Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1891-05-16
A HoUSEKEIPEKS' TRUST.
Cooperative Cooking aud Table Service
In Successful Operation.

In Successful Operation.
There is nothing SO erpieXing i'll III"
whole round of lousekeep ng, saws tn
Nnw York Herald as the question a..
food. he lord of the manor nIUs have
food well prepared and we'll served, bu
the scarcity of good cooks at reasonable
wages precludes such condition i'll most
families of moderate circumstances 1t
would seem, therefore, that plan which
would close the kitchen entirely, reduce
the force of servants, and lessen the cost
of living, while at the same time bring
ing better service at meals, would
be something Utopian-an "iridescent
dream.
But the dream after all is not a dream.
The problem is solved, and its solution
is so simple and satisfactory that ti'
wonder is it was not made clear before.
Some weeks since the heads of five
Utica, N. Y, families entered into an
agreement after mature deliberation un'
der which provision was made for leas-
ing and furnishing house, employing
cook and servants, and making arrange
ments for trial If cooperative house
keeping in SO far as the dining room and
kitchen were concerned. The gentle
men interested are all business men i'll
moderate circumstances, who had come
to the conclusion that better service at
less cost could be obtained in this way
than by the usual individual housekeel
ing method Choosing president,
secretary, and treasury and boar
of governors" the gentlemen set them
selves to work. The first thing to l."
done was to draft a compact by which
all we're bound to give the plan a trial
of three months All are SO well salts
fled that there will be no changes at tn"
end of that time, three weeks hence. H.
the original numler % persons were in
cluded, which number has been auS
mented to nearly SO. as many as can lie
accommodated in the present quarters.
In the beginning it was necessary t"
purchase an entire new outfit of kItch"
and dining room furni ure, as we'll a
the conveniences for the cook and tiv
walters, who in addition to their regu-
lar duties look after the louse whic
they occupy, rented by the club. A
competent cook o! many years eX-
pericnce was employed, into whose
charge the full n,anagem nj of affairs
was given, with the exception Of tn"
purchase of food, which duty devolve,
upon one of the club designated by the
president at the beginning of each
month. Books are kept in which is
entered every cent of expenditure. an
they are balanced at the end of the
month. when an assessment is levied
upon each member, and all accounts
;ra .quarrd. During the first few
weeks of the life of the club the assess
mentS were necessarily somewhat
heavier than they are at present As
everything is provided, with all the
delicacies in season, while no extrava-
gance is countenanced by any member
If any member brings visitors they
must lie paid for at the rate of 25 cents
per meal, and notice must be given
beforehand of their coming The
system has been brought SO far on the
road to perfection that it would be in
deed difficult to make it better in any
way.
At present the amount levied upon
each person is a tt file less than SO a week,
and those in cha",e confidently expect
to reduce this to So so, when greater
knowledge is acquired by experience.
This assessment i very small indeed
when the quality of the service is con-
sidered. The bill of fare can not be dup
licated in any first class boarding house
for twice Or three times $3 Besides
this, wives and daughters are released
from the care of Kitchens and dining
rooms, and the worry incident to the
supervision of cooks and other servants,
too often incompetent, is thing of the
past. The only inconvenience, which is
slight by comparison. is the necessity of
leaving homes to take meals in the CO.
operative club house. All those in
terested, however, live near by and
count this as nothing.