HUC Tables Linen Tax Proposal; Will Complete Own Parietal Report

The Harvard Undergraduate Council voted last night to return to committee a proposal for taxing the HSA Linen Service, effectively killing the measure.

Andy Tobias '68, President of HSA, handily disposed of the council's questions on the service until Richard Berner '68, spokesman for the HUC Sheet committee, admitted, "We see that your back is against the wall and you are driven to zero profit."

The Sheet Committee had considered a proposal for taxing each of the Linen Service's depots within the Houses. Proceeds from such a tax would have gone to the House Committee.

Profits Lower?

Tobias reacted quickly to HUC members' questions saying, "By paying the student workers in the linen service $2.50 per hour and by having fewer subscribers than last year because of the poorer service of the depot system, out profits are lower than last year." Advocates of the tax had indicated the linen services profits were higher this year.

The depot system was adopted after pressure from the Gordon Linen Service which sub-contracts the HSA service. Harvard had been the only one of forty schools serviced by Gordon which did not use a depet system. The company had advised the HSA that they would not continue the contract at the present price unless deliveries to individual rooms were eliminated.

In other developments the HUC directed a six-man committee to summarize the committee's parietal proposals and refute the major opposing arguments.

The statement is to be released in advance of the October 31 annual dinner with the HUC, the House Masters, and Deans Glimp, von Stade, Watson, and Ford. Since these men essentially compose the Committee on the Houses, which must recommend parietal changes to the Faculty, the dinner will provide an opportunity for informal discussion between these two key groups.

HUC members differed sharply on tactics for achieving parietal changes. Several favored radical confrontation measures, such as a "sleep-in" or "study-in." Others favored the kind of informal discussions, being held this week in most houses, with Masters and tutors.

The HUC also approved a resolution allotting $160--$10 for each of 16 Harvard undergraduates--for their visit to the University of Toronto November 16--19 as part of the Harvard-Toronto exchange. Fourteen Cliflies are also included in the program.