Poll Cats

When Charles Luckman, Chairman of the Citizens Food Committee, first appealed for voluntary food rationing to supplement American grain shipments abroad, the Student Council hustled to his aid by setting up a food committee. That was seven long weeks ago. Since then, the Council committee has stumbled through three consecutive plans to save food, written a poll on each plan, vetoed each poll, and consistently fumbled the ball in every interview with the Dinning Hall management. The past month and a half has resulted in a thrill-packed orgy of neat, little plans and smashed, neat, little plans. During this time not one ounce of wheat has been saved nor one nickel set aside to buy C.A.R.E. packages.

Attempting a two pronged attack with the idea of saving both money and food for Europe, the Council ground to an early halt on the solid, rock of Mr. Aldrich Durant '02, Business Manager. Mr. Durant shield understandably when presented with a plan to save 2000 1bs. of wheat per week and send the resultant money saving to Europe in the form the C.A.R.E. packages. Negotiation, followed by more negotiation produced nothing more definite than a nebulous idea that while food could be saved, the University's dining halls were operating at a tremendous deficit and any attempt to save money would send the food budget crashing down about the Council's ears. The treasurer's report for 1946-47, contains the statements that the dining halls cleared $41,000 during the year. According to all available information, the present situation is much the same-an operating deflect over the summer and an upsurge during the rest of the year to finish well in the black.

A revised plan, currently touring the Council circuit, calls for a large reduction of University wheat consumption, the amount to be released for government use, and the money thus saved handed over to the dining halls for application to a non-existent debt. The management also guarantees an attempt to improve the quality of the food. Based on inaccurate information, the present Student Council program seems little short of idiotic.

Even after an excellent, but brittle project had been shattered into a zillion fragments, the job of scarping up the residue was badly hacked. Mr. Durant agreed to help the Council committee release a ton of wheat each week for shipment abroad, but demanded a mandate from the student body. This necessitated a poll. It was ready in five long weeks and promptly voted by a fourteen-man session of the Council. Hoping to get everything just right when speed was the important factor, the committee launched into a lengthy correspondence with Charles Lauckman. He returned a five question, sheet, the Council tossed in two more questions, looked at the poll and heaved it into the waste paper basket. Two more weeks of unhappy revisions followed and now a third poll dealing exclusively with bread, pie, and wheat cereals lies on the chopping block. A grand total of seven weeks to find out if Harvard wants to save food.

Blundering, misinformed, and poorly organized, the Student Council muffed an excellent change to perform a really important function. Europe's need for food filled is desperate and there is no earthly reason why Harvard cannot contribute both grain and money. The problem demanded speed and keen insight; the Council treated it in a sluggish and obtuse fashion. Last year's Council committee raised $25,000 for European relief in two quick door-to-door drives. As of today, the two groups are exactly $25,000 apart.