The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-05-20
COMMONS
 AND SMOKE. Major John 9. TiIson's Re- port That Never Reach
 ed Corporation. HIGH PRICES FOR FOOD
Paid According to Books But Best Goods Are Not
 Produced.
MEETING OF CORPORATION
Students Anxious But Eli Whitney Thinks There'll
 be No Action.

The members of the Yale Dining Hall club, who board at the Yale Commons, are wondering If the corporation, which meets to-morrow,will consider the man. agement of that department of the uni- versity. It is understood that Captain Smokes contract will soon expire, and the students are anxious to know if it is to be renewed.
 The inferior service given at the Commons has got on to the nerves of the student boarders, many of whom declare that it is poorer than 1t has ever been and of a general character to justify the biggest kind of kick. They pay for the best meats and pro- duee, but do not receive them. The bills in the office of the manager show that the highest prices are paid, but that the goods are not produced. It was this discovery on the part of the officers of the dining club that led to an interview with Treasurer McClung, which resulted in an arrangement for an interview with Captain Smoke the day following. A half hour before the time set for the conference the captain sent word that he was sick abed and could not attend, though the students say that he was not sick enough to be kept housed the day following.
 The students are incensed that they should be given no relief by the cor poration, when that body's attention has been called to the fact that they are not getting what they pay for. It is known that similar state of af- fairs existed over year ago, and that Major John O. Tilson made report to the prudential committee in which he is said to have made serious charges regarding Captain Smokes alleged neg lect of duty. A conference was held at that time with the captain, and upon a promise to do better the report was placed away in the files of the univer- sity, but not among the papers of the corporation itself. It is not alleged that some of the methods followed by the captain then have been revived in practice, though it is asserted that the same old ineff1ciency exists and that little attention is paid to the business of the department, though the head draws a professors full salary of $4,00O and additional sums for expenses. The expenses of the dining hall have in- creased over last year, in spite of dis charges which have been made to re- duce the wage account. In the office additional gains have been made in salaries, which, it is claimed, could not have been the case had the manage ment being attentive and physically present all of the time.
 The officials of the university have done their best to suppress all knowl- edge of the affair in the hope that it would blow over, and that new inter est on the part of Captain Smoke would remove all cause of complaint. It is now the belief of many of them, in- cluding the officers of the dining club, that the best way of meeting it Is to meet it, as MT. Disbrow puts it, face to face" It is on this account that to- morrow's corporation meeting will be awaited with lively curiosity by the students. One member of the official body of the university goes so far as to intimate that the corporation will not renew Captain Smokes contract thus ducking what may be otherwise a disagreeable scandal.
 Hon. Eli Whitney who is member of the corporation was seen by re- porter last night but was not inclined to talk upon the subject. He admit ted that Major Tilson made the report as stated above but blandly said that ,et GontoiY1 were not serious ones. He had heard that the students had made a protest about the raise in price of board but had not heard of their complaints against the quality of food offered. He denied that the corporation would take the matter up to-day. While stating that he knew of Major Tilsons report, he said he did not know of anybody who has anycomplaint to make against Capt. Smoke The prudential commit tee will meet tomorrow.
 The increase in the price of board MT. Whitney said was determined upon last fall and by unanimous vote of the undergraduates committee but that it had not been put into effect until recently.
 Charles H. Small a salesman for Aus tin, Nicholas and company, of New York, wholesale grocers, said that his firm had had no dealing with Capt. Smoke for over a year. Continuing he said that in his opinion, notwithstand- ing the financial success of the dining hall administration, the interests of Yale College would be better served if all large houses had an opportunity to submit samples and bid as is the case