CLOSING OF COLLEGES OPPOSED

A conference of the heads of universities and colleges of New England was called last Saturday by Fuel Administrator James J. Storrow '85 to discuss the question of closing all the colleges as a means of economizing coal in the present fuel crisis. Although the proposal had received considerable support from the conservation officials, the arguments put forth by the assembled presidents demonstrated that it would not be practical. Mr. Storrow is withholding his final opinion on the subject until today, but it seems improbable that he will order any limitation of the college sessions. "I am inclined to let the colleges run," he stated after the conference.

Two Chief Objections.

The principal objections to the closing plan were, first, that a short closing would only make it possible to shut up the recitation halls, for the dormitories would all have to be heated for the benefit of students who could not go to their homes, and second, that the war work being done in the various colleges required the maintenance of the laboratories and certain libraries. It was pointed out that many fuel-saving plans are already in force in the various institutions.

An extract from the report of the committee of college presidents, which consisted of President Lowell, President Hadley of Yale and President Lyons of Boston College, follows.

Government Work Involved

"The institutions can, of course, be closed, and the students, dismissed. But unless this is done for a considerable length of this the saving would be slight. The work for the Government must be continued, and that involves keeping open laboratories and libraries, the plant must be kept from destruction; the students must live somewhere and dormitories are approximately as cheap a method of keeping them warm as could be found. Moreover, it has been calculated, that the cost in rule of having the students travel to their homes would equal that of keeping them warm in college dormitories for a number of days."