was the woman's great burden, and ,tlie present state was most nnphysiological. He concluded l\v complimenting the committee on bringin" the whole question forward. Mrs; Lindo Ferguson, Sir. D. E. llieomin and several other speakers, wiirmly commended the plan, Mr. Theomin expressing his confidence, in the proposal by taking- 50 shares at. £\.- Several other subscribes were found 111 varyin" amounts from .-P25 downwards,-and ifwas announced that .£220 had been subscribed at. the meeting. The hrst customers' names were also ItnndPd Hi. An influential committee was elected to proceed'with the formation of the coml'nnJ'- ' ' ' ' '