The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-11-04

Heating and lighting
To the household manager some OF
the best opportunities for economy are
offered Ia tuo purchase Of supplies.
To get tho best because nothing else
win do. and to lct 1t FOR the least out
lay Of brains and muscle and money.
not TO go without, not TO substitute
inferior quality for good not to step
back into individual production or in
any way substitute the work Of the
hand for the work OF the brain and
dollar; but 10 get through tie moss
convenient channels the things we
need, in order 70 give 10 society the
best possible output In manhood ana
womanhood from all our homes.
Most housekeeping experts advocate
the purchasing of staple articles OF
food, such as -four, sugar. salt. pota-
toes. etc, in wholesale quantities, aS
long as one has the means and room
Cor proper storage Of the same; 1t il
n matter Of sreat convenience "a we'll
rs economical. \ saving from 90 70
80 per cent is sometimes made by 80
doing
The preparation Of food for cooking
! it is evident requires only labor. 1t
includes the division of the raw mater
'als into standard units. the prop2r'-
ton of these units for cooking tsuch
as tho peehng of potatoes. the trim
ming and chopping of meats, and the
mixing Of dOughs) and the placing Of
J them in proper utensils ready for the
application OF heat. Just as in the
: factory ,vcC, effort il made 10 pro-
/ ride the Ngcr.Imen with the most ef.
| fcctivc tools, so in this and al house
hold work an effort should be rado Il
obtain for the workers all mechanical
0evices that serve to decrease manual
! labor or save time.
! A record should be made 81 the
time required 10 cook every kind Of
dish likely to be- served. II the pre-
paration Of the food has been attended
to properly It should be possible 70
cook all the dishes for a given meal
, within the time required for the slow
est cooking dish--provided the stove
! win accommodate them all. BY a lit
tie planning it is possible to reduce
I the time required to do the actual
! cooking 10 a very few minutes for
each meal.
The preparation OF the table is q
process that can bc timed TO a nicely.
\ record should be made of what con-
stitutes a properly set table for each
meal. The housewife should deter
mine by means Of a few tests, just
preparing each table. Such time should
be recorded as standard for that work.
In the removal, washing, and re-
placing Of dishes there Is room for
much Improvement. This duty Ia us
ually disliked. but an analysis shows
that under proper management il
should prove anything hut that.
Tho determination of standards
should be carried just as far as pos
sible. 1t is hard work, and takes much
time and patient effort, but the re-
sulting economy Of material and the
planning make the necessary initial Ct
fort well worth while.
Just as standard dinners are plan
ned. so should there be planned a
number OF standard breakfasts and
lunchcons. just as standard portion
OF soup Is determined, so should there
be determined standard portions Of
steaks, the various potatoes, vegeta-
bles, desserts and even bread and hut
ter The laundry should consume
very nearly the same amount of its
supplies weekly; the kitchen stove
and furnace should be watched just as
closely. After determining under what
conditions these can be conducted
most economically. and after carefully
instructing the workers In charge, it
should be required that thereafter the
standard Instructions he followed alb
solutcly.
In determining what Is the least
time an efficient worker should take
to do a given piece of work we ttrst
make n careful study Of one or more
persons engaged In doing that work.